Sean Dyche shares what he has found a ‘difficult task’ at Everton this season
Everton manager Sean Dyche says that he is finding it a “difficult task” to deal with aspects of their season that are beyond his control ahead of a crucial match against Nottingham Forest on Sunday (21 April).
The Toffees manager has said that his Everton side must ignore outside noise if they’re to remain a Premier League side, with their fight against relegation not helped by two points deductions totalling eight points due to Profit and Sustainability breaches.
Dyche, speaking to Sky Sports (21 April) said that despite their points deductions and the club’s takeover saga rumbling along in the background, Everton’s players must remain focused on the task at hand.
“You control the controllables, and I think every manager tries to. The stuff that’s happened here, they’re not my controllables, I can’t control it, so then you’re sort of controlling the next thing that comes after that, and the goalposts keep shifting,” he said.
He added: “That can be difficult, so there’s no point in denying that it’s a difficult task.
“That shouldn’t take away from the reality which is to win games, and we spoke to the players about that. Outside noise has to go away.”
Everton face Nottingham Forest in Premier League relegation clash
Everton and Nottingham Forest have both had their seasons affected by off-field drama, being met with points deductions that have plunged them both into relegation trouble.
The eight points chalked off Everton’s total, which have been reduced from a possible 12 after their initial 10-point penalty was knocked down to six on appeal (and they also have a separate appeal against the second deduction waiting to be heard), means they are 16th, just two points above Luton in the final relegation place.
Otherwise, the Toffees would be 10 points clear of the drop zone, albeit only a place higher in the table, while Forest would too have 30 points and a five-point buffer over 18th-placed Luton.
This afternoon’s game at Goodison Park therefore shapes up as absolutely vital to the outcome of this season‘s relegation fight, and while a 5-1 home loss for Luton against Brentford on Saturday (20 April) will have calmed some nerves, both Everton and Forest are still firmly in the thick of things, and will see this upcoming contest as a bonafide six-pointer.
Can Everton restore some confidence both on and off the pitch with three vital points in their bid to stay up?
In other Everton news, a further nine-point deduction for the Toffees has been mooted by Alex Crook.
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