by It was one of those moments when, try as everyone did, they could only help their colleagues. Josh Dreyfuss from 777 didn’t help his appearance Successions Kendall Roy by wearing one of those expensive baseball caps. The half-time whistle had blown at Stamford Bridge, and some of the Goodison Park executives had gathered. What could they say about this?
Not only did another dismal performance leave them 4-0 down to Chelsea at half-time, only to lose 6-0 in the end. Such shambles also followed another development in their cost control case, with the club announcing they would appeal the latest points deduction, amid ongoing headlines over the 777 takeover process. understanding that there is a very functional situation. That’s why others can’t help rubbernecking, but there’s a lot more to it than that.
Everyone at the bottom is watching Everton, even more so than Nottingham Forest, as their fate could change the entire face of the Premier League survival battle. There is ongoing new drama in that quest, which could reach a climax this weekend. It’s one of those moments where so many threads come together in a way that’s almost narratively perfect, just the Premier League’s tendency to burn out storylines.
Except, this isn’t a particularly inspiring or uplifting story. It is indicative of much that has gone wrong in the competition, particularly in how these points deductions have undermined an underlying confidence in the Premier League table.
In a match that almost represents a sort of complicated “derby”, Everton will host Nottingham Forest on Sunday. This is the first ever Premier League meeting between two teams that have closed points due to breaches of cost control rules.
With Everton currently sitting one point ahead of Forest and two above the relegation zone, although those totals could change again, the result will go a long way in deciding who stays up. It could be even more meaningful for the bottom two clubs, whose demise could be hastened by another unwanted derby on Saturday. Burnley travel to Sheffield United, with both hoping to add respect to campaigns that have already seen them cut adrift.
Although relegated teams are worse, it is difficult to remember a worse relegation battle, certainly in terms of what it shows. It is characterized by tawdriness. There was little entertainment of low quality and – more bleak than anything – little faith, given the potential changes to the table due to those points deductions.
There is actually an argument that it can only be saved if Luton Town stay up. However, that prospect has been complicated by the news that the Premier League wants the decisions on Everton’s appeal to be made before the final weekend of the season so that “final” results are not changed.
The story says different things about each of the clubs involved, but it adds up to one damning statement on the Premier League. Accordingly, some criticism of those clubs should be caused.
The cause of this whole situation is the insanity of the Premier League’s dysfunctional relationship with money. That boils down to so much, right down to justifiable anger about ticket prices.
That’s also why this week’s European elimination series is rather timely. As powerful as the Premier League remains in terms of its financial strength, there is a perception in football that an obscene level of wealth has stifled innovation. Clubs don’t need to think too much about problems if they can solve them with signings. Many European clubs have been denied that option because of how their English counterparts have increased wages, forcing them to be intellectually creative.
In contrast, any sense of logic or wider thinking seems to be lacking at the bottom of the Premier League.
Although Everton and Forest are solely to blame for overspending, it stems from a motivation that runs much deeper, and is central to the origins of the Premier League. Both of them are trying to compete in a world that has gone beyond their heads. That’s not really the point of dropping either club, but it’s about questions of identity and – yes – ambition.
For everyone who sells the Prime League itself on its unpredictability, the table generally sticks to pay bills. Those pay bills are usually pretty tiered. There isn’t that much variety. Despite this, this pay race has consistently led to so many irrational decisions, all the more so since higher payments don’t really change that much. The shape of the Premier League has not changed much. One line within football is that higher wages mean players have four Lamborghinis instead of three. The big six will still be the big six. The same teams tend to finish in places in the Champions League, with the odd upset, as Aston Villa could do this season.
It is ultimately wrong that a competition with only so much money is even more tiered, where fewer clubs can win. This is even more the case if you are one of the most successful clubs of all time in the English league, such as Everton, or two-time European Cup winners such as Forest. That is not to say that any club has a right to success, but the game has a responsibility to create a competitive balance. Much more money could and should be redistributed.
It is even more wrong that a club like Everton, which has benefited hundreds of millions from being in the Premier League for so long, can somehow be seen as a “disturbed asset” by a group like 777. If it is that being the case, the biggest warning should be that something is wrong with the economic model.
On the other side of the relegation zone, Forest and Burnley are other victims of this series. The problem is that they are almost permanent parts of “Premier League 2”, the small group of clubs that seem destined to forever go up and down from the Championship. The parachute payment system means they have too much money for the bottom tier but not enough for the elite.
The long-term manifestation of this was Fulham and Norwich City swapping places for four consecutive campaigns. This season, we may see the peak – or perhaps the nadir – of the three previously relegated sides directly instead of those who went up first.
As befits such a turbulent situation, the mood of the participating clubs is not necessarily what you would expect.
Everton are arguably in the best position, as they are two points above the drop, even if that were to change. You wouldn’t think it from the atmosphere around the club. Morale is said to be very low. The Sean Dyche effect is long gone, revealing a football that is dull rather than controlled. There is an argument that Everton are the worst team to watch in the Premier League at the moment, to go with the debate of whether they have the worst run. It’s made even worse by the fact that there are some very talented people at Goodison Park who know what it’s all about and care deeply about this institution. Their plight has very sad, real-life consequences for many people across the club.
Forest are one point behind Everton but they are not that beaten. Even if Nuno Espirito Santo’s football is not much more lively than Dyche’s, his squad has more vitality. That, quite pointedly, is part of the huge expenditure that raised questions like this in the first place.
Burnley have had questions raised about their recruitment, albeit from a different angle. It looks like they have reformed the squad to make it worse. There is no real identity, despite the fact that Vincent Kompany is supposed to be an ideological manager. Instead it was so easy to do Burnley, and the mood is getting worse now. His morale at the moment is described as not much better than Everton’s.
That can be poison at precarious times like this.
That brought a slight sense of regret at Sheffield United, but only because they began to rally around the returning Chris Wilder. Performances have improved significantly, as has the mood. It is now believed that they could have a fighting chance of avoiding relegation if this came a little earlier. Again, you wouldn’t think this is a side that is almost certain to go down.
The weekend may decide a lot. Everyone will still watch Everton. The Premier League’s most obscure storyteller could have something to do with it.
