It's incredible how rapidly the landscape can alter in football, and West Ham United boss Nuno Espirito Santo is facing significant scrutiny following back-to-back home defeats.
A few weeks ago we priced up West Ham to break Reading's Championship points record as the Hammers started to flex their strength in the division. Since then, a run of two wins in six have resulted in supporters questioning Nuno's position.
West Ham did dismantle nine-man Lincoln City 6-0 and they emerged 1-0 victors against previous pacesetters Swansea City in that period, but consecutive home losses to Southampton and West Brom have ramped up the pressure on the Portuguese head coach.
The former Wolves, Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest chief is struggling to get a tune out of his Hammers squad and results must improve fast if he's to prevent London Stadium from revolting.
We've assessed the contenders that will be in the frame if West Ham eventually decide to call time on Nuno's tenure.
Next West Ham United manager contenders
Scott Parker
Given Scott Parker's allegiance to the Hammers and his Championship track record, this ticks a lot of boxes.
Parker was a popular figure at West Ham over a four-year period during his playing career, amassing over 100 appearances for the club before joining Tottenham Hotspur in 2011.
During his managerial career, Parker's demonstrated an impressive aptitude for guiding clubs from the Championship into the Premier League, having orchestrated promotion campaigns for Fulham, Bournemouth and Burnley.
He is yet to fulfill his potential in the top-flight, but West Ham's first priority is getting out of the second tier.
Sean Dyche
Sean Dyche has said himself that he doesn't want to be labelled as a firefighting manager.
He has walked into tough situations at the likes of Everton and Nottingham Forest in recent roles and he will want to consider his next job carefully.
A promotion challenge at West Ham could be just what Dyche needs. While his football might not make him popular with some section of the fanbase, the Hammers need to prioritise substance over style in their pursuit of promotion.
Thomas Frank
Thomas Frank has been out of work since he was dismissed by Tottenham Hotspur in February.
His time in North London was disappointing, but his stock hasn't been damaged too much following an excellent spell at Brentford.
He may feel that he wants to go back in at the top-level and his appointment would be quite a coup for the Hammers. Given the vast potential of the club and the resources he would have at his disposal, could the Dane be convinced to lead the Hammers rebuild?
Rob Edwards
Rob Edwards' name tends to linger in the Championship managerial conversation and it seems only a matter of time before he returns to the dugout.
Is he capable of leading a club the size of West Ham and getting his players to perform under pressure? Had he been given the first few months of the season with Wolves, we might have got an answer.
Edwards has a promotion to the Premier League under his belt with Luton Town, and he led Middlesbrough to an impressive start in the previous campaign before jumping ship to Wolves - although Boro were drastically overperforming their underlying numbers with the 43-year-old in charge.
Craig Bellamy
Another popular former Hammers player, Craig Bellamy is currently in charge of the Wales national team.
He was seemingly on the brink of becoming the new Burnley manager in the summer, only for the move to fall through at the eleventh hour.
Bellamy has consistently reiterated his desire to lead Wales into Euro 2028, but speculation concerning a job in club football has continued to linger and the West Ham job may be of temptation.
