Kevin Kilbane admits Martin O'Neill and Roy Keane's departure from the Republic of Ireland set-up was expected following a disastrous year on all fronts.
High-profile fallouts, a sharp decline in the quality of football and an overall lack of ideas in front of goal meant that Ireland went without a win in a competitive game in 2018. In their last four games, Ireland have failed to score a single goal - including a dour goalless draw against Northern Ireland last week.
Speaking in the wake of the management team's departure, the former Ireland international said he was surprised by the speed with which the news came.
"Usually after a campaign you let it digest and settle for a week or two, then you make the decision going into the Christmas time.
"It's happened quicker than I'd reckoned, but it suggests that this has been on the cards for a the last couple of weeks - the negativity going into the Northern Ireland game, the heavy defeat to Wales and of course that really poor performance against Denmark at home.
"It's probably why it's been sped up."
Asked whether the measure had been taken off the back of one or two particular performances, he said: "I don't believe the poor performance against Northern Ireland as a major factor personally.
"This has been a slow decline since Euro 2016."
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Ireland's poor performances have been softened slightly by clean sheets and scoreless draws, but their lack of threat up front has been the glaring issue for the last number of months.
"We're not creating. We're not having chances in matches. That's what is most alarming, it's in our faces. We can all see it.
"The performances haven't been the best and that's not against some of the better sides - where we know as supporters we're playing a side who are superior to us.
"We're playing the same style against Northern Ireland, Denmark - who I am simply not having that they are five goals better than us or four goals better than us.
"They're not a great side and yet we're making them look like a very good side, or a top world side."
The FAI say they have begun the process appointing a successor before next month's Euro 2020 draw in Dublin. Dundalk manager Stephen Kenny and Mick McCarthy are the two leading candidates to succeed the 66-year-old.
