Barnsley supporters should know by now that the departure of a talismanic manager is not the end of the world.
When Daniel Stendel said his goodbyes in October 2019 – just weeks after guiding the Tykes to promotion – Barnsley replaced the affable German with the man who would eventually save them from relegation in a season finale so dramatic it would leave even Martin Tyler lost for words.
When Gerhard Struber walked out the door too, in came Valerien Ismael.
Eight months later, Barnsley were going head to head with Swansea City in the Championship play-offs.
And while the unfancied Yorkshiremen would lose over two legs, the fact they were part of the promotion picture at all speaks volumes about the remarkable job Ismael did at Oakwell.
Is Valerien Ismael set to take the West Brom job?
So if the 45-year-old does up sticks and leave Barnsley for West Bromwich Albion – The Athletic reports talks are under way – the Tykes faithful should remember the fact this brave old club came back stronger when the equally acclaimed Struber was lured away by the bright lights of New York.
Whether Ismael does get the West Brom job, however, is far from certain.
Nothing can be taken as a given for a Baggies side that has already seen talks with Chris Wilder and David Wagner collapse like a house of cards on a bouncy castle.
And when you consider under-fire owner Guochuan Lai was unwilling to pay the £700,000 compensation fee required to bring Michael Appleton in from Lincoln City, will he really stump up £2 million for Ismael?
Something to hang on to, then, for the Barnsley fans desperate to see Ismael build on a season of such unexpected success in South Yorkshire.
Here’s what some Barnsley fans had to say on Twitter about the situation:
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