On Monday evening, Tottenham Hotspur Women confirmed the sacking of manager Rehanne Skinner, bringing her 28-month long spell at the club to an abrupt end.
It's a decision that takes absolutely no one by surprise, with Spurs having seen defeat in all their last nine league games, and adding fuel to the fire, elimination from both the FA Cup and the Conti Cup didn't do much good either.
While the North London club begin their hunt for a new permanent boss, assistant head coach Vicky Jepson will take charge as interim, beginning on Wednesday night, at home to Leicester City.
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Time at the club
Skinner was appointed first-team manager at Tottenham in November 2020, following the departure of successful long-time duo Carlos Amoros and Karen Hills, who had helped guide the club to the Women's Super League for the first time ever.
It was midway through the Lilywhites' second season in the division when she joined, and carried the team to their first league win of that campaign in her opening match.
Spurs would proceed to finish positively, in 8th place, well clear of relegation.
Skinner's first full season, in 2021/22, kicked off well, as her side recorded just two defeats within the opening eleven games, boosting them into an unlikely race for Europe.
Ultimately, it would turn out to be a record-breaking season at the Hive, as Tottenham claimed their highest ever league ranking - 5th in the WSL, plus a Conti Cup semi-final.
An incredible achievement for them was largely down to Skinner and the coaching staff, who were equally applauded for their efforts during that time.
However, this term has been a complete mirror image of the one flown by - despite opening the campaign with a narrow win at Leicester, they were heavily embarrassed on derby day at the Emirates Stadium days after; the thumping by Arsenal pretty much summed up the season that was to follow.
Spurs would proceed to rack up another couple of victories, over Liverpool and Brighton, the latter ending 8-0, prior to that unwanted nine-game losing streak that followed.
Skinner and co. saw defeat in both the Conti Cup quarter-final and FA Cup Fifth Round too, as the misery continued to pile up.
The news should have come earlier in the year, but it seemed to be a 2-1 loss at Liverpool on Sunday that brought on the sacking of the manager, which not too many can argue about, given the poor run.
As she packs her bags with the Lilywhites in 10th and merely two points from the drop, it is now down to Jepson to produce a miracle, until further notice.
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"Rehanne has played an integral role"
On Monday evening, Tottenham Hotspur Women released the following:
"The Club can today announce that Women’s First Team Head Coach Rehanne Skinner has been relieved of her duties.
"Having joined us in November, 2020, following a spell as Assistant Head Coach of the England national team, Rehanne guided us to an eighth-place finish in the Women’s Super League in 2020/21, before lifting us to fifth – our highest ever placing in the WSL – along with a spot in the semi-finals of the Continental League Cup during another season of progress in 2021/22.
Rehanne departs with the team in 10th position following Sunday’s defeat to Liverpool.
"Andy Rogers, Managing Director, Tottenham Hotspur Women, said:
“Since joining us in 2020, Rehanne has played an integral role in our development in the women’s game, both on and off the field. She has carried out her duties with the utmost professionalism and attention to detail, and we should like to thank her for everything she has done for us over the course of her tenure.”
"Assistant Head Coach Vicky Jepson will take the team for Wednesday’s home fixture against Leicester City."