Everton relegation plight draws laughs in House of Lords after Lord Barry Jones plea
The perilous situation that Everton find themselves in regarding the Premier League relegation battle has found its way to the House of Lords.
Everton are currently in the relegation zone after they lost one of their games in hand over Burnley, in the controversial Merseyside derby at Anfield yesterday.
During a debate on the new proposals for an independent regulator on English football today (25 April), life-long Everton fan and former Labour Member of Parliament Lord Barry Jones made a plea for divine assistance from the Church of England bishops who sit in the upper chamber.
Following a point on Welsh football clubs being included Lord Jones added, in a clip posted on Twitter by Football JOE: “Lastly, would he use his considerable influence to persuade the Lords Spiritual to pray hard for my own team Everton Football Club.
“Everton is in trouble and may go down to a hotter place.”
After laughs from the House Conservative Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay replied: “I cannot speak for the Lords spiritual, but I know that their prayers will be ecumenically directed,” (Hansard).
Getting serious
I doesn’t matter that the away performance at Liverpool showed so much more fight and guile than it has in weeks.
And despite the burning sense of injustice that stems from the decisions of referee Stuart Attwell, the bottom line from the derby is that the club have now have only a single game in hand over those above them and are in the relegation zone.
It is probably a sign of how pressing the situation has become that Lord Jones felt it was necessary to mention it in Westminster.
Despite some improved form in the last few games, the team are now in a worse position than they have been for months.
This is largely due to the sacking of Sean Dyche from Burnley paying off in a surprisingly major way.
Seven points from nine since the previously longest-serving manager in the league was removed has catapulted the Clarets out of what looked like a foregone conclusion.
Frank Lampard badly needs to spring an upset over his former side Chelsea when they visit Goodison on Sunday (1 May) or the fight may be over soon.
In other Everton news, the PGMOL would have been happy with a penalty to be awarded for the foul on Anthony Gordon but were furious that Richard Keys said so.
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