Spygate, assuring the world he does analysis too, play-off heartbreak and mimicked tears have tied Frank Lampard with Leeds United in recent years.
With his old adversary Marcelo Bielsa now departed, the Everton boss may be about to inadvertently do Leeds United their biggest favour in years.
The Chelsea legend has been unable to stop the slide of the Toffees in the Premier League since taking over from Rafael Benitez, and last night’s mauling shared hallmarks with Bielsa’s final days across the Pennines.
While Andrea Radrizzani has moved to do what he feels is the right thing for United by replacing Bielsa with Jesse Marsch, Everton are already supposed to have their saviour in place.
Leeds have been in wretched form since a rare upturn in mid-January. A run of seven matches without a win is the longest the club has experienced this season or indeed at any stage of the Bielsa era.
United have slipped to the bottom of the form table and 16th in the real thing and yet, still, Everton remain behind them, though with two games in hand.
The Toffees inflicted what will come to be seen as the defeat which signalled the beginning of the end for Bielsa last month with that 3-0 rout at Goodison Park.
That remains Lampard’s only win and the manner of the 5-0 loss at Tottenham Hotspur on Monday will concern everyone in the blue half of Merseyside.
The fixture list will not provide any comfort either. Six of the top eight stand between Lampard’s side and the end of the season.
The only side below Everton on their fixture list is Watford and that’s an away trip to Vicarage Road.
Lampard has a massive task on his hands to drag Everton away from the trouble they are in and his paymasters will surely be worrying why the tide has not turned even a little yet.
After five matches and five weeks in the job, the former Derby County boss has three points from 15 available.
His inability to get his side out of trouble may yet be the escape route Leeds hope they don’t need by the time May arrives.
Marsch and his side will endeavour to ensure they do not need any Goodison Park slip-ups to save their own bacon.
