It was never going to be just coffee and croissants followed by a few minutes of frothy platitudes.
From the moment Peter Reid bounds into the lounge of one of Liverpool's plush riverfront hotels, immaculately dressed and looking as lean as he did during his playing days, it is clear he is ready to talk.
'Come on then,' he says, rubbing his hands together. 'Where are we starting? Everton?'
The current travails of the club with whom he conquered England and Europe during a glorious spell in the mid-1980s are deeply concerning for someone who regarded losing in a Royal Blue shirt as a personal affront.