Martin Samuel screams, “Harsh judgments,” fearing that Everton, N. Forest, may be demoted due to a second-point deduction.
Martin Samuel claims that Everton and Nottingham Forest might be demoted from the Premier League for their attempts to display “ambition.”
In his column on the paper’s website on March 12, The Times journalist acknowledged that Sheffield United and Burnley were two of the “poorest teams ever to play in the Premier League,” but he also suggested that, in the end, their underperforming squads might be the “smarter move” than the Toffees’ “haphazard” decision to invest in players.
Samuel stated that a second points deduction for Everton, or a first for Forest, would undermine the product by sparing teams as awful as the Blades or the Clarets from the drop, while maintaining that spending restrictions are damaging the league if former winners Leicester risk sanction should they be promoted.
Samuel wrote: “If punitive decisions are made against Everton and Nottingham Forest, there is a chance that one of Burnley or Sheffield United—two of the weakest teams ever to play in the Premier League—may survive this season. Consider that. After four losses of 8-0, 6-0, and 5-0, the team remains unbeaten.
“Sheffield United traded away two of their greatest players shortly before the season began, and by the time a cheap signing of middling skill was finalized, the season had already begun. However, given the dysfunctional nature of the Premier League, this might prove to be a better course of action than Forest and Everton’s attempt to pursue ambition and make random player investments.
“Records have been discussed, especially those set by Sheffield United, who have given up 74 goals with ten games remaining,” he continued. However, if Everton and Forest are demoted, a record could be broken for the least amount of points needed to qualify for the tier. But who pays to see football of that caliber is anybody’s guess.
Everton and Nottingham Forest sanctions could save Burnley and Sheffield United.
Many Evertonians have had the impression that things are falling into place to prevent a recurrence of the close calls from the previous two seasons.
The Toffees are once again in difficulty despite the first point deduction being lowered on appeal from ten to six and the possibility of a second one being lowered by two thirds. This is in addition to their poor performance on the field.
For many reasons, it is terrible when a club closes its doors, but when the regulations meant to keep it from happening actually make a team more likely to fail, something is obviously wrong.
While much of the guilt lies with Farhad Moshiri and the previous board, the fact that the existing spending rules appear to be going away in a few months is a sign that something was wrong.
Sheffield United may have chosen the safest financial route by getting promoted and seemingly accepting the chance of relegation by not making any squad additions, but after suffering so many setbacks this season, few of their supporters will be happy about that.
Perhaps some form of structure had to be implemented in response to nation states determining that elite football could serve their own purposes, but it seems to be too little, too late, and simply serves to punish other sides more.