Brendon Bolton walked through the doors at Princes Park as Carlton's next great hope.
Bolton built his reputation coaching in Tasmania and as an assistant to Alastair Clarkson at Hawthorn.
Four years later Bolton departs, winning 16 of his 77 games at the helm.
The writing was on the wall, despite Bolton's assurances the 'green shoots' were starting to blossom. Football is a result-driven business and under Bolton, the results did not stack up.
Sacking Bolton will not end the Blues' misery, as the club did not provide Bolton with the foundations to succeed.
Bolton is not a bad coach, anyone who is trusted by Clarkson has to be elite. The last three premiership coaches have graduated from the Clarkson school of coaching. You have to go back to 2012 for a coach not affiliated with Hawthorn to win the flag.
The Blues' issues lie deeper than the man at the helm, yet for years they have glossed over the issues that have prevented the club from succeeding in modern football.
Carlton is on track to claim their sixth wooden spoon since 2002, a record that purveys their struggles in the 21st century given they never finished last in their first 105 years in league football.
For a club steeped in history, it is safe to say the Blues are the worst performing club this millennium.
The underlining issue at the club has been their officiating and reliance on individuals to turn their fortunes around.
Whether it was luring Ron Barassi to the club in the 1960s after 18 years without a flag, John Elliott's funds in the 1970s/80s, David Parkin's re-appointment in the 1990s and more recently Chris Judd and Mick Malthouse, Carlton always look for a messiah. The finances of the Blues supporters have always allowed them to do so.
Whenever there is turmoil at the club, the first people to voice their displeasure are the Carlton power brokers. When times are tough, the Blues always get bailed out by a wealthy investor.
While other clubs like the Western Bulldogs, Richmond and North Melbourne have rattled tins to raise money, the Blues have sought wealthy individuals like Richard Pratt to bail them out.
"We don't rebuild at Carlton, but we could do with a bloody good renovation", is one of John Elliott's great quotes that sadly still has merit at the Blues today.
The Blues have always looked for a 'quick fix', even in modern times when they lured Mick Malthouse to the club to fast track their premiership window.
In another era, when clubs could buy players from other teams and lure them across the border a quick fix would work, but in modern football which centres around the draft and player development, process outweighs imminent success.
Early signs in the Bolton era suggested the Blues had finally caught up with the modern football landscape by culling their list and recruiting talented youngsters.
The Blues have 21 first round draft picks on their list, yet a majority have failed to fulfil their potential.
One person that needs to take account for their lack of progress is list manager Stephen Silvagni, who returned to Carlton after a heralded role shaping the GWS list.
At Carlton, Silvagni has invested in the draft and luring youngsters from the Giants. He is also the instigator for the Blues trading this year's first-round draft pick to Adelaide, which is on course to be the number one pick.
Questions need to be raised whether the Blues would have hired Silvagni had he not been a club legend. Silvagni did a good job shaping the Giants' list, but they did have concessions that allowed them to pick the best youngsters in the land.
The same question needs to be raised about other positions at the club. Is Chris Judd really the right man to be a football director given his lack of experience in the role and his position in the media? Should Robert Walls be in the coaches box given he has not coached since 1997 and has spent most of his time overseas in recent years?
Look at successful clubs over recent years and they have a handful of former players in senior positions.
Former Richmond premiership player Neil Balme is the General Manager of Football at the Tigers, a role he accepted after successful stints at Collingwood and Geelong.
The next senior coaching appointment will be pivotal to the Blues' long-term future. Reports suggest Carlton want an experienced coach, with Paul Roos, Brad Scott and Ross Lyon all linked to the vacancy.
An experienced coach may be exactly what they need, but will they succeed in the current structure at the club?
Carlton needs to review its structure to ensure they are run like a modern football club.
Gone are the days where clubs are run like a charity basket for former players to wander through the halls and gloat about their past glory.
Carlton can retain their identity, while realising no messiah is going to dig them out of their current predicament.
