Preston North End director Peter Ridsdale has hinted that Ryan Lowe's appointment at Preston North End had been the plan for some time - despite Frankie McAvoy only being relieved of his duties on Monday evening.
The Scot was sacked two days after North End were downed 1-0 by rivals Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park as the weekend passed with McAvoy still in a job.
Following his departure on Monday though it didn't take long for it to become apparent that North End had a name in mind and by the end of the night it was Ryan Lowe who was the bookies favourite.
And by Tuesday morning the rumour mill went into overdrive as it looked as though things were signed and sealed, and it proved to be the case in the afternoon as Lowe was unveiled to the press at North End's Euxton training ground.
It wasn't just Lowe who spoke though but also Ridsdale, who played a major part in raiding a club he used to be chairman at in Plymouth and whilst speaking of his delight about the appointment he suggested that Lowe coming to Deepdale was in the pipeline for a while.
"We are excited because if you are in a situation where you need to make a change, you need to make sure you do it with the right person," Ridsdale said to LancsLive.
"We have a list, that we refresh all the time in case you need to change your manager, and Ryan was number one on the list.
"He was in a job, so when you have got someone number one and in a job, it is not always easy to achieve your ambition in bringing him to the football club.
"I think we have done it in a very timely fashion, as smoothly as it is ever likely to be and that's why I've thanked Plymouth because these things can drag on - and frankly I didn't want it to because we've got a match on Saturday.
"So of course it is a coup to get someone like Ryan to manage this football club, because it is a very good match - I'd like to say a perfect match but time will tell."
The Verdict
How quick the situation went from McAvoy departing to Lowe arriving at North End would suggest that this wasn't simply done overnight.
McAvoy was under pressure for a while from fans despite Ridsdale stating just a month ago that he was doing a good job as head coach, but it now appears that this was at least under consideration for a few weeks.
Results against AFC Bournemouth, Middlesbrough and Fulham probably bought the Scot more time but North End were able to pounce at an opportune moment when they lost to a local rival and when Plymouth have lost a few league matches on the spin as well.
Only time will tell if it's a successful appointment but the positivity is already seeping from the fanbase - now the results have to start flowing on the pitch.