"?It was talked about frequently in the run up to Sunday's FA Cup final that way back in 1990 Alex Ferguson brought his Manchester United team into an FA cup final against Crystal Palace with his job firmly on the line.
Manchester United had finished 13th in the league and the board were prepared to end the Scot's reign unless he lifted the famous trophy at Wembley.
The first game ended in a draw, 3-3 the score, and so a replay was on the cards. Unlike the game before, the replay was a one goal affair, that goal coming from left-back Lee Martin.
It was to be one of only two goals Martin scored in his United career, but what an important goal it was, for if it had not gone in Alex Ferguson may never have brought Manchester United to the level he did.
26 years on and the FA Cup final had a sense of deja-vu; Louis Van Gaal was coming in under huge pressure after a poor season and up against him in the final was Crystal Palace and Alan Pardew.
United finished fifth this year, narrowly missing out on the top four compared to United's 13th place finish all the way back in 1990.
But this game wasn't win or bust for Van Gaal, instead it was seen as win and bust. United lifted the trophy at about six o'clock and a matter of hours later rumours began to circulate that Mourinho was to take over from the Dutchman.
51.3% - Louis van Gaal won 51.3% of league matches as Man Utd manager; only Sir Alex Ferguson (60.4%) & Ernest Mangall (54.2%) won more. Out
The FA Cup was not enough to save Van Gaal like it did Ferguson and instead his reign ends prematurely with a year remaining on his contract.
One has to wonder, had Van Gaal led this Manchester United team to a Champions League place would this discussion be taking place?
The FA Cup was once the biggest trophy in England, the best cup competition in the world it was claimed, yet a manager wins it and is sacked all in the one day which is completely unheard of.
Indeed, back in 1990 there was not the same amount of hatred towards Alex Ferguson as there seemingly is to Van Gaal, but it says a lot about United's thoughts on the FA Cup that winning it meant absolutely nothing for the position of their manager.
The aim of football is to win trophies, as it always has been, yet had United come third or even fourth comfortably and guaranteed Champions League football but been knocked out of the FA cup four rounds ago, Van Gaal may well still be employed.
It's not just Manchester United whose appetite for the FA Cup seems to have waned; Arsenal won back to back FA Cups and there were calls for Arsene Wenger's head in the two summers that followed.
26 years have past since Ferguson saved his job with the FA Cup trophy and plenty has changed, undoubtedly the most undesirable change has been the fall of the FA Cup, epitomised by Van Gaal's predicament.