Martin Keown has admitted that it is “ridiculous” that Everton have not yet learned the result of their appeal against their 10-point deduction for profit and sustainability breaches.
The Toffees appeal was heard by an independent commission that finished at the start of February, but so far Sean Dyche’s side are yet to learn whether or not they will regain any points, something he has suggested is mentally affecting his side.
While Jim White thinks that it is perfectly acceptable that Everton stars would be impacted by the overhanging charge, Keown has suggested that Dyche is using the effect it is having on his players as a way to try and speed up the process.
Speaking on talkSPORT on Friday (23 February, 10:25) he said: “It’s not ideal but I’m a little bit surprised that Sean Dyche is using this, but he will won’t he?”
White responded: “Is he using it? I think the evidence is there and albeit they’re not doing what they ought to be doing on the field of play and that’s getting points, there’s now no wins in eight. There was an early bounce immediately after the announcement of the 10-point deduction.”
Keown hit back saying: “He’s trying to accelerate the speed, that’s ridiculous the amount of time that it’s taking to actually come back on it. We did hear that we were going to find out this week.
“They told us this week that there would be some sort of conclusion over whether they would regain some kind of points or not, but we haven’t heard anything.”
When will Everton learn the result of their appeal?
Keown is right to suggest that it is “ridiculous” that Everton players and supporters have had to wait so long to find out whether or not their appeal has been successful, as those the punishment effects have been left in the dark.
Whether or not the players are actually being impacted by the delay as Dyche has suggested remains to be seen, but is impossible for those at Goodison to plan for the future and attempt to dodge relegation when they don’t know what is around the corner.
Everton
Sean Dyche has been widely praised for his work at Everton
Hopefully, some clarity will emerge sooner rather than later. But as soon as the first charge is finalised, attention will quickly turn to the second alleged breach and there will be even more uncertainty on Merseyside.
All of this continues to unfold while 777 Partners’ takeover hangs in the balance awaiting approval from the Premier League. It feels as though the league are out to get the Toffees at the moment with multiple “ridiculous” decisions.
