Everton and Nottingham Forest were easy targets for the Premier League, seeking to reinforce their dominance in the face of government pressure for an independent regulator.
It is quite shady the manner in which the division has gone about its business, and whilst guilty verdicts are hard to dispute, the severity of the punishments touted so far have been extreme.
Ten points for the Toffees at first shocked the footballing world, and even upon reflection a six-point deduction remains quite harsh.
So, it will be interesting to see how Forest are treated, given their crimes could actually be worse than the one which saw the Merseyside outfit hamstrung.
What the Premier League are doing today regarding PSR
There is a resigned expectation that today is the day that the Premier League’s independent commission will publish its outcome on Nottingham Forest’s PSR case.
Having overseen their defence around ten days ago now, a conclusion had to be conjured within a week, making this the most reasonable time to then reveal the results.
Although their case is different from Everton’s due to their time spent in the Championship altering the figures involved, the precedent is largely the same.
Therefore, what the Premier League decide to do today, the day where many are predicting an outcome, will have huge repercussions on the Toffees’ future hearing.
Nottingham Forest’s outcome will set precedent for Everton
Just as Everton’s first deduction and subsequent appeal set the precedent for Forest’s current trial, theirs will in turn have huge repercussions on the Toffees’ second alleged breach too.
After all, it will mark a further refinement in the statutes, and force the Premier League to adhere to the standard they set by how they choose to punish the latest ‘rule-breakers’.
The Tricky Trees are an interesting case, as the bulk of the years they are being sanctioned for have come when they were in the Championship.
So, it makes for a unique example, with clubs only allowed to lose a maximum of £105m across a rolling three-year period to comply with PSR, or £35m.
However, that has been restricted to just £61m: £13m for the two seasons spent in the Championship, and £35m for their first year back in the top flight.
Their situation is very different to Everton’s, but in theory, they are both being tried against the same guidelines and for similar crimes.
The decisions made could therefore decide the relegation battle…