For an appointment that began with such a prolonged courtship, the end came abruptly for Michael Tidser at Dunfermline.
It took just 59 days from his arrival in mid-January for the Pars hierarchy to decide he was not the man to take the club forward.
The final straw was Friday’s Fife derby defeat at Raith Rovers, leaving the Pars ninth in the Championship and deep in a relegation battle.
It was not just the 2-0 loss, but the dismal performance that allowed rivals to mock and poke fun and claim those fabled ‘bragging rights’
Courier Sport has taken a look back at Tidser’s two-month reign and analysed where it all went wrong.
When predecessor James McPake was sacked just two days before Christmas, it quickly became apparent Tidser was the number one target.
Inexperienced, but showing promising signs in League One, the 35-year-old was deemed a better option than the likes of the out-of-work Ian Murray.
However, with negotiations with Kelty Hearts over compensation complicated by Tidser’s playing contract, not to mention their asking price, it was almost four weeks before Dunfermline could announce their new man.
In a whirlwind few days for the East End Park club, the completion of a successful takeover by Park Bench duo James Bord and Evan Sofer was confirmed just 24 hours later.
Despite that timeline, the United States-based investors were fully involved in the decision to go with Tidser.
Here was a young, developing head coach who would fit – and accept – the data-driven approach of the majority shareholders.
Talks between Tidser and Bord had taken place well before either matter came to a conclusion.
Dunfermline’s ‘next chapter’
The Pars announced the new manager’s arrival as ‘The Next Chapter’ but, as it has turned out, it will barely merit a couple of pages in the club’s history.
Handed a two-and-a-half-year deal, he lasted only two months.
It is customary for those at the sharp end of such managerial decisions to explain publicly why one has left and what made the replacement the best candidate.
However, it was only on March 5 – nearly seven weeks later – that chairman and chief executive David Cook put any meat on the bones of Tidser’s appointment with a video interview on the official club website.
“Michael was one that shone through in quite a bit of the data analysis that they [the new owners] created on the managerial opportunity,” Cook said.
It was that very same data analysis that subsequently informed the signings made in the January and February windows.
It was the kind of backing that McPake could only have dreamed of last summer under previous owners DAFC Fussball GmbH, when targets were denied and games were played with only one signed goalkeeper.
Nine players in total were added to Tidser’s squad.
But it has been suggested to Courier Sport only one of those – on-loan Rangers kid Archie Stevens – was identified by the now former boss.
The background role of John Colquhoun, explained by Cook to be an advisor to Park Bench, has been key in the transfer market.
As a head coach, rather than an old-school manager, Tidser was expected to simply work with the new faces and make improvements on the training pitch.
Tidser gets off to perfect start
Many signings were lacking match fitness and most were short of experience, not only of the Scottish game but also first team football.
All – barring teenager Keith Bray, who was loaned straight back to Inverness Caley Thistle – were given an opportunity.
But few, beyond Stevens and Jeremiah Chilokoa-Mullen, impressed in a struggling team.
Tidser’s reign did get off to a flying start.
Just a few hours after his appointment, despite not being expected to take the team, he decided to get his hands dirty straight away.
And, after one training session, he sat in the dugout for the 3-0 victory over Stenhousemuir in the Scottish Cup.
It proved to be one of only three wins in 11 games in charge, and one of three games when they found the net.
By the end of his short reign, the former Morton midfielder had used 25 players, whilst sending the likes of Taylor Sutherland, Sam Fisher, Sam Young, Dapo Mebude and Craig Wighton out on loan.
Most will question whether the arrivals were any better than those who departed.
The 3-0 defeat to bottom side Airdrie in Tidser’s first league game in charge was a worrying sign.
Pars fans make feelings known
The goals conceded exposed the passing style he was trying to implement.
But the hope was individual mistakes would diminish as players became more used to the new regime.
Subsequent cup losses to Livingston, in the SPFL Trust Trophy semi-final, and Aberdeen, in the Scottish Cup, were no disgrace. And goalless draws with Queen’s Park and Livingston hinted at a solid foundation being built.
However, being edged out 1-0 by Hamilton Accies in a game that would have eased relegation worries was a blow – and the fans made their feelings known at the dreary display.
Disillusioned with McPake’s attempts to get his team to play out from the back, some supporters railed against Tidser’s adherence to a similar philosophy.
It was an approach that was further hampered by a dire East End Park pitch.
Losing games whilst continuing to knock the ball across the back four – albeit, Tidser would argue, with an underlying purpose – failed to find backing from the stands.
Perhaps the head coach could have done a better job of explaining his tactics.
But it seemed he never really endeared himself to some within the Pars faithful.
A 2-1 victory over Morton, inspired by substitute Chris Kane, the only player to net in the league on Tidser’s watch, gave hope. But it was followed by the bleak disappointment of back-to-back defeats to rivals Falkirk and Raith.
The disconnect between fans and the players and management was clear during and after both defeats, with Bord watching the team live for the first time against the Bairns.
Fife derby decisive for Pars hierarchy
When Tidser, struggling with illness and losing his voice before the game, failed to carry out his media duties immediately after the derby, instead sending assistant Kevin McDonald, it was not a good look.
Bord’s visit from his Las Vegas base had allowed for face-to-face talks with the head coach.
And Tidser told Courier Sport last week of feeling the backing and long-term support of the majority shareholder during those discussions.
But, ultimately, it was the conversations Bord had with Cook and the wider board over the weekend that were conclusive.
With the decision now made to relieve Tidser of his duties, the head coach was asked to meet with Cook in the boardroom on Monday morning.
News of his departure started filtering out shortly after he left that meeting around 10.30am before an official announcement came from the club at 12.20pm.
After leaving his meeting with Cook, Tidser broke the news to his squad whilst assistant Kevin McDonald and youth and reserves coach John McLaughlan were called to the boardroom to be asked to form the interim management team.
As the players headed out to train slightly later than normal, Tidser gathered his belongings and brought to an end a troubled stint.
It was one that never really seemed like being the right fit in trying circumstances.
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