EXTRA TIME

“Dogs of War” are back

November 18, 2023 at 10:43 am Leave a comment

Following an eight-month investigation, Everton FC have received an immediate 10-point deduction after being found that the Toffees had breached the top flight’s financial rules.

After a poor start to the season, Sean Dyche’s side had improved and were comfortable in the table but have now dropped from 14th to second bottom on goal difference, two points from safety.

Only one side in Premier League history has survived relegation from a position of having four points from 12 games – however, that team was Everton in 1994-95.

Everton’s plight has drawn parallels with the 1993-94 campaign when Mike Walker kept them up on the last day after coming from 2-0 down to beat Wimbledon 3-2 in the final game. The following season under Joe Royle – whose side were dubbed the ‘Dogs of War’ – was the last in which the club won a trophy, stunning Manchester United in the FA Cup final at Wembley.

“We were in this position in 1993-94 and then ended up winning a trophy too, will the stars align for us again and history repeat itself? The core values of the club are to stand together in what we believe in,” Everton fan and host of “A Game of Two Halves” podcast Ellis Nordhoff said.

“This will be the ‘Dogs of War reborn’. I imagine the players are now going to be playing like their lives depend on it and it will mean even more to them now.”

Manager Sean Dyche saved the Toffees from relegation in 2022/23 with a win in the last game of the season, but with the points deduction he might face a much more tough task this time. On the other hand, none of the newly promoted teams Sheffield Utd, Luton Town and Burnley have impressed so far, all three of them having a bad start into this season. They are on just 4, 5 and 6 points respectively.

Everton said that they will be appealing against the decision, and that will be heard by a judicial panel, who will be tasked with assessing the commission’s process and whether the penalty handed out was fair.

Everton say they have not been given clarity on how the commission reached the figure of 10 points and sources believe a sporting sanction for a technical breach on the accountancy of building their new stadium is not appropriate.

The appeal will be heard and concluded before the end of this season, which means Everton and other clubs in danger will be clear which division they will be competing in next term.

In Premier League history only two other clubs have received a points deduction – Middlesbrough (three points) and Portsmouth (nine) – and neither was able to avoid relegation.

Everton said that they would “monitor with great interest the decisions made in any other cases“. Be in doubt, they mean above all Manchester City, who are accused of more than 100 breaches of financial rules over a nine-year period from 2009.

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