You wonder what would have been going through Frank Lampard's head if he was settling down for an early tea and tuned into Sky Sports News at 4pm on Wednesday.
Vitor Pereira, the man who the former Chelsea and Derby County boss is in contention with for the vacant Everton job, dialled in to the studio and embarked on an on-air pitch for the position.
It was a move not well received by Evertonians - many of whom have already shared their opposition to the appointment of the Portuguese - and another embarrassing moment for the club in the latest scattered managerial search.
Be it due to the vehement negative reaction or the act of Pereira betraying the not-yet-concluded interview process, surely there's no way the former Porto boss can be offered the job at Goodison now?
But this is Everton. So you never know.
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If Pereira has indeed tied his own shoelaces together, then a lot of focus will turn to Lampard.
Just as the ECHO understands Pereira is not necessarily the front-runner for the Everton position, it's understood the iconic former Chelsea midfielder is also in the mix for the role.
As much as Everton have some time on their side when it comes to this appointment - the next Premier League game is on February 8, with a showdown against Brentford in the FA Cup three days earlier - they will want to decisive rather than dally.
Crucially, with the days ticking down in the transfer window and no manager, director of football or recruitment team in situ, it's unclear who will will make the decisions on any potential acquisitions to a squad that's taken six points from the last 42 available in the Premier League.
Given the simmering sense of urgency among supporters, Everton may be encouraged by remarks made by Lampard recently about wanting to thrust himself into a new role.
After all, if he is appointed by the Toffees then he will have a lot of work to do in a narrow timeframe.
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"I want to work," he said in conversation with Gary Neville on The Overlap in November, reflecting on his time away from football after being sacked by Chelsea in January 2021.
"I'm ready to work.
"I've enjoyed different aspects of being out of the game. It's definitely given me different perspectives, having a baby and given me a lot of reflection to plan for the future.
"I'm definitely ready to work and I'm excited about it and I'm waiting for the call."
In the same interview, Lampard spoke about how he had turned down some approaches from clubs already as they didn't appear to be the right fit.
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"I don't want to sound overly selective, either, because if you want to be selective at football and look at any job that's available, there will be good and bad about it," he continued.
"The job is there for a reason. It's open for a reason - bad results, squad, whatever it is. I'm not scared about that.
"But the people you work with - it sounds a little bit cringey but what they want, the vision, the expectations - all those things."
Everton clearly have a lot of work to do in that department, with dysfunction setting in on and off the field.
But Lampard may well be part of the coaching regime that seeks to get rid of that rot, provided he can resist the temptation to make public pleas on primetime television.
