Whilst Everton fans will rightly have been left frustrated by Nottingham Forest’s puny deduction, the players will likely feel equally aggrieved.
After all, it is through their hard work that they had stormed into a position of relative safety before a ten-point deduction expunged all that. Later reduced to six on appeal, that was a timely boost, but not conclusive in their relegation battle.
Sean Dyche needs to ensure that his playing staff remain laser-focused to now capitalise on this minor downturn from the Reds, who have actually been plunged below Luton Town and into the bottom three.
However, Conor Coady has now revealed just how hard that will be.
What Conor Coady said about Everton’s reaction to Forest’s deduction
Speaking on the BBC’s Monday Night Club, the former Everton loanee sought to offer a behind-the-scenes look into how players inside the Goodison Park dressing room will be feeling towards this latest news.
He noted: ‘That’s what I mean with the timing, we’ve spoke about it before on The Monday Night Club. I can only speak about it from a player’s point of view in terms of being in the dressing room because I understand as much as you guys, I don’t have a clue when it comes to figures and how they work things out.
‘As for being a players point of view, it’s so so tough being in the dressing room and you’re reading things in the media of ‘It could be this day, it could be that day, you could be getting this’. Especially when it’s a tough season anyway and you’re struggling for points, you’re struggling to pick up wins, you don’t know where the three points are coming from, and at any point you can be docked six, four, ten whatever we’re talking about.
‘It’s so so tough, and like you said mentally, to keep your mind focused… you have to keep your mind focused as a footballer but to do it is really tough because you come in from training and you see another bit of news has broke on this date, it could be that date, another team has been done around you.
‘From a player’s point of view, and being in that Everton dressing room now, I can’t imagine what they’re thinking.’
Why did Everton and Forest get points deductions?
Both Everton and Forest were deducted points for flouting the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.
These statutes denote that any club cannot lose more than £105m over any three-year rolling period, and should they then a points deduction will clearly be enacted.
However, the severity of that sanction remains up for debate, as they almost seem to be making it up as they go along.
After all, the Toffees were first handed a ten-point deduction for a mere £19m overspent, and that was despite mitigation such as the Russia-Ukraine war pushing away key sponsors, being forced to sell Richarlison earlier for less money and stadium loan costs being wrongly included in the calculations.
But they didn’t care, and the main reason given why Forest were treated with more leniency was due to their admittance of guilt.
Both deductions are rather farcical and born of the monopoly that the Premier League have created. Teams have to take ambitious risks to remain competitive, and should it fail it can have grave repercussions.
However, that does not excuse the lack of consistency in these punishments, which will leave Everton fans and players furious and Forest feeling quietly relieved.