When Ruben Amorim arrived for his first day at work as Manchester United head coach last month, it was sunny and cloudless.
Seven weeks at Old Trafford and the sunshine has given way to dark clouds. The upbeat mood has disappeared, replaced by a familiar sense of despair.
Fog shrouded Molineux during Man United's 2-0 defeat to Wolves on Boxing Day, a perfect fit for a club that has failed to find a way out of its predicament and is sinking deeper into mediocrity.
When the Red Devils sacked Erik ten Hag on October 28, they were mired in 14th place in the Premier League. They remain there now, after four defeats in their last five games. United fans are starting to question the club's management.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his executive team kept Erik ten Hag, spending £200m on transfers in the summer, but they sacked him just three months later and appointed Amorim, when the quality of players was not up to par.
It's a mess of United's own making and it's hard to feel sympathy, especially considering United's decision to lay off 250 staff and raise ticket prices to a minimum of £66.
Ratcliffe and his vaunted elite team also pursued sporting director Dan Ashworth for four months, before deciding to pay £3m. And after 159 days in the job, Ashworth left in a surprising way.
Ashworth's departure has rightly raised questions about the abilities of those in charge at Man United, namely Ratcliffe co-owner Sir Dave Brailsford, CEO Omar Berrada and technical director Jason Wilcox.
Amorim seems like a wise appointment but after 10 games the Red Devils are just eight points above the relegation zone. More worryingly, after United's defeat to Wolves, Amorim admitted he doesn't know when the team's fortunes will change.
Over time, as Amorim builds his own squad over the course of several transfer windows, he may prove himself to be the right man for United. But for now, the Portuguese tactician's job is to stop the slide.
Man United will host a resurgent Newcastle in round 19 of the Premier League. They will then face arch-rivals Liverpool at Anfield, before facing Arsenal in the FA Cup.
With Man United's poor form, it is very likely that they will lose all 3 matches above, thereby sinking deeper into crisis. What will happen to the "Red Devils" if they have to compete for relegation? That is probably an extraordinary scenario for a club that has spent a lot of money on transfers in recent years like M.U.
United's only salvation this season may be the Europa League, which offers them their only realistic chance of qualifying for next season's Champions League, although the chances are slim.
Man United were last relegated 50 years ago. This team is arguably the worst since then and if Amorim can't stop the slide soon, they will find themselves in a similar fight for survival...
