Everton are a side that seldom wins the hearts of the neutrals, and in recent years that has arguably never been more evident.
After all, with their PSR breaches emerging alongside their stubborn reluctance to succumb to relegation, it almost feels like the Toffees are merely surviving rather than actually offering anything to the division.
And really, it would be hard to argue against that notion.
Their financial misdeeds of the past have finally come home to roost this season, and they are dealing with the result of years of reckless spending.
However, Sean Dyche has just made a claim that he thinks fans, pundits and players alike would all agree on, regardless of their opinions on the club.
Sean Dyche left baffled by Everton penalty decision
Speaking to talkSPORT just yesterday (30/03, 17:55 pm), the 52-year-old was frank in his assessment of the match.
However, when asked about the controversial penalty decision, which left the pundits on Match of the Day baffled too, he opened up a bit more.
After all, Dyche has seen first-hand just how damaging poor refereeing decisions can be to a club, who have still won just one penalty all season.
He hints towards that figure in his rant, whilst also pointing to the ease with which other teams are granted spot kicks.
The former Burnley boss claimed: ‘I think we’re all flummoxed, it’s not just me I think it’s fair to say that across footballers, across supporters, across pundits, I think everyone’s going ‘Look, where is it?’ And that for me is one of them where you go, well we’ve seen so many penalties given this season for stuff where we all go I don’t know if that’s given and yet we get one, and we can’t get them by the way, we get one today and it’s not even debated.
‘I’m flummoxed by that, like how can there not be a debate when he cuts inside, the lad hits him across his shin, he goes down, we all know it’s a penalty. But apparently it’s not today, yet every other week we see it so that’s maybe the situation we’re in.
‘Sometimes you just have that feeling where nothing’s going your way.’
Another Everton penalty waved away by referees and VAR
At this point, this inability to be given blatant penalties is actually starting to get quite laughable.
Or at least, it would be, were Everton not just three points away from the relegation zone and fighting for their lives every week, enduring a winless run in the Premier League that stretches back deep into December, and with little positivity to cling onto.
As aforementioned, the Toffees are one of just three clubs to have only received a single penalty all season in the league now.
And whilst that would make sense if they were a defensive side who seldom ventured forward, there have been countless opportunities for them to have been given a clear spot kick, denied by the officials at the time.
In fact, Everton’s Fan Advisory Board even penned a letter to Howard Webb, the chief of referees for the PGMOL, detailing just a small selection of their many outstanding gaffes back in January.
Amadou Onana’s shirt being pulled away at Tottenham Hotspur. No penalty. Beto wrestled to the ground away at Crystal Palace. No penalty. Even Michael Keane’s disallowed goal on the opening day of the season. Perfectly valid.
When enduring a run as barren as theirs, they need a slice of fortune to pick them up. It just feels like, based on this season’s trends, that is not forthcoming.
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