Phil Jagielka predicts whether Everton will be deducted more points this season

Everton’s season has not been defined by their performances on the pitch, but rather by their transgressions off it.

On so many occasions there has been widespread pleas to not punish the fans for what their owners have done, and yet with this case, the silence has been deafening.

Evertonians are the ones taking the brunt of this punishment, yet that is not even taken into account when faceless lawyers battle to further drive this famous and historic institution further into the ground.

The only hope is that the ongoing appeal process can offer some respite to a fanbase beaten and bruised by recent events.

However, it is the constant misery on Merseyside that lends to a sceptical and pessimistic outlook on such brief glimpses of hope.

What Phil Jagielka said about Everton
Phil Jagielka has at least sought to give his thoughts on the potential of a successful appeal, chatting with Jeff Stelling this morning live on talkSPORT (9:55 am, 06/02/24).

The former Toffees defender, who enjoyed 12 successful years at Goodison Park, remains quietly hopeful that a positive outcome could still rear its head.

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Clearly his time with Everton did not quite break his spirit in the same way it has done to the fans.

Asked if he was confident that his former side would stay up and overturn the deduction, the 41-year-old noted: ‘I am as it stands at the moment, but as I just said anything can change, appeals are going in, double jeopardy, there is so much going on that the confidence levels aren’t as high as I’d like them to be.

‘I think once it’s settled we can move on. Hopefully Everton can stay up, they’ve got a fantastic new stadium to look forward to and it’s almost like a clean slate.

Sheffield United v Everton FC – Premier League
Photo by Tony McArdle/Everton FC via Getty Images
‘I don’t think there’ll be any more fines or points deductions in the offing in the future, as I said before they have been working with the Premier League to try and make sure they were as close as they possibly could be to the FFP and stuff like that.

‘I don’t see anything in the future, it’s just getting through this next month, this next three or four months and hopefully still be a Premier League team moving forward.’

Could Everton really be deducted more points?
Well, the reality is that nobody truly knows what the Premier League will do.

Such is the lack of historical examples on this subject, no precedent has ever been set. Therefore, there is almost a free reign for the division to do as they please, especially if they are successful in upholding the initial ten-point deduction administered.

Then, a precedent would truly be set, thus sparking true fear amongst the rest of the league’s teams.

However, as Jagielka notes, a double jeopardy rule could come into play, which journalist Alan Myers has referenced before.

Everton FC v Tottenham Hotspur – Premier League
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
This states that, should their current punishment be upheld, they cannot therefore be hit twice in the same season for the same crime.

That should at least provide a comforting thought, and a valid argument to instantly shut down the Premier League should they try and throw the book at Everton again.

The Toffees will hope that KC Laurence Rabinowitz has done the business anyway to make these sorts of debates obsolete, dragging them out of the relegation zone in the process.