Sunderland were rocked by Roy Keane's departure but their response, it has to be said, was to take the easy option.
It is pretty difficult to criticise clubs for watching their expenditure in these troubled economic times but the fact is the vogue this season has been for teams to promote their caretaker and then gradually move him into some kind of permanent role. Even Charlton did this when Phil Parkinson's record as temporary manager was pretty horrific.
Some would see it as a no-risk solution. There is no hefty additional expense and no large pay-out to swallow if things do not work out well. However, the truth is the risks are great - as Sunderland are finding out in the most painful way imaginable.
The Black Cats fans face an excrutiating last day with relegation not the worst thing that can happen. Even more unbearable would be bitter rivals Newcastle United leapfrogging the Wearsiders and clambering to safety.
There is a school of opinion that this is all Keane's fault. He bought erratically and a number of the signings have been jettisoned already, while others have failed to justify their chunky price-tags.
The fact is some players have not been doing enough in the red and white stripes and they must shoulder a great deal of the responsibility for the club's plight. But Ricky Sbragia, as nice a guy as he seems, is also culpable.
The Scot barely seemed as though he even wanted the job and the fuss that goes with it when stepping into the breach after Keane's departure. Happy to work effectively in the shadows, he ensured there was no immediate collapse and a win at Hull City helped seal a permanent agreement. That triumph at The KC Stadium looked impressive at the time but Hull's subsequent form paints it in a less flattering light.
Sunderland may have been linked with a host of big names but Sbragia got the nod. The appointment was perhaps a little hasty, indicating the club would tread water and take stock in the summer. If their interim boss had surprised everyone, including himself, and proved a top-class number one in the making, he would have earned the right to be the long-term choice.
But Sbragia was a caretaker chief, albeit a pretty effective one in the early days. Sunderland are a big club and they cried out for a big name. With Ellis Short due to invest a fortune into the North East outfit, the future looked bright and steady progress was the name of the game on Wearside.
Keane let The Black Cats down. There is no escaping that fact, whatever his explanations. He walked out at the first real sign of trouble after doing an impressive job up until the home battering by Bolton Wanderers. But Roy Keane, as a name and a character, has clout. The combustible Corkonian demands respect and results and helped ensure Sunderland were always in the news, always pushing on and always looking upwards.
As newsworthy and compelling as Keane was and still is, Sbragia is the polar opposite. The hangdog expression instils little confidence and there have been some worrying comments of late, the sort of words you would never expect from Keane, nor indeed any manager of a club as big as Sunderland.
Talking up a point at Bolton as being a great result and then appearing to accept the subsequent stalemate as a real boost was somewhat peculiar. Admitting a draw at Portsmouth would also be more than sufficient failed to really grasp what was on offer at Fratton Park and what the loyal travelling fans who made the huge trek on a Monday night may have dared to expect.
A win on the South Coast and it was job done, Sunderland safe and those supporters able to travel back north safe in the knowledge the future was secure. Instead, after leading through Kenwyne Jones's goal, they imploded and handed a Pompey side that admittedly improved markedly after the interval, a 3-1 victory.
So it comes down to this. Sunderland must beat Chelsea to guarantee their safety. That's right, Chelsea. A side that rarely ever looks like losing and will travel to The Stadium of Light with some confidence after winning 4-1 at Arsenal in the last game on their travels. A draw means nothing.
Sbragia's latest pearl of wisdom? He wishes Chelsea had made the Champions League final so they would be playing a shadow side similar to the one Manchester United will field at Hull.
Again, not exactly the stirring rallying cry the club's passionate fans would want to hear. The Black Cats boss was also at pains to reveal his hopes that his former club United, even with Rome on their minds, will still be too strong for The Tigers to get his own team out of jail regardless of their result.
Remember Manchester United, at full strength, needed a Nemanja Vidic goal deep into stoppage time to beat Sunderland at Old Trafford in Sbragia's first game in charge. They required a late winner at home to Middlesbrough too. Newcastle were only despatched 2-1 after trailing following an Edwin van der Sar error and drew in the season opener at Old Trafford. Hull stunned the home crowd in a plucky 4-3 defeat at United. Even as recently as last month, Federico Macheda had to come off the bench to rescue three points at The Stadium of Light.
My point is Sunderland, and Newcastle and Middlesbrough for that matter, should not be concerning themselves with which team Sir Alex Ferguson picks. Ignore the ridiculous, fabricated story about legal action being considered against the champions because that is quite ludicrous.
With a Champions League final in Italy a few days later, United have earned the right to rest their star men at Hull. No doubt Barcelona will be doing the same now their domestic title is also wrapped up.
The North-East clubs that go down have no right relying on what the best team in the country do in a fixture that means nothing to them.
Sunderland should be focusing on achieving the improbable mission of beating a Chelsea team with half an eye on their Wembley date the following weekend.
Whatever your opinion of Keane, there is no doubt he would be believing it was achievable. You sense Sbragia is aware of the need to trust Aston Villa and United will not let him down rather than genuinely feel his players are capable of getting the three points, as unfair as that sounds.
It is why Sunderland must survive the ordeal and torture that Sunday promises to bring and then start again next term - with Sbragia doing what he does best and working out of the limelight, coaching the players and allowing a new man to face the flak, sell the club to the media and, most importantly of all, inspire the players and instil fresh belief into the support.