Newcastle United boss makes Everton claim after points deduction question

Eddie Howe has previewed Newcastle United’s Premier League trip to Everton on Thursday night.

Newcastle United will meet Everton at Goodison Park on Thursday night (kick-off 7:30pm), according to Eddie Howe, and will “have to respond to a lot of questions.”

The Toffees are in the Premier League relegation zone after being punished 10 points for violating the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability criteria last month. If Sean Dyche’s team had avoided the deduction, they would have been 13th in the table, eight points ahead of the bottom three.

Everton filed an appeal against the sanction last week and has been encouraged by the situation. There were raucous demonstrations against the Premier League during the team’s previous home game against Manchester United, which was followed by a 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest over the weekend.

Given the atmosphere around the Merseyside club and the physical threat they pose, Howe has pushed his players to step up.

 

 

“I’d agree with that,” remarked the Magpies’ manager. They have made significant progress as a squad and have been extremely competitive. And I believe the most difficult issue for us is to compete in the same way they do.

“They’re a physically strong team with obvious strengths.” They will ask us defensive questions that we must answer.

“They also have the crowd and that dynamic, as well as the situation with the points deduction and what’s been done for them collectively.” We’ll have to react to a lot of queries.”

“Financial Fair Play has been a difficult one for everyone – myself included – to get our heads around as a football club because it’s come in and every club has to work towards it within the guidelines,” Howe previously said of

Everton’s points deduction. It is not my decision what happens financially; that is the club’s, and I believe the club has managed the situation extremely well under pressure to spend, enhance the squad, and move things forward as rapidly as possible.

“The Everton situation came out of the blue, I think, for all of us in terms of the verdict. They’ve got an incredible manager there who has done brilliant things previously in difficult circumstances and I’d back Sean to do the same again.”