The first section of Michael Ball’s weekly column about Everton, following Nottingham Forest’s Premier League point deduction
When I learned that Nottingham Forest had been docked four points, my initial reaction was one of astonishment.
After that, I came to the realization that I shouldn’t be as astonished by the Premier League spending instances as I once was.
Once more, we have a development that is hard to understand and that kind of feels like statistics are being pulled out of a hat by various persons on separate commissions.
This is an inefficient method that raises greater concerns about the Premier League, its participating teams, and our game’s administration.
These are complicated cases, and the unique characteristics of each one matter. However, it is difficult to comprehend the reasoning behind some of the stances adopted.
The Premier League contended that the club’s punishment ought to begin at 12 points in the Everton initial hearing. The league argued for eight points at first with Forest. I don’t understand the disparity considering that Forest’s violation of sustainability and profit regulations was more than 70% worse than Everton’s. It seems that both clubs received warnings prior to their deadlines.
I do know that supporters do not wish to waste their time trying to comprehend intricate legal and financial procedures. They desire to concentrate on major games.
And while Everton supporters will feel frustrated at the latest developments, so too will the players. In Everton’s case they have now spent almost four months with these matters hanging over their heads. The uncertainty will play on their minds, as will the disappointment that what they have achieved on the pitch is not reflected in the Premier League table.
There will still be more to come with this, we know Everton will face another hearing and there could yet be two appeals. With that in mind there is only one thing Sean Dyche and his players can do – focus on what they can control. Everton can go a long way to protecting themselves from the uncertainty of the financial rules and regulations by taking care of results on the pitch.
They have traditionally considered home games against surrounding teams to be their kryptonite. However, they must ensure their own survival with Forest, Burnley, Brentford, and Sheffield United still to come to Goodison Park. The team needs to put this drama off the field behind them and concentrate on improving their performance on it. It’s the only way out of a perplexing process that leaves those at the top of our game with more questions than answers.
