What seemed like a hugely ambitious managerial appointment was doomed from the start.
Frank de Boer has set an unwanted Premier League record of being in charge of Crystal Palace for only four league games before being sacked.
He did not even see them score a top-flight goal.
Palace chairman Steve Parish had made up his mind before Sunday’s 1-0 defeat by Burnley and was just waiting until he could secure a successor.
That trigger was pulled when De Boer was hauled off the training ground on Monday morning and told to go to a meeting with Parish in central London.
The Dutchman thought it was because the club’s American investors were in town, but his camp had already been tipped off and told their man the bad news.
De Boer met Parish during the recent international break as he battled to save his job.
But sources close to the former Ajax boss claim his future was never mentioned, no ultimatums issued and that they only talked tactics, player selection and transfers as he tried to evolve Palace’s playing style — which was his brief when he arrived.
Palace produced an improved display, albeit in defeat, at Burnley and De Boer saw his reign at Palace end even faster than at Inter Milan last season.
He was in charge just 85 days at the San Siro — and now a fellow former Inter boss is on his way.
Having tried for Total Football, Palace are now going back to basics with Roy Hodgson and an admission that De Boer was the wrong man at the wrong time at the wrong club.
After Palace were stunned by Sam Allardyce’s resignation at the end of last season, Parish passed up the opportunity to move for Sean Dyche of Burnley and the English option, flirted with other foreign managers, then went for the biggest name.
Palace’s players went from big characters in Allardyce and Alan Pardew to De Boer, who despite his impressive reputation was quiet at training and tried – too quickly – to move from a direct style to a possession game.
One player described the football as “Louis van Gaal Mark II”.
Rather than go for proven Premier League signings, De Boer’s targets were Dutch youngsters.
It left Parish with doubts.
Money was an issue — Parish had spent big in the previous windows and they were on a tight budget this time.
Finally, they got Mamadou Sakho, last season’s saviour while on loan from Liverpool, for £26million. But it was too late for De Boer by then.
Being without injured star Wilfried Zaha for a month since the season opener has not helped either.
De Boer did not seem to understand the strengths of his squad.
Players did not think he knew Jeffrey Schlupp could play left-back and left-wing. He tried midfielder Luka Milivojevic at centre-back in pre-season.
The players were scratching their heads and Parish was hardly discreet about his own doubts.
After the Burnley game when he tweeted that Palace “need to stick together”, he was talking about the fans not De Boer.
He made overtures about bringing back Big Sam, but Allardyce turned him down so another ex-England boss will get the job.
* JAMES McARTHUR insists the players are to blame for Crystal Palace’s dreadful start, not Frank de Boer, writes David Anderson .
The Dutchman was sacked on Monday after the Eagles became the first top-flight side in 93 years to lose their opening four games without scoring a goal.
But midfielder McArthur said: “It’s the players who aren’t doing our jobs. It’s us on the pitch who haven’t taken the opportunities.
“It always goes to the manager, but it shouldn’t — the players need to take responsibility.”