“I think sometimes they are still living in the past," said Ronald Koeman this week.
And for perhaps the first time in his life the former Everton manager connected with Everton fans.
Evertonians are living in the past. A past created by a reckless, directionless spending spree under his tenure for which the current manager is still enduring the consequences. Three-and-a-half years later.
Now Barcelona boss, Koeman spoke at length with Alan Shearer in a wide-ranging and refreshingly candid interview with The Athletic.
And in a chat stretching several thousand words he offered just 223 about the football club where he spent 16 months as manager.
They included: “It was difficult, that period, because Everton are a club, and also the fans, who expect sometimes too much. I think sometimes they are still living in the past about the great seasons that they had at Everton."
Shearer spotted the hand grenade a mile off. He added: "it was a comment that echoes what many pundits say about Newcastle, my club. It never goes down very well."
It hasn't.
Of course Everton fans remember the great seasons they had at Everton. They crave more seasons like that.
And the current manager they have has embraced those expectations rather than tried to diminish them.
Everton did everything in their power to back Ronald Koeman. And they gave him an opportunity to prove he could build a club capable of winning trophies. He failed.
After finishing seventh in his first season they backed him to the tune of £142million.
He spent much of it on three number 10s when the club had just lost a number 9.
"We spent a lot of money," he admitted. "We signed Jordan Pickford, we signed Michael Keane,we signed Gylfi Sigurdsson ......... and some more players."
Ah yes. Some more players.
Like the underwhelming Cuco Martina - who at least cost nothing, like Davy Klaassen - a man who was going to show Evertonians the kind of player Ross Barkley could become - he didn't, like Nikola Vlasic, like Sandro Ramirez, like Wayne Rooney's second coming.
And that was in one summer.
What did you make of Ronald Koeman's thoughts? Let us know in the comments section below.
They followed the undoubtedly inspired acquisition of Idrissa 'Gana' Gueye - and the less than inspirational captures of Yannick Bolasie, Ashley Williams and Morgan Schneiderlin.
All three arrived for big fees and bigger wages. Bolasie has only just been shifted off the Blues' wage bill this month, almost three years after his last first team appearance.
“My first season was a really good one," added Koeman "Romelu Lukaku scored 25 league goals and we had great home games against Manchester City, who we beat 4-0, we beat all the big ones and it was great."
Selective thinking there Ronald.
The only other "big one" Everton beat was Arsenal at Goodison Park. There were two defeats by Liverpool, two draws with Manchester United, an aggregate scoreline against Chelsea of 8-0 - to Chelsea, and one point from Tottenham.
That Manchester City afternoon was the undoubted highlight, “But to do the next step, that’s the most difficult one," he added.
And it proved beyond him. As did the ability to communicate with the Everton fan base, as much a key element of inspiring a football club as selecting a successful side - just look across the park for evidence of that.
Yes we're still living in the past Ronald, a recent past largely created by you.
A past in which an elite manager who has proved he can win trophies has to haggle for a Championship striker because of Financial Fair Play strictures forced upon him by his predecessors.
Evertonians would still rather have Carlo Ancelotti in their dug out.
He is a manager who is inspired by Everton's past, not intimidated by it.
