PETER REID: This excessive punishment will re-unite Everton and it’s us against the rest again… the club may be fractured but whoever plays them over the rest of the season is in for a very difficult day

• Everton were hit by a ten-point deduction from the Premier League on Friday 
• The club may be a fractured place but this moment may well re-unite the club 
• Southgate’s loyalty to his players is an issue and a weakness – It’s All Kicking Off 

Everton has been a fractured place and, at first, this shoddily handled punishment felt like the all-shattering blow, but 48 hours on I firmly believe this moment will re-unite the club.

Ask Sean Dyche, ask Frank Lampard, and they will tell you the supporters have kept Everton up over the last two seasons.

There’s good reason why Everton are called the people’s club and the people want to fight back because it’s in their DNA. The harshness of this points deduction has created a siege mentality: it’s us against the rest.

I can’t wait for when Manchester United come to Goodison Park. I’d wager that the fans will pack the streets around the stadium before kick-off to make sure that desire to fight transcends to the players on the pitch. It could evoke the spirit of Bayern Munich in 1985 all over again.

Whoever faces Everton between now and the end of the season is going to be in for a very difficult day.

Everton has been a fractured place and, at first, this punishment felt like the all-shattering blow

However, 48 hours later, the 10-point deduction may be the moment that re-unites the club

Peter Reid says the harshness of the decision has created a siege mentality at Goodison Park

I was with some of the club’s staff on Friday, ladies who work hard behind the scenes, and the news had floored them. It could cost jobs, but by the end of our conversation even they were like ‘let’s show them!’

If Everton have broken the rules then the club have to face the consequences but the way this decision was leaked and handled was disgraceful. The club will appeal but will the commission back down? I don’t see it happening.

The punishment is excessive and there’s no doubt other clubs will be feeling anxious. We all agree we need more transparency, so let’s see the books of every football club. 

It just seems wrong to me that some of Everton’s issues revolve around the building of a new stadium that will also be used for the country’s benefit at the 2028 European Championship.

The football industry has to be careful about alienating the fans. Our sport is in danger because it’s being played out by finance men and lawyers rather than how it should be, by players on the pitch. 

Points deductions punish the fans and players – why not fine the ones who make these mistakes: the finance men? Hit them in the pocket, re-circulate the money, and it should soon stop.

I can tell you the message to the Premier League from the streets around Goodison now is a good old-fashioned Anglo-Saxon one!

IT’S ALL KICKING OFF! 

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