It might seem strange to ask where it all went wrong for the Wales manager who led his country to a first World Cup finals since 1958.

Two years ago, Rob Page raised his clenched fists to the skies as summer rain soaked a heaving, disbelieving Cardiff City Stadium; an abiding image of Wales' momentous play-off win against Ukraine.

Amid the emotional outpouring of a nation, Page represented an endearing sub-plot as the unlikely figurehead to this most cathartic of triumphs.

History will show that Page was in charge for half of Wales' first four appearances at major tournaments - some achievement considering his only previous senior managerial roles had been in League One.

In light of that, some may view his departure as unfortunate, a harsh reminder of the volatile nature of a manager's lot.

But while Page will be remembered fondly for much of his reign, once you dig deeper, the reasons for his departure become clearer.

He leaves a mixed legacy. There was fleeting success at Euro 2020 and pure euphoria in reaching the 2022 World Cup, yet his tenure also took Wales to the depths of an embarrassing home defeat by Armenia and subsequent failure to qualify for Euro 2024.

The combined misery of this month's dismal friendlies against Gibraltar and Slovakia proved to be the final straw as Wales' fans turned on Page, with boos, vitriol and calls for him to be sacked.

Now they have their wish, with Football Association of Wales (FAW) bosses eventually deciding that a change was needed - a sorry end to a historic reign of highs and lows.

In the early stages, Page openly admitted he never expected to land this job.

A proud Rhondda man who earned 41 Wales caps as a centre-back, Page was a familiar figure after a playing career spent with clubs such as Watford, Sheffield United and Cardiff City.

His coaching CV was unremarkable. Following spells at Port Vale and Northampton Town, Page spent two years as Wales Under-21 boss before he was added to Ryan Giggs' senior backroom staff in 2019.

Then, when Giggs stepped aside amid off-field issues in November 2020, Page took over as caretaker manager.

Aware that this might only be a temporary measure, Page sought continuity and made only the slightest "sympathetic changes" to the team. His approach worked well, building on Giggs' strong start to secure promotion to the Nations League's top flight.

Giggs, who had led Wales to Euro 2020 qualification, remained absent when the coronavirus-delayed tournament eventually took place in 2021, leaving Page in charge.

The players were happy enough. Although Page's coaching credentials were limited, he was popular with the squad, particularly those who had played under him for the under-21s.

Wales were fortunate to draw their opening match with Switzerland, but an excellent 2-0 win over Turkey was enough to see them reach the knockout stages despite losing their final group game to Italy.

The second-round encounter with Denmark proved a step too far for Wales and their manager. They started quite brightly but, once Danish boss Kasper Hjulmand made a tactical tweak and moved defender Andreas Christensen into midfield, Page could not respond and the consequences were dire as Wales were hammered 4-0.

That thrashing by Denmark in Amsterdam raised concerns, but FAW bosses were broadly satisfied with the job Page was doing under difficult circumstances.

Besides, the FAW was not in a position to make a permanent managerial change while Giggs' future remained uncertain. Giggs would later be cleared of allegations he assaulted his ex-girlfriend and her sister.

The FAW was in a state of flux between the departure of chief executive Jonathan Ford and the arrival of his successor Noel Mooney.

Page remained in post for a 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign in which Wales stumbled at times, trailing in Belarus before Gareth Bale spared their blushes with a match-winning hat-trick and then drawing at home to Estonia.

Bale proved Wales' saviour once more in the play-offs, scoring all three goals as Wales defeated Austria and Ukraine to reach their first World Cup for 64 years.

Page got the job on a permanent basis and, three months after that seismic – if somewhat fortuitous – win over Ukraine, he signed a new four-year contract.

Wales' play-off success may have masked some indifferent performances – those wins were their only two from 12 matches in 2022 – but the luck ran out in Qatar.

Page was criticised for his tactics in the opening draw with the United States and, despite saying "lessons had been learned" after salvaging a point, he made the same mistakes as Wales were comprehensively outplayed in a 2-0 defeat by Iran.

If the grumbles of discontent were getting louder after that shambolic display, they were clearer still after a timid 3-0 loss to England sealed Wales’ fate.

Chief executive Mooney said in the aftermath that the FAW had "complete confidence" in Page, who was just three months into a new four-year deal.

But Wales' short stay in Qatar had not been a happy one. There was disquiet behind the scenes, while the footballing preparations left some unimpressed as Wales' undercooked players misfired.

Page was safe but something had to change. His assistant coach Kit Symons departed the following month.

Later in January 2023, Bale announced his retirement from football, the surest sign yet that this was the beginning of the end for Wales' golden generation.

When Joe Allen called time on his Wales career a month later, and then Chris Gunter did the same in March, Page needed to start anew.