Everton ‘shocked’ by ‘enormity’ of 10-point PL penalty – Dyche

Everton were shocked by the “enormity” of their points deduction penalty for breaching the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules, manager Sean Dyche said on Friday.

Dyche’s side, who host Manchester United on Sunday, have dropped 10 points and moved from 14th in the table to the relegation zone with four points, ahead of Burnley on goal difference.

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“I think like everyone else in this region we are shocked,” Dyche told reporters. “It would seem that the wave of noise that followed shocked most footballers.”

“The enormity of the situation. Disproportionate is a word that has been used by the club,” Dyche said.

“Obviously we’re going to feel aggrieved by this. On the other hand, it doesn’t change the direction,” the coach said. “Since I have been here, the objective has been to resolve things on the ground.”

Dyche said senior players like Seamus Coleman, Ashley Young, James Tarkowski and Jordan Pickford have been positive voices in rallying the team.

“It pushed us back and forward again,” he said. “The job hasn’t changed for me. It obviously made things a little more difficult until the call of course.

“I talked to the group and said, ‘Look, rankings are one thing.’ I always believed that the final standings were the truth of the season. It changes the point of view but it doesn’t change what we do. We just have to go harder, longer and stronger.”

Everton are unbeaten in four of their last five matches while United are sixth in the table after winning four of their last five matches to climb to sixth in the table with 21 points.