Nottingham Forest have not seen a manager leave for another job since David Platt landed the England Under-21s role in 2001.
Since then 17 men have been sacked or quit with Billy Davies getting the chop twice. Now the Reds appear to have landed the right man for the longer term in Steve Cooper as they aim for the Premier League, potentially ending their 23-year exile in the next few weeks.
As it stands, Cooper's most likely City Ground exit would only be for a top flight club. Reds legend Frank Clark knows all to well what it is like to be in the Forest dugout having managed the team, while he has also spent a period as chairman before Fawaz Al Hasawi bought the club. He says Forest will already be preparing for every eventuality on the managerial front, but more pressingly, they will be forming their list of potential summer signings.
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"That's always a worry in football (losing the manager). No doubt the hierarchy are aware of that," he said on this week's Garibaldi Red podcast. "I always remember about three weeks after I became chairman, a very good friend of mine, Michael Pavis said to me 'who is your next manager going to be?'.
"I'd only just appointed Steve Cotterill but he asked what if Steve falls under a bus or if someone comes in for him. From then on I always had a list of about five managers which I updated and moved up or down depending on results. It happens too often with clubs that they lose a manager and there's panic, so you need forward thinking about what happens if a manager goes.
"Hopefully that doesn't happen but you never know. I'm sure the current hierarchy will have thought of that but I'm sure they're more busy compiling a two lists of signings depending on what happens if we go up or not.
"I'm excited no matter what happens with promotion. It's been a marvellous season since the first eight games. I'm absolutely optimistic that will carry on next season if we're still in the Championship. If we're in the Premier League it we're be more difficult but it will be great for the club and the support.
European Cup winner Clark is still a regular in the City Ground director's box despite being laid off as a club ambassador by chief executive Dane Murphy. He was also at Saturday's win over Peterborough as an invited guest of Posh legend Barry Fry.
Despite being let go by Murphy, Clark is impressed by the American as he says the atmosphere at the City Ground this season is as good as he has known it. That is a major endorsement of the club right now considering his playing days there, as well as leading Forest to third in the Premier League as manager.
"The thing about now is the way the manager, players and administration have caught the imagination of supporters. The turnout at games is incredible. The atmosphere at games is unbelievable. I've never experienced anything like it," he said.
"You need that at at a club. It's a great thing. You need the whole club as one. Steve and the players are playing a brand of football giving fans hope of better things to come.
"Dane's doing a great job. He made me redundant so I might be biased here, but I think he's doing great. They were decisions he had to make. He's hugely involved in the recruitment process. He's brought in some of his own people to do that in conjunction with the manager and he's very efficient.
"The chief executive role is very important. Managing upwards is increasingly important these days. It's a lot easier when you're winning matches, but I'm sure Steve has a good relationship with Dane, the chairman and the owners.
"They're very important (the owners). I'm sure they're really happy with what's happening. They've been very supportive, even when things haven't been so great in the last three or four years.
"We've not got a category one rating for the academy. Everyone is working together and the icing on the cake is the team is winning. I often talk to John Robertson and his favourite saying is 'win on Saturday and it shuts everyone up for a week'."
