It is frankly ludicrous that Everton are being forced to go on without knowing the outcome of their appeal.
Sean Dyche cannot plan for a future that remains so shrouded in mystery, and even those around them remain unsure as to whether they are in a position of safety or peril.
It is unfair on everyone involved in the relegation scrap, but such a lack of decorum and justice has long since been abandoned by the division.
What makes things worse is that the Toffees cannot even really comment on the process, with their 52-year-old manager being forced to front questions he cannot answer, and that he likely does not even know the answers to.
An unforgiving role on top of all the other hardships that come with managing this club.
However, he did let his mask slip ever so slightly in yesterday’s press conference…
What Sean Dyche said about Everton’s appeal
Having remained so magnanimous and composed throughout a period that would understandably have sent so many packing, his conduct remains supremely admirable.
And that’s without mentioning his work in navigating their many on-pitch issues as well, which have plagued them for months now.
Without a Premier League win in 2024, they are teetering above the drop zone with extreme finesse. The precarious nature of their position offers no easy escape, as they continue to try and claim results that will establish a much-needed safe distance.
Speaking after their 1-1 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion, which helped them move above Luton Town by a point, Dyche told BBC Sport: ‘The only thing I spoke of in the week is the players have been very patient, waiting, playing these games, lots of games in between that moment staring at a league table which is adjusted and no one knows why you adjust it if it’s not a given.
‘We’re all staring, waiting, I feel for the players.’
Next week marks crunch time for the Premier League
Well, having first expected a decision by mid-February, with it then being pushed to just after last Monday’s match against Crystal Palace, we have surpassed three weeks since the independent commission heard Laurence Rabinowitz’s defence of Everton.
And yet, we are without a ruling.
The fact that it has taken this long also makes it impossible to predict whether that is a good or a bad thing, and the lack of communication only provokes such speculation.
Allowing fans to let their minds wander is only provoking further frustration, and the ambiguity with which the Premier League has operated throughout this entire process is shameful.
Next week marks crunch time, where they simply must submit their outcome before February is up.
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