BEING a professional coach effectively comes with a warning: If you don't win, you get shown the door.
Sadly for Craig Sandercock, he's found that out the hard way. Like any sport, rugby league is a results driven industry and the ones under the Aussie's tenure simply weren't good enough.
Of his last 26 games in charge, one short of an entire Super League season, Sandercock's men managed only eight wins. That's simply not good enough for a team which was expected to do better this season, especially with three former State of Origin players – Mick Weyman, Neville Costigan and Justin Poore – in their ranks.
Realistically, the pressure had increased on Sandercock's shoulders from the moment the KR board invested heavily in the playing squad ahead of this season.
Allowing him to bring in a host of players to provide more depth, the target was to cruise into the top eight, rather than fight to the death like in 2013.
Ben Cockayne, Kris Keating, Jamie Langley, Kevin Larroyer, Jonny Walker, Costigan, Poore and Weyman all arrived prior to the big kick-off, with Wayne Ulugia and Ade Gardner also brought in mid-season.
For one reason or another, it never really clicked.
Earlier on in the season, it was on-field discipline which hurt the Robins' hopes of success.
Needless penalties were a common occurrence as the campaign's kick-off saw KR claim just one point from their first six games, a 24-24 draw at Huddersfield.
A win over basement boys Bradford did much to alleviate the threat of the sack at the end of March, and this was followed by an impressive 44-6 home win over Wakefield.
Unfortunately, the biggest blow of the season came in the very next game as Rovers were sent crashing out of the Challenge Cup at the first hurdle, losing 28-24 to Warrington.
Despite being faced with a tough draw, the club had still targeted a run in the competition, and the disappointment felt at such a close scoreline was evident amongst both players and directors.
Rovers did bounce back quickly with a 25-12 win at Warrington in the league the following week, before picking up seven points from 12, thanks to two wins over Hull FC, a win in London and a draw at Salford.
There's no doubt those derby victories helped to boost Sandercock's stock.
Not only did Rovers talk terms on a new deal for 2015, he was also afforded some time to turn things around when embarrassingly beaten 54-12 at Castleford, a game which was effectively over at half-time when trailing 28-0.
Outplayed in every department, Rovers conceded 11 tries in an away display which had very few positives, but threw up plenty of defensive concerns.
To compound matters, Larroyer and Jordan Cox were both suffered broken ankles in the first half.
It was Kris Welham who paid the public price for the defeat, sent on-loan to Gateshead for a week and omitted from the 34-4 home defeat by Warrington on June 13.
By now there was unrest in the dressing room, with some senior players unhappy about team-mates being treated differently to others.
To compound matters, Ulugia and Jonny Walker were suspended indefinitely from playing following an alleged breach of KR's code of conduct, believed to be regarding drinking.
He may only have arrived at the start of April, but the Mail understands it was not the first time Ulugia had been involved in an off-field incident. With this in mind, the 22-year-old opted to leave the club under a cloud earlier this week.
Denied the ability to pick two of his signings, Sandercock desperately needed to beat Bradford at Odsal to save his skin. Fortunately for him, his men produced the goods in a 44-18 success, with Welham marking his recall with a try.
So, whilst it looks like KR's board pulled the plug as a result of the 26-22 home defeat by Huddersfield last week, that is not the only reason why.
Because throughout all of this, the deal put on the table to Sandercock – who won just seven of his 19 games this season – continued to remain unsigned.
With relegation coming back into effect next year, along with the prospect of playing in Super League 2, KR were believed to be seeking certain assurances from the coach before signing their half of the deal.
One was a pledge to bring through more of the promising youngsters they have on the fringes of the first team, like full-back Josh Guzdek and centre Macauley Hallett.
Sandercock had previously put his faith in Liam Salter, Aaron Ollett and James Green at first-team level, but KR are keen for more of their youngsters to come through far quicker.
The Mail understands senior coaching figures inside and outside of Super League have been sounded out in recent weeks and asked for their opinion on how this can be done.
Now, it's up to Chris Chester, the assistant coach under Sandercock and predecessor Justin Morgan, to steer the club into the top eight and, possibly, beyond.
Earmarked by the Robins' board as a potential coach for the future as far back as five years ago, the former second-rower has spent the last two days preparing Rovers for tomorrow's arrival of league-leaders St Helens.
Whilst he finds himself being asked to step up to the plate earlier than he will have anticipated, there is no doubt he has the pedigree to succeed.
Having been an assistant coach ever since his playing career was ended by a neck injury in 2008, Chester now has nine games to prove he can be the Robins' first English-born coach in the Super League era.
Fortunately, Rovers are all-but safe from the threat of relegation, meaning he can focus solely on the here and now.
Put simply, Rovers must make sure they find a way of finishing in the top eight.
Pick up six wins from the clashes against Saints, Leeds, London, Widnes, Wigan, Hull, Catalan and Wakefield and he could enter 2015 planning his first pre-season as a head coach.
