For so long Gareth Southgate was the breath of fresh air as England boss. The man who did things differently, made hard decisions and crucially actually made England good.
You can't get much more different than that. But as they say, you either die the hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain and now Southgate is falling into the familiar pitfalls that ensnared so many of his predecessors.
Having favourites and sticking loyally with them despite performances no longer warranting it, pushing excellent central players into wide positions and hitting back when he's criticised for it.
The September international break has seemed more heated and controversial than most with Southgate having to bat against a torrent of questions regarding the selections of Harry Maguire, Kalvin Phillips and Jordan Henderson let alone starting them and then there was his explanation as to why Manchester City star Phil Foden was selected on the wing rather than in the middle.