Everton have had an administration threat looming over them for what feels like years now, as a result of their persistent gross financial misconduct.
Farhad Moshiri stands alone atop the list of those to blame, but there are many he has employed who too are similarly culpable in the steady regression of this football club.
It has marked a fearful period for Evertonians, forced to watch their side slowly dissolve whilst Sean Dyche has offered his best efforts to keep them afloat.
And despite his veritable success, the worst could still be yet to come.
Alex Crook makes Everton administration prediction
Speaking live on talkSPORT earlier today, as Sam Matterface chatted with Alex Crook, attention was always bound to turn to the Toffees.
After all, with all the noise coming out of Goodison Park in recent weeks, particularly regarding 777 Partners’ fraudulent allegations, it marks a worrying time yet again.
Crook, as talkSPORT’s chief reporter, would seek to provide his expert insight into the likelihood that they will take over and the subsequent administration risk poses.
Well, his update was a grim one, as he noted: ‘We didn’t know the half of it. It’s a concern for me that Farhad Moshiri, who clearly is an intelligent businessman, seems to have put all his eggs in this basket. Has he done his due diligence as custodian of Everton Football Club? I think you have to say the answer is no.
‘You worry about the future direction of travel. I don’t think they’ll go into administration this season, but I think there’s every chance they could start next season in administration and therefore on minus nine points.’
Administration would leave Everton destroyed
Whilst some high-profile names, notably The Esk, have actively suggested that administration might be a better option than welcoming 777 Partners into the club, that simply cannot be the case.
And whilst his point makes sense to an extent, as he suggests that the long-term effects of having a highly questionable owner would be far worse than the alternative, administration would devastate the club.
Not only would the nine-point deduction be tough for the players and fans to take once again, but the countless jobs that would be lost from such an occurrence would mark a sad state of affairs for an institution that has become such a key pillar in the community.
Many rely on the club for their mental health and livelihoods, so to see it condemned in such a fashion would see many struggle.
The mass exodus it would also provoke from the playing staff would only cement their inevitable fall down the divisions, thus destroying one of England’s oldest and most historic footballing institutions.