Steven Gerrard takes charge of his first Aston Villa match on Saturday when Brighton & Hove Albion head to the West Midlands, and the Liverpool legend has a big job on his hands.
A run of five consecutive defeats saw Dean Smith given his marching orders, with Villa currently 16th and only two points clear of the bottom three.
The 1-0 defeat away at Southampton before the international break proved to be the straw that broke the camel's back for Smith, and started the club's pursuit of a replacement.
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It appears that Christian Purslow and Johan Lange had no doubts in Gerrard's credentials for the job, with an interview that left the former "blown away" by his ambitions plans.
A report from the Daily Telegraph revealed that the former England captain became the number one contender for the job after five hours of "intense, highly-detailed talks."
The article included a fascinating insight into Gerrard's meticulous preparation, after he prepared a Powerpoint presentation on the strengths and weakness of every current Villa first-team player.
Gerrard was also asked numerous questions about how he would implement his coaching philosophy against certain teams, and answered them with aplomb.
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"It was an outstanding interview and left us in no doubt that we were on with the right man," said Purslow.
"From my perspective, we were blown away with the level of preparation, the thoughtfulness, and the clarity around a pretty detailed blueprint."
The article also explained how Lange used data and analytics to narrow down a shortlist of 20 coaches to a final four.
The mood around the Bodymoor Heath training base and also been lifted since Gerrard's arrival, and he has held meetings with all the players about what he expects from them going forward.
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It will be fascinating to see how his tenure begins on Saturday.
Topics: Aston Villa, Premier League, Steven Gerrard