If the Thompson family’s time in charge at Dundee United is coming to an end, it’s been a rollercoaster of a ride.
In the present turmoil it’s easy to forget when the history of the last 14 years is written it will document good times as well as bad.
Arabs want owner Stephen Thompson to go. Impending relegation and a troubled past 18 months have left supporters unhappy.
And as the Tele revealed this week, Thompson himself appears to have agreed it’s time for change.
When that day comes he’ll go under a cloud — but when the dust settles, his family will reflect on some good days.
In many ways they’ll have finished where they started. When the late Eddie Thompson took control in 2002, United were in crisis.
Fans wanted change, debts were big and the team was struggling.
The glory days of the 1980s were forgotten and each season had become a slog for league survival.
United finished ninth the previous year and had managed only a single league win as the takeover was sealed.
If off the park the financial situation would improve, for the first few years of the Thompson era the on-field troubles continued.
Alex Smith was replaced by Paul Hegarty and then Ian McCall became the third manager in just four months.
He lasted two years before assistant Gordon Chisholm replaced him. He led the team to the 2005 Scottish Cup Final but only a win in the final league game avoided relegation.
Chisholm gave way to Craig Brewster but results went from bad to worse and he was sacked.
That was to prove a turning point as Eddie Thompson found a man to rejuvenate the club.
He was Craig Levein and, having steered the team to safety in that first campaign, he’d embark on a run of strong league finishes.
Sadly, by that time, Eddie was battling the cancer that would eventually claim his life in 2008.
It was then Stephen, a director, rose to the position of chairman. With Levein still at the helm he was inheriting a club in a good place.
His first challenge came at Christmas 2009, when Levein became Scotland manager.
A move was made for Irishman Pat Fenlon but fell through, so caretaker boss Peter Houston was told he’d remain in the job until the end of the season.
Lucky, perhaps, because Houstie’s work didn’t just earn him a permanent contract, it brought silverware.
That day at Hampden in May 2010 when Ross County were brushed aside 3-0 in the Scottish Cup Final was the high point for Stephen Thompson.
The seasons that followed saw more top-six finishes. A need to cut the wage budget saw Houston decide to go. When Jackie McNamara was appointed in 2013, the chairman got one of the rising stars of the game.
Top-six finishes continued, sparkling football played and a 2014 Scottish Cup Final place booked.
With St Johnstone to be faced, Arabs sniffed another trophy. On the day United were poor and lost 2-0.
The need to cut the debt saw Ryan Gauld and Andy Robertson sold but a strong start to the season followed.
When United got to the League Cup Final via a win over Aberdeen in January last year, no one anticipated the problems that were to follow.
Within 48 hours Stuart Armstrong and Gary Mackay-Steven were sold to Celtic. For the first time in a decade there was discontent among fans.
It increased with news the manager received a cut of transfer fees.
A slump in results followed, as did a disappointing final defeat to the Hoops. That saw the unrest increase.
Poor signings last summer and the sale of Nadir Ciftci didn’t help. The awful start to this season led to McNamara’s sacking and with new boss Mixu Paatelainen unable to turn things round fans have been left staring relegation in the face.
That’s proved the final straw and now Thompson has heeded their calls to go and let it be known he’s willing to move on.
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