This was the history of the Tottenham.
Europa League champions Spurs head into their Premier League opener with the biggest monkey off their back after 17 trophyless seasons.
That baron run was one of the most painful in English football, and it was also one twice referred to in brutal fashion by Italians.
In 2018 Giorgio Chiellini coined his famous ‘history of the Tottenham’ quote when Juventus came back from a goal down to knock them out of the 2018 Champions League last 16, and in 2022 it was Antonio Conte’s turn.
Spurs open their 2024/25 season against Burnley, but in very different circumstances to a match against the Clarets in 2022 when Conte threatened to quit.
Chairman Daniel Levy had earlier twice come close to ending his side’s historic trophyless run with Mauricio Pochettino finishing as a runner-up in the Premier League and Champions League.
Yet without any silverware to boast about, he went for broke with serial winners Jose Mourinho and Conte.
Mourinho was sacked just before a Carabao Cup final against Manchester City, but for Conte, he almost left of his own accord.
Appointed in November 2021 to much fanfare, Spurs had landed a winner in his prime, with Conte just coming off his fifth league title across England and Italy, taking Serie A with Inter.
Things started well too with one defeat in his first 11 games, but when the losses started coming at the turn of the year, Conte’s demeanour quickly changed.
Conte lost three times in two weeks to his former side Chelsea - enough to put anyone in a bad mood.
But when the defeats continued against relegation battlers Southampton, Wolves and then Burnley, he finally snapped.
"In the last five games we lost four games. I think nobody deserves this type of situation, but this is the reality,” he said after a 1-0 defeat at Turf Moor.
"There will be an assessment about the club and about me, because for me this situation is very frustrating.
"I am really sorry for this situation, especially for the fans – who really do not deserve this.
"The club has to make an assessment to understand what is the best solution.
"This club has changed coaches, but the players are always the same, and the results have not changed.
"I cannot accept continuing to lose."
Spurs had just won at leaders Manchester City in their previous match, but falling to a team in the bottom three straight after was too much for Conte to stomach.
"I came in to improve the situation but at this moment I'm not so good to improve this situation. We are working hard,” he added.
"We are trying to get the best out of every single player. I'm too honest.
"I'm not used to this type of situation and I'm trying to change it but I'm not.
"We are doing everything to change the situation but it's not enough. Four defeats out of five is not good enough. This doesn't happen to me.
"Maybe I'm not so good. Tottenham called me to change things but I'm too honest.
"I could just take my salary but I'm too honest. We've lost four out of five games. This is unacceptable.
"If we continue on this way, we have to pay great attention."
Conte would eventually guide his team to an impressive fourth place, securing Champions League football.
However, it was more of the same in the 2022/23 season, and in March the now 56-year-old staged one of English football’s greatest-ever rants.
Lashing out at his team after throwing away a two goal lead to draw 3-3 with Southampton, he called the players ‘selfish’ and that they ‘don’t want to play under stress’.
He also attacked Levy and the owners, saying: “Tottenham’s story is this. Twenty years there is the owner and they never won something but why? The fault is only for the club, or for every manager that stay here.”
Conte departed soon after, and it looked like Levy and the hierarchy were fully out of ideas for how to end their trophy drought.
Yet they did it with Ange Postecoglou, and despite his sacking as a Europa League winner, the positive vibes have continued into the 2025/26 season with Thomas Frank in the dugout.
Burnley are up next, but at least this time there’s no chance of any ultimatums from the manager.