I will be shocked, indeed disappointed, if Everton are not challenging EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale for this year’s Best Soap at the TV awards.
However, the difference between the football club and those more familiar dramas is that the viewers – the Everton fans – are not enjoying what they are watching, nor do they deserve to be served up the almost daily dose of unbelievable story lines.
Evertonians are now immune to the shocks and surprises, in fact they half expect them these days, that dramatic pause, I think it’s referred to as the “duff duff” moment, is not in any way entertaining anymore to a fan base sick and tired of being the topic of other football fans ‘in other news’ inboxes.
It’s more than reasonable to say that a lot of the club’s problems are self-inflicted. Years of mismanagement have contributed to that but it is only half the story. Everton finds itself battling on several fronts, not only with their own issues but also those created by the ever-changing football landscape.
The news of a second referral for an alleged breach of Profitability and Sustainability rules in the space of a year has increased an already busy workload on the club’s directors and lawyers, but it can also argue that it needs the Premier League and football, in general, to help with some of the burden.
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Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol explains the process behind charges brought against Everton and Nottingham Forest by the Premier League for breaching Profit and Sustainability rules and what could happen next.
The timing of these charges and the subsequent points deduction has not only attracted sympathy and support from many in the football world, it has also been noted and challenged by many outside of the game too.
Everton feel strongly that they have done nothing wrong in all of this. Yes, they have agreed in principle that they have breached the rules, but they believe there are many mitigating circumstances that they feel should be taken into account, not only in their case but also for the good of the game. At the same time, it has left the club’s supporters feeling that they are being targeted specifically.
There is a strong feeling that the league’s rules are not doing what they were set out to do and there is a gross unfairness in what is happening. Everton’s case is unique in the fact that they are going through a process of improving their infrastructure, attempting to build for not only the betterment of their club but the Premier League itself, while all the time seemingly being penalised for it.
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Sky Sports’ Sam Blitz explains what the Premier League’s profit & sustainability rules are and how they affect clubs’ ability to spend.
It is a fact that Everton have not overly spent on players in recent years, in particular, those specifically relating to the charges. During the latter part of Farhad Moshiri’s tenure, the club has made great strides off the field to compete with those at the top of the league. That has not only cost a lot of money, mainly on a new stadium, but it has put great demands on the on-pitch performance.
Mistakes have undoubtedly been made by the club’s hierarchy but the challenge they face with an ever-changing set of rules and restrictions and a huge blow with the onset of a war in Europe which led to them losing a major income stream has left those at the club and the fans believing that it is help which is needed from the authorities, not punishment.
The club is at, quite possibly, the most significant crossroads of its history right now, fighting with every ounce of energy to stay in the top flight, oversee a takeover of the club, and move into a brand-new stadium, one which they see as the key to its future success.
Many at the club feel they are not only fighting all those challenges but also the establishment. While there is an acceptance of ‘we could’ve done better’, there is also a real sense that they are trying to do the right thing, not only for themselves but for the Premier League status as the greatest league in the world.
However, they also feel that several clubs have had the benefit of doing all that before the current restrictions were imposed and now it is a near impossible job for any club trying to join the party at the top.
Everton currently resembles a large cruise ship, which has been cut adrift, with Sean Dyche and Captain Coleman trying to steer the vessel to the relative safety of Bramley Moore Dock. Fans on the dockside are willing them in with lifebuoys in hand but, instead, it feels as though they are fighting against the tide, with seemingly a new, bigger wave coming at them every week.
The outcome of the impending appeal over the first PSR breach will have huge implications on the second and not only for Everton but other clubs too. That’s likely to come at the end of this month, possibly into early February, but for everybody’s sake the sooner that happens the better.