MAKING A POINT
Dyche: Punish clubs in the summer to avoid chaos during the season
SEAN DYCHE has called for clubs caught in the Premier League’s financial storm to be handed any points deductions in the summer, not during the season.
The Everton manager has seen the Toffees lose eight points this season due to profit and sustainability irregularities.
Nottingham Forest have also lost points which, along with Everton’s plight, could affect the final relegation places.
“I don’t imagine it’s easy for one minute,” said Dyche. “But whatever is to happen to any football club, if it’s possible, is to put any situations into a summer period and let teams know.
“I speak on behalf of myself but I also meet so many football fans, not just Evertonians, fans across the board. All saying, ‘why have they done it now?’
“Why not wait until the summer and it then goes into next season. You can then plan. You learn from your mistakes, you move forward and it gives you a chance of planning for the next phase.
“Instead, it’s been bang, hang on a minute, what’s happened there? There’s got to be a better format on the timelines for this sort of thing. We know the Premier League isn’t a level playing field. But everyone wants it as level and competitive as we can.
“At least if it (the punishment) came in the summer, there you go, that’s the reality, handle it as best you can.
“Now it’s midway through a season when you are having to manage these things which keep changing.”
The preparations for tonight’s trip to Chelsea have been overshadowed by the news of the latest two-points deduction.
“I have had 54 press conferences and 53 haven’t been about football,” Dyche added.
“That’s the reality of this football club in the current segment of its history.
“I wasn’t expecting to have as big a challenge as it’s been. When they talk to you about the job, nothing like this would be mentioned.
“The job comes in many forms and this is a reality. I don’t remember making any excuses in my career. I try not to do fault and blame. It’s not going to help.
“The challenge here is, ‘Gaffer, win a game, play your part in winning games.’
“I don’t think I’ve had any tougher (situations), but you never know in the future. It would be a fair shift to imagine a tougher situation.”
Everton earned a draw at Stamford Bridge last season (below) and, after halting a run of 13 winless league games against Burnley last weekend, Dyche believes the latest points setback will again help galvanise his side.
“There always seems that grittiness, kick one of us and you kick us all,” he said. “We’ve had a few kicks lately and it’s about time we went ‘let’s park everything else and let’s all play a part in protecting the badge, protecting what the club stands for’.”