Preston North End fans were probably expecting to be going into Saturday's clash with struggling Barnsley with Frankie McAvoy at the helm after the weekend went by without a club statement.
How quick football can change though as not long after the Lilywhites were drawn out to play Cardiff City in round three of the FA Cup on Monday night did an announcement come from from the club that the Scot had been received of his duties.
McAvoy's reign ended at seven months and the lack of a caretaker manager being appointed suggested that the hierarchy at Deepdale had a man in mind to take over, and less than 24 hours later they've secured that individual in Ryan Lowe.
A veteran striker in his playing days, Lowe has guided both Bury and Plymouth Argyle to promotions as a manager and left the latter in fourth spot in the League One table before North End made their approach today.
Lowe expressed his desire to play attacking football and getting the fans back into Deepdale in a clip released by PNE earlier and speaking to the media for the first time following the official announcement of his appointment, he explained why he could not turn the Lilywhites down.
"Once I spoke to Peter and Craig, I knew my heart was set on coming to Preston North End," Lowe said, per LancsLive.
"I've looked closely at the squad, the fan base, we want to excite and we need these fans back to support the team - they probably haven't had the best time of late and we want to bring the good times back.
"When you get the opportunity to manage Preston North End, you don't say no."
The Verdict
These kinds of words are exactly what Preston fans want to hear after being mainly uninspired by Frankie McAvoy.
The talk of playing an exciting brand of football and getting fans back through the turnstiles will be music to the ears of supporters who have been dwindling away due to apathy recently - apathetic no longer though.
Another big thing that Lowe said was that the players were coming in on their scheduled day off to prepare for the Barnsley clash at the weekend which shows he means business and is again something PNE fans will love to see.
The mood at Deepdale has gone from very downbeat to incredibly positive in the space of 24 hours and Lowe could end up reinvigorating the team to produce a surprise play-off push this season - you simply cannot rule anything out.