Everton fans have already daubed a message protesting against the impending appointment of Vitor Pereira as the club's new manager on the walls of Goodison Park.
Pereira dramatically moved back to the head of the queue to be the new Blues boss on Tuesday night, as owner Farhad Moshiri once again rejected advice from inside the club to make the Portuguese his No.1 choice.
The 53-year-old former Porto, Olympiakos, Fenerbahce and Shanghai SIPG boss has been linked with the Everton job before, but many fans are skeptical of his track record after being relegated to the third tier of German football with 1860 Munich in 2017, and then being sacked as Fenerbahce manager just six months into his second spell in December last year.
Pereira is represented by the agent Kia Joorabchian, who is a close friend of Moshiri and the Everton owner's backer Alisher Usmanov.
Moshiri went against the advice of several board members to appoint the former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez as manager in the summer, and despite initially hesitating in immediately appointing Pereira as he listened to those around him, he has again made the divisive decision to go his own way.
The former Chelsea boss Frank Lampard was asked, along with Pereira, to make a second presentation to Moshiri and the Everton board earlier this week, and it was to be hoped that represented the owner being prepared to be a little more cautious with the appointment.
Ex-Everton forward and current Derby County boss Wayne Rooney was also still in the frame the longer Moshiri paused to make his decision, but by Tuesday night the wheels were already in motion to make Pereira the manager on an interim basis until the end of the season.
With Everton currently just four points outside of the relegation zone, the Portuguese would then be hopeful of earning a permanent deal should he keep them up.
As news of Pereira's impending appointment broke on Tuesday night, graffiti appeared at Goodison Park stating simply 'Pereira out, Lampard in.'
The former England midfielder would have been hopeful that could have resurrected his managerial career at Goodison Park, with Tuesday marking exactly one year since he was axed by Chelsea and replaced by Thomas Tuchel.
Everton fans also staged a protest by the Liver Buildings on Liverpool's waterfront - which are owned by Moshiri - on Tuesday evening, with several holding banners hitting out at his knee-jerk appointments and running of the club.
Pereira is set to take the Goodison Park job at the third time of asking, having previously been interviewed for the role and rejected in both 2013 and 2019.
He was also in the frame in 2017, but ruled himself out.
