It was supposed to be a new era at Newcastle United, a new approach to how the hierarchy were going to Premier League football, and one that was going to lead to a top-eight finish.
But Steve McClaren's arrival in the pre-season of 2015 just never felt right, and it unravelled pretty much as soon as it began.
It finished with his sacking, and his replacement Rafa Benitez unable to save the club from relegation. That in turn saw players sold - Georgino Wijnaldum and Moussa Sissoko were among those to leave; both now battling for Premier League titles.
Yet with such a backing from the board - McClaren was given more than £80 million worth of players in the two windows he was there - and a squad with so much talent, just how did it go so wrong?
In a special episode from The Everything is Black and Podcast, host Andrew Musgrove is joined by NUFC writer Chris Waugh and stand-up comedian Si Beckwith to go over McClaren's time in charge.
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