The end actually came seven days ago. Everton were beaten 1-0 by Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium and everything about Sean Dyche told you he was a man driven to distraction.
His answers during a five-minute press conference became shorter and shorter, but every statement was studied. One goal, in which he referred to his surprise that Jarrad Branthwaite had fallen short in the build-up to David Brooks' decisive goal, certainly sent ripples through the Everton dressing room.
There was a sense of withdrawal from several players, who had grown increasingly tired of Dyche. But crucially, there were signs that the manager's reserves had been all but depleted. He had been in constant talks with the Friedkin Group (TFG), Everton's new owners, but the energy he exuded was causing concern.
Was he the man who continued to lead them forward? The answer was a resounding 'no'. If you've just made a huge investment but relegation from the Premier League is following you like a big cat in the wild, ready to pounce, you have no choice but to make contingency plans.
That's why the prospect of Graham Potter becoming the new man to manage Everton was real on Sunday. The new owners had assessed the landscape and begun due diligence on the former Chelsea boss, making discreet inquiries to find out more about his working methods.
At Finch Farm, Everton's training base, the sense that change was afoot was real. Those who have been involved with the club for a long time know the signs and some even felt that a departure from Dyche would be announced before the end of the weekend.
But Everton paused and West Ham, seeing an opportunity of their own, came on for Potter. The hesitation would have a significant impact on how the next few days played out, a sliding door moment for everyone involved.
On Monday, with Finch Farm closed and Dyche's side having a scheduled day off – they rarely train on what is called 'matchday minus three' – Potter headed out to meet David Sullivan, the West Ham chairman, and brought spent the evening at his home, where he shared his vision.
News of Everton's interest emerged while Potter was with Sullivan and on Tuesday morning some with knowledge of the situation were still considering it was a 50:50 whether the 49-year-old would stay in London or head north. West Ham, who had more time to work, got the deal done.
Back on Merseyside, Dyche and Everton's squad reunited for their FA Cup tie with Peterborough. Training had been postponed due to freezing temperatures and there were few signs of thawing in the atmosphere around the facility.
When he spoke to the media early in the evening he spoke with honesty and passion, but again, those present got the overriding impression that it all felt very 'end of days' – how could it not be when Everton are so closely linked was with another manager?
“There are no facts,” Dyche countered. 'No one has come out and said, 'By the way, we're talking to all these people.' It is only claimed. That's the way it works. Nothing changes for me. Try to get the team right, win the game and do the right thing that I do.
'Resilience is a strange thing in life and I've had enough of it. So far I've been handling it pretty well, I think. I work very hard with my staff and the players, taking the blows, absorbing them and making sure everyone knows it's on me. End of.'
However, there are only so many hits a man can take. Dyche had entered the same world as Ronald Koeman and Sam Allardyce, Marco Silva, Rafa Benitez and Frank Lampard, and felt utterly helpless and unable to find solutions. Soon his fate would be decided.
The situation came to a head on Wednesday. TFG had made it clear that the relationship was over. Staff who worked closely with Dyche were told he would be dismissed and that a legal team would arrive late in the afternoon to begin working on the terms of dismissal.
When Ian Woan and Steve Stone, his trusted allies, left the facility that evening, they never returned, but Dyche arrived on Thursday to say goodbye. That night's game, even if he had picked the team, wouldn't be his problem.
So Leighton Baines, the Under 18s coach, was summoned from the academy and Kevin Thelwell, the director of football, went to the Titanic Hotel, where the side were preparing for Peterborough, to break the news that Dyche was away and Baines and Seamus Coleman would take charge of the game.
Clearly there was a noticeable improvement in the atmosphere. It would be wrong to say there were celebrations, but there certainly wouldn't have been many – if any – tears shed. This behavior has been seen many times before and it is something that David Moyes will be fully aware of.
Moyes will reacquaint himself with some familiar faces when he officially re-enters Finch Farm, 12 years since he left for Manchester United, but so much has changed in terms of the atmosphere, the working environment and the attitude.
Coleman, who signed Moyes from Sligo Rovers for £60,000 in early 2009, has done his best over the years to instill in new players the standards the Scot demanded of him as a young man: the need for respect, professionalism and the determination to do your best every day.
Too many people have joined this club over the years without really caring about where they were – one player from the Ancelotti era was unaware that his manager was actually a double European Cup-winning midfielder – and conversations with Coleman and others. will be helpful.
Don't think Moyes, who spoke to the Friedkin Group on Thursday and again yesterday, will have fooled himself that he'll come in and everything will suddenly be rosy. He knows very well what shortcomings there are in the team.
You can guarantee Everton will get some good results in the next month – that's what this side tends to do – but it's what happens after the initial upswing that matters. It proved impossible for Dyche to hold out and he was eventually defeated.
After 101 weeks, Dyche ended up in room 101 at Everton. The Friedkin Group, with their high expectations and demand for immediate positive results, will expect Moyes to turn the lights back on at a club that has been shrouded in darkness for far too long.
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