Peter Reid shares what drove him ‘mad’ about Everton points deduction in ‘very distasteful’ verdict live on BBC
It was “very distasteful” that the points deduction handed to Everton was leaked before being made official, according to former Toffees midfielder Peter Reid.
As per the Telegraph (25 October), Everton were facing a 12-point deduction for breaching Premier League profit and sustainability rules.
The Merseyside outfit were, however, given a 10-point deduction for the offence, and have dropped from 14th place to 19th place in the table.
“I think it’s excessive,” Reid said on BBC Radio 5 Live, as quoted by BBC Sport. “If Everton broke the rules, then yes, a punishment, but I think the 10 points is excessive.
“The thing that drove me mad is that it was leaked before that it was going to be 12 points, I thought that was very distasteful in my opinion.
“When it comes down to 10, it was unprecedented and I think if they go back and have a look at it, I think possibly they’d realise it was a mistake.”
Too harsh?
Everyone associated with Everton will be feeling the effects of the punishment for quite some time, given both the severity of it and indeed the feeling that other clubs have got away with more significant breaches.
The club are not taking the sanction lightly, and are perhaps unsurprisingly appealing the decision, which may result in a different outcome.
But the 10-point deduction, while significant, is certainly not insurmountable, with the Goodison Park club just two points from safety.
That is thanks to their superb run of form under Sean Dyche in recent times, having picked up impressive wins against the likes of West Ham and Crystal Palace, both away from home.
Now it is time for a huge home display, with Manchester United travelling to Goodison Park in Premier League action on Sunday (26 November).
If other results go their way, Everton could already climb out of the bottom three with a win against the Red Devils, which is very possible given the form of both clubs.
In other Everton news, Kaveh Solhekol has made a Toffees Premier League relegation prediction on Sky Sports following their 10-point deduction.