“This season has been a real struggle to sit through,” he told us. “We’ve seen teams get relegated before, but never like this. It’s been a real slog.

“Seeing our team get outclassed week in, week out? Not fun. Not something I’m used to, even when we were fighting for our lives.

“There just wasn’t the same fight in this team. It’s like they didn’t care enough. And that’s a big problem.

“But you know what? Some fans might be happy to go back to the Championship and start again. I’ve heard it from a lot of them.

“Last season, when we were in the play-offs, there was a split. Some fans didn’t want to go up because they knew what was coming. They didn’t want to be the laughing stock of the league.

“And let’s face it, we’re not far off being the worst team in Premier League history. It’s a big downer, but it’s also a chance to rebuild.”