As the master’s stock has fallen, the apprentice’s has soared.
It was said that Steven Gerrard and Michael Beale could not work without each other.
But while Gerrard has struggled since his assistant left Aston Villa in the summer, Beale is flourishing in his first senior managerial position at QPR.
After almost a third of the campaign, the Rs are level on points with top two Sheffield United and Norwich and dreaming of a return to the top flight.
That is despite QPR having failed to even reach the Championship play-offs since they were relegated from the Premier League seven years ago.