Soon-to-be Fleetwood Town boss Joey Barton, watched on as his future club took a 4-0 beating against Wigan on Saturday evening, having possibly underestimated the task ahead.
The former midfielder's contract is due to begin on the 2nd of June, just one day after his match-fixing ban has been served. Barton was found guilty of betting on 1,260 football matches earning him a length suspension.
His controversial appointment at Fleetwood sparked debate, but the club chairman Andy Pilley is keen to have the 35-year-old on board.
Wigan demolished Fleetwood scoring four times within a 33-minute period to put themselves three points closer to claiming the League One title. The loss for Fleetwood meant that they are yet to secure their League One status.
Although it seems unlikely that they will get relegated, they have suffered back-to-back losses putting a dampener on the latter part of their 2017-18 campaign.
Saturday's match for Barton may well have got him wondering how he can hope to shape a stronger side when he takes the reins.