After Leicester had subsided to defeat against Crystal Palace on January 15, a few senior players had seen enough.
With the rest of the team back in the dressing room at the King Power Stadium, it was explained to them in forceful terms that the Foxes were sleepwalking towards the drop.
Keep doing this and we are going down again, went the general message. Though boss Ruud van Nistelrooy added his thoughts, this inquest was player-led. The trigger is thought to have been Palace's second goal, where Marc Guehi had ambled forward unnoticed to volley home at the far post.