There was little mistaking the ill-feeling towards David O'Leary at Goodison Park on Saturday from Aston Villa's frustrated fans.
But the notion that O'Leary's job might be on the line has been made to look more far-fetched than ever following the revelation of just how far the Villa manager is already advanced in his preparations for next season.
Villa have been accused of standing still, of being a club 'in limbo' as 82-year-old chairman Doug Ellis tries to find a suitable buyer to take over the long-term running from him. And, on that score, their failure to strengthen their squad in the January transfer window did nothing to defuse the amount of ammunition being hurled in their direction.
But it has become clear that plans for next season's fourth Premiership campaign under O'Leary are well under way.
Already, the vast majority of key dates for Villa's pre-season schedule are in place. But the under-fire O'Leary is also keen to address short-term concerns too.
After initial, much-publicised meeting with the chairman after the defeat at Everton on Saturday, O'Leary met Ellis again in the cold light of day on Monday to discuss the club's long-term thinking.
The short-term agenda is simply to finish as high up the Premiership table as possible, and, starting with Saturday's date with the Premiership's worst travellers Fulham, O'Leary is also keen to win back over those sections of the fans to whom he has become portrayed as passionless, remote and too full of excuses.
"I get a little upset by the idea that the fans might think we don't care," said O'Leary. "Me and my staff become more passionately committed to this club, and its long-term ambitions, with every day that we work here.
"I care as much as every one of the fans and I share their frustrations.
"But I still maintain that this club has a lot to look forward to. The agenda this season has, for quite a while now, just been about surviving. But we've got 24 points to play for. And, with the home games we've got to come, I still think we have it in us to beat last season's total of 47 points.
"Then, if we can do that, and achieve safety as quickly as possible in the process, then we can truly turn our attentions to next season."
As far as Villa's summer plans are concerned, the key dates are still to finally be rubber stamped. But O'Leary's men will base themselves in Hanover, in northern Germany, for their main pre-season training camp, after three warm-up games on English soil in July.
They are due to travel to neighbours Walsall, then this season's FA Cup third round opponents Hull City before moving on to Molineux on July 29, for a game that will also mark the testimonial for Wolves legend, former England striker Steve Bull.
As for his changes to the playing staff this summer, O'Leary is still aware that he is very much in the hands of what happens at boardroom level. But he has already earmarked those players he is prepared to let go. Certainly, it will be no surprise to see the likes of Uli De La Cruz, Eric Djemba-Djemba, Juan Pablo Angel and Lee Hendrie, as well as season-long loan absentee Mathieu Berson, move on.
And, regardless of boardroom politics and the long-term direction the club is going in, O'Leary will still spend the final two months of the season eyeing up his targets at home and abroad.
As for his selection plans for Saturday's date with Fulham, O'Leary was handed a double tonic yesterday when two of his virus-hit players, Kevin Phillips and Aaron Hughes returned to training.
O'Leary is still hopeful that Milan Baros might also be fit to return after his ankle ligament problem.
Skipper Olof Mellberg is nursing a tight hamstring, but it is still too early for Mark Delaney to return while James Milner is due to report back to the club's Bodymoor Heath training ground tomorrow after being the worst hit of Villa's virus sufferers.
