The managerial merry-go-round took time to get going this season, but it is in full swing now and Newcastle United are right in the thick of it.
Perhaps it was fitting that such a turbulent 2014 ended with a surprising development at the club, and it appears highly unlikely that Alan Pardew will still be in charge of the Magpies when Burnley travel to St James' Park on New Year's Day.
Speculation has been rife about the Crystal Palace-bound boss's replacement, although club captain Fabricio Coloccini has reportedly ruled himself out of the running having emerged as an unlikely favourite for the job.
Newcastle fans have long called for Pardew's head and, while the move to Selhurst Park seems puzzling from a football standpoint, his treatment during his time in the North-East may well have had an impact on his decision.
Whoever is at the helm at the start of 2015 will take charge of a team coming off the back of an important 3-2 victory over Everton, a result that ended a four-match losing streak in all competitions.
Papiss Cisse was on the scoresheet again in that game, but he will begin a three-match ban having been charged with violent conduct following an elbow on Seamus Coleman.
That could allow Emmanuel Riviere to make a rare start, with Ayoze Perez pushing further forward to spearhead the attack in Cisse's absence.
Tim Krul and Rob Elliot remain sidelined so Jak Alnwick will continue in goal, while Steven Taylor could be recalled having been left on the bench during the victory over Everton.
Newcastle have won five of their last six matches at St James' Park, a daunting record for a Burnley side that has only won once on their travels all season.
Indeed, only pointless Queens Park Rangers have fared worse on the road so far, although the Clarets will be full of confidence following their shock comeback against Manchester City at the Etihad on Sunday.
The champions appeared to be cruising to the points when they went into the break with a two-goal lead, but a rousing second-half recovery ensured that Sean Dyche's side rescued an unlikely point.
It wasn't enough to keep them out of the relegation zone, but they are level on points with 17th-placed Hull City and could climb out of the bottom three if they get anything out of Thursday's match.
The odds of Dyche outlasting Pardew would have been fairly long at the start of the season, but the Burnley boss has done a stellar job on such a limited budget in 2014.
He will be hoping that 2015 brings similar success, and central to that could be both Danny Ings and Sam Vokes, the latter of whom made his long-awaited return from injury with a 10-minute cameo against Liverpool on Boxing Day.
It is still too early for him to start a game, however, while Michael Duff is also unlikely to be rushed back despite edging towards full fitness once again.
These two sides met at the start of December at Turf Moor, with George Boyd and Cisse scoring in a 1-1 draw.
Newcastle:
Form in Premier League: DWLLLW
Form in all competitions: WLLLLW
Possible starting lineup: Alnwick; Janmaat, Coloccini, S Taylor, Dummett; Colback, Tiote, Riviere, Sissoko, Gouffran; Perez
Burnley:
Recent form: DLWLLD
Possible starting lineup: Heaton; Trippier, Keane, Shackell, Mee; Arfield, Jones, Marney, Boyd; Barnes, Ings
Sports Mole says: 1-0
Barney Corkhill
