(Reuters) – Everton manager Sean Dyche said he was trying to tune out the noise of a potential and unprecedented 12 points deduction as his club prepare to visit West Ham United on Saturday in their quest to climb the Premier League table.
The Toffees are facing a possible deduction for allegedly breaching profit and sustainability rules according to media reports this week that said the league is recommending a maximum of 12 points, which could see the struggling team relegated.
“I think there are loads of stories out there nowadays, particularly things of this type,” Dyche said on Friday in his first comments on the issue. “But at the end of the day the commission will decide. And when they do, we’ll find out.”
Everton issued a statement in March when the referral to an independent commission was confirmed.
“The club strongly contests the allegation of non-compliance and together with its independent team of experts is entirely confident that it remains compliant with all financial rules and regulations,” it said.
“Everton is prepared to robustly defend its position to the commission.”
Everton, who narrowly avoided relegation in their final game last season, are 16th in the standings on seven points after nine games, three points above the drop zone.
Asked if he was shouldering more pressure with the potential punishment, Dyche told reporters: “No. To be honest, ever since I’ve been here there’s been pressure. There’s pressure on all sorts (of things) around Everton Football Club.
“We’ve been trying to stay calm within lots of different challenges here. I think we mostly have done. (We are) trying to get things right on the pitch or better, certainly, and trying to improve other areas of the club.
“There’s so much noise here, to be honest.”
(Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Ken Ferris)
