Southampton fans will hope Ruben Selles can guide their team to safety after it was announced he would take charge of the club until the end of the season.
It comes after Saints dismissed Nathan Jones following a run of just one Premier League win in eight. The former Luton Town boss had replaced Ralph Hasenhuttl who parted company with the club just before the break for the World Cup in November.
Selles made no secret of his desire to manage the club after joining as assistant to Hasenhuttl in the summer.
And the impressive performance in the 1-0 win at Chelsea last weekend only strengthened his claim to be given the opportunity to manage at St. Marys.
Who is Ruben Selles?
Selles, 39, has often played the supporting role in previous clubs, with coaching experience in Greece, Russia and Denmark before a move to Spain where he managed Valencia Under 18's in 2020.
He would go on to join FC Copenhagen as assistant manager in January 2021, leaving the Danish side almost 18 months later for the same role at Southampton.
The announcement comes after Saints' move for Jesse Marsch fell through. The former Leeds United boss looked set to be named as Saints' new head coach just a week after he was dismissed from Elland Road, but talks over the length of his contract proved to be the stumbling block.
Selles was already a popular figure in the dressing room after arriving in the summer, and James Ward-Prowse came out after the win at Stamford Bridge to praise his boss - saying he brought 'stability and calm' to the dressing room.
After Jones had changed systems pretty much every game looking for something that worked, Selles almost took Saints back to basics in West London.
Already making his mark
He set his team up in the 4-2-2-2 formation often seen under Hasenhuttl, and with it a clear game plan that had regularly been missing under his predecessor.
And with that game plan came a sense of defensive solidarity. Saints restricted their hosts to few chances, and when they did come, the team defended as one. Romain Perraud celebrated his goal-line clearance from Raheem Sterling's effort like he had just scored himself - and that belief and passion had been something that every Saints fan was longing to see.
But even before the game last weekend, he had made it clear he wanted the job not just on a temporary basis.
'I want to be the manager'
"I feel comfortable. I'm an honest person, I try to be very clear with what we do and I think I have built myself up to be here with you today," he said in his pre-match press conference.
"I have been through all the levels of football - not in England, but in the rest of the world - and that is a learning path that I am very proud of. I have a lot of personal experience, coaching hours. I think it's a natural thing for me.
"I want to be the manager and, as I was asked three or four months ago, I think I'm as capable of doing that as any other. But it's not my decision."
It's clear the players have bought into Selles' philosophy. Come full-time at Stamford Bridge, the players could be seen pushing Selles towards a buoyant away end to soak up the adulation of the travelling supporters.
Now the club have backed the young Portuguese coach, time will tell if he can make his mark.
It doesn't get any easier for Selles and Saints, with a huge relegation 'six-pointer' away at Leeds United on Saturday. Win that, and Saints could find themselves out of the bottom three come 5pm. That was something you could only dream of under Jones...