Southampton's last-minute appeal against the decision to expel the club from the Championship playoffs has been, unsurprisingly, rejected.
Late on Wednesday night, it was reported that the Saints had drafted in top lawyer David Pannick to try and save their skin, with Pannick known as Manchester City's trusty barrister when times have been tough.
Unfortunately for the South Coast side, instead of a miracle reentry back into the playoff picture, the appeal was knocked back, with the summer ahead one of huge uncertainty at St. Mary's.
What do Southampton do next?
The first call will be to dismiss Tonda Eckert, who is now leaving St. Mary's as a disgraced manager, instead of a jubliant promotion winner.
This will be a sad severing of ties, but with the German's involvement in the Spygate scandal obvious to all, he has to be let go as Southampton starts afresh to win back the trust of the wider footballing community and their own fans.
There will likely be a mass squad overhaul to come, too, as the likes of Leo Scienza, Finn Azaz, and several others jump off the ship that was once sailing to the Premier League, which has now crashed courtesy of an unnecessarily placed iceberg.
They will likely get their moment in the top-flight by moving on, with Daniel Peretz also set to return to Bayern Munich, you imagine, after an inspired loan stint on the South Coast.
Cyle Larin will likely retreat back to his home club in Mallorca, as well, after a goal-laden spell in England.
It is a complete disaster, with the arrogance of Eckert, and others involved in the Spygate scandal, making the Saints a mockery.
A big rebuild will need to take place, and it could be time for some impressive youngsters rising the ranks at St. Mary's to finally be given their chances to shine in the senior picture.
After all, Southampton have a feel-good reputation for giving youngsters chances to impress, with both Theo Walcott and Gareth Bale notable academy alumni...
The Southampton youngsters who could save the club's bacon
This season just gone, as well, Eckert wasn't afraid to utilise Cameron Bragg, who has come through the club's well-thought-of academy structure.
This could result in the likes of Nicholas Oyekunle being handed some first team minutes next season, as a new-look Southampton team tries to lick their wounds, with the 19-year-old striker just fresh off an 11-goal season with the U21s.
Moreover, to try and fill the void left behind by Caspar Jander, who is set to depart this summer in another painful casualty, Moses Sesay could be chucked into the senior team.
He had three goals and three assists next to his name this campaign just gone in Premier League 2 action, with Sesay capable of playing as a left-back and a winger if needed, away from his midfield duties.
This added versatility in his back pocket could stand him in good stead to make the right strides to jump into the first team more regularly, with his first team debut coming last season in the EFL Cup.
At the moment, Southampton fans won't know what to cling onto for comfort, as the ongoing Spygate story throws up new depressing developments by the minute.
There will be a whole host of youngsters willing to give their all, though, if the first team numbers are decimated, as the Saints somehow try to be a success again, after all the damage caused.
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