It was never meant to end like this.

Nearly seven years on from that surreal Wembley day, when Scott Sinclair’s hat trick helped complete the most heart-warming of footballing rags to riches stories with promotion to the promised land – Swansea City will today exit the Premier League.

Of course, some defiantly maintain that a glimmer of hope remains. A win over Stoke coupled with Southampton losing at Manchester City, plus the small matter of a ten goal swing, would ensure a miracle survival.

But such optimism betrays a brutal reality - it is all over now.

Yet strangely, it’s not the simple factor of relegation that hurts Swansea fans the most. That is part and parcel of football, a necessary evil from which any club can bounce back if they are able to re-group accordingly.

But what really cuts deep, is the Swans will return to the Championship a shadow of the meticulously run club that once defied insurmountable odds to get out of it.

They entered the top flight under Brendan Rodgers in 2011 a breath of fresh air, a welcome reminder that clubs with principles still existed amidst the deteriorating ethics and financial greed that continues to plague professional football.

Here was a club part-owned by the very fans who had once seen it on the brink of extinction. With a humble Chairman astute enough to keep strengthening a squad despite a stringent wage structure.

Indeed, the Premier League journey wasn’t supposed to last longer than that first season. Yes, promotion had been deserved, but Swansea’s lack of depth, plus the departures of key players following that play-off win, made finishing 17th or above inconceivable. Or so the experts said.

What followed was astonishing. Like in the Championship, Rodgers produced a side that would attempt to pass the opposition to death. And if that didn’t work, plan B was to pass some more.

The likes of Michel Vorm, Danny Graham, and loan players Steven Caulker and Gylfi Sigurdsson all came in and excelled. Ashley Williams as captain emerged as a true leader of men, and players they said were never cut out for the top flight grew in stature.

Famous league wins were achieved over Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool, and safety was secured with room to spare. The ‘Swansea way’, was in full swing.

Amusingly, the fan bases of so called bigger clubs became rattled. Many Welsh-based supporters of the likes of Liverpool and Man United suddenly switched to black and white. It brought about ironic cries of ‘glory hunters’ from those whose mass support around the World depended on that exact notion.

The departure of Rodgers to Anfield that summer prompted the arrival of Michael Laudrup. Initially, it appeared another inspired Jenkins appointment.

Laudrup came with bargain buys from abroad, most notably Miguel Michu. He would be instrumental in a glorious campaign that yielded the club’s first major trophy – with Bradford City dispatched 5-0 in the League Cup final.

But it was then, the tide began to turn.

There was a famous Europa League win in Valencia, but less than a year on from that Wembley triumph, Laudrup was sacked following a dip in form and obvious differences with Jenkins.

Garry Monk initially steadied the ship, guiding the Swans to safety and then a top half finish in what proved his only full season. The fans loved it, they were on the right track under the guidance of one of their own.

But when he also went the following season, the circus really began.

He was removed with no plan or successor in mind. The little-known Italian Francesco Guidolin entered the fray alongside Alan Curtis. He too avoided the drop before falling his sword the next season. The less said about Bob Bradley the better, before Paul Clement arrived and performed his own miracle escape act.

Like Guidolin, it proved little more than a quick fix. By Christmas last year, he too was on the Swansea scrap heap, to be replaced by Carlos Carvalhal. Initially, another unlikely survival seemed on cards. But in the absence of any kind of dynamism going forward this season, Swansea have now succumbed to the inevitable.

Of course, amongst all this have been factors beyond the control of the afore-mentioned managers.

The club’s recruitment policy, once a beacon of astuteness, has in recent years become panicked and shambolic.

And then there’s the takeover.

Steve Kaplan and Jason Levien officially purchased a 68% stake in the club in July 2016. A deal was seemingly done without the consultation of the Swansea Trust, and the promised investment into the club is yet to be seen by way of transfer funds.

This season, booking fees have been added to the cost of every match ticket, and disabled supporters have been asked to re-submit documentation to ensure they are entitled to discount. It all adds up to penny pinching, not financing.

Furthermore, the silence of both Americans throughout the troubled times has been deafening. In contrast, calls for the head of Jenkins from supporters both inside and outside the Trust, once an inconceivable thought, have been as aggressive as they have loud.

And to add the farce, what have fans seen since that fateful defeat to Southampton on Tuesday?

They’ve seen newspaper exclusives revealing Carvalhal will be released from the club following today’s game, only for the manager himself to deny all knowledge of this in Friday’s press conference.

They’ve seen Michael Laudrup's agent Bayram Tutumlu claim the club made an audacious bid to re-appoint the Dane in December.

Best of all, they’ve seen Renato Sanches announce the impending arrival of his personalised Twitter emoji.

If the situation wasn’t so depressing, it would almost be funny.

Where Swansea need to go from here is simple. Mass changes are in order this summer, ambitious thoughts of a swift return to the Premier League must play a secondary role to common sense.

A host of players need to move on, and those that come in must be specific targets. Likewise, any managerial appointment should be carefully considered, and done, if there is such a thing in modern day football, with a long term plan in mind.

As for Jenkins, perspective is needed – the mistakes he has made does not completely undo what went before. Without him, Swansea would not have just enjoyed seven years of Premier League football and some supporters would do well to remember that.

But now is the time to move on for a Chairman who has undeniably lost his way, and whether it be through dishonesty or incompetence, has alienated those instrumental in saving the club post the Tony Petty era. Taking Kaplan and Levien with him, would be better still.

I imagine similar views from those within the Liberty won’t be aired quite so diplomatically this afternoon.

The retirements of two club greats today, Leon Britton and Angel Rangel, should at least ensure that lingering anger temporarily gives way to respect and applause. Britton in particular, has seen it all at Swansea, from nigh on extinction to European football.

He above anyone else will know, that the club must find a way to consolidate imminently, or Premier League relegation will simply signify the start of the decline. Not convinced? Then ask fans of Sunderland.

Swansea’s journey from 2003 to now has been an unforgettable one. And for seven years, they have mixed with the elite.

My fear now, is that unless decisive, sensible, and honest action is taken this summer, then it could be some considerable time before the Swans will rise again.