Everton having their 10-point deduction reduced to six for a breach of Profit and Sustainability rules is not a vindication of how the club managed their finances, Daily Mail journalist Ian Ladyman has said.
The Toffees had an appeal against the punishment for breaching the Premier League’s PSR rules partially upheld this week and had four points added back to their tally in a boost to their survival hopes – albeit they could have more points taken off as they await the outcome of a second PSR charge.
Despite agreeing with the decision to give Sean Dyche’s side some points back, Ladyman still thinks the Merseyside club deserved a hefty punishment regardless.
Writing for the Daily Mail’s print edition (1 March, page 77), he said: “A ten-point penalty for Everton’s breach of the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules was too high.
“It’s only right that it was reduced on Monday. But to paint this as vindication of the Merseyside club’s approach to financing it is quite wrong. Everton played it fast and loose at the margins and messed it up. That part remains unchanged.”
Everton heavy spending comes back to haunt them
Everton have lacked direction over recent years and it has been a frustrating time for everyone associated with the club.
This should be an exciting time to support the Toffees with the new stadium on the horizon. However, off-field issues and points deduction threats continue to cloud over the team.
Their recruitment has been poor over the past decade or so and they have paid over the odds for a whole host of players who didn’t justify their fee, such as Moise Kean, Davy Klaassen and Yannick Bolasie, to name but a few.
They have seen others teams, most notably Brighton and Hove Albion, make huge strides over recent campaigns in a sustainable model that they should have tried to emulate.
Everton also have the quality in their ranks to get themselves away from danger and an experienced manager in Dyche. After all, if it wasn’t for their points deduction they would be comfortably in mid-table.
