Yahoo News Jarrad Branthwaite and Dwight McNeil reveal dressing room reaction to new Everton points deduction
Everton’s players have discussed how they can return to the form that followed the club’s first deduction as they come to terms with another off-the-pitch blow.
The Blues won four games in a row in the aftermath of being handed a 10 point penalty for breaching Premier League financial rules back in November. The results quickly lifted the club out of the relegation zone and put it on course for safety despite the unprecedented penalty, which was later reduced to six points.
A troubling run of form then cast doubt that in doubt. It ended with a crucial win at home to Burnley on Saturday but the two point sanction delivered on Monday undermined the impact of that success.
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The first team learned of the latest sanction in a squad meeting where the topic quickly switched to how the players could respond on the pitch. There is a sense among the playing group that they cannot get caught up in matters outside their influence - like battles between lawyers over the club’s accounts and the protracted takeover saga that continues to prevent Everton from attaining stability. Instead the players know their only avenue for influence is by getting the results on the pitch that make the cumulative eight points of deductions irrelevant to the club’s survival.
This approach was summed up by Jarrad Branthwaite, who told Sky this week: “There is not a lot we can do about it, we can only put in performances on the pitch and try to rectify it by winning games and getting as many points between now and the end of the season to keep us safe.”
Dwight McNeil, as part of the same interview, pointed back to that December form in the wake of the first punishment. Everton lost their first game after that deduction but then went on to beat Newcastle United, Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Burnley in consecutive games.
Of the matters off the pitch, McNeil said: “It happened not so long ago and the next four games after that I thought we were excellent, winning four on the bounce. We had another meeting about that and can we get back to that, we can only control what we can control and focus on one day at a time and one game at a time.”
There is frustration in the squad - not for the first time after a season in which the players’ efforts have also been undermined by a long list of contentious decisions. Asked whether the two point deduction added further pressure on the relegation fight, McNeil responded: “Not really, I think it helps having the experience we have got within our group. A lot of us have been in this position before so that always helps at this part of the season. We never wanted to be here but the reality is we are here and now we have to get ourselves out of it and I am confident we will do that.”
