Everton face huge home match as wait over points deduction goes on

This truly farcical PSR process has caused so much controversy and chaos and has damaged not just Everton but other club's season too.

And now having had ten points taken off them last November, which was subsequently reduced to six after appeal, the Blues are now facing the same situation all over again.

Meanwhile, one of those other clubs, Nottingham Forest, has also fallen foul of this process and had four points deducted for the same offence as the Toffees.

They, like Everton, appealed the decision and so may well get a reduction in the near future with all sorts of further consequences for them, the Blues and other clubs in the relegation battle.

At the same time Everton are also still to hear whether 777 Partners will finally be able to complete their takeover of the club, held in suspension since last September.

Well of course, there is nothing that manager Sean Dyche or his players can do about any of these situations, they can only concentrate on winning football matches.

Unfortunately, they have not been very good at that for a long time now. And while the point gained at Newcastle United on Tuesday night was welcome, it means it is now thirteen games without a win.

That is a terrible record-breaking run which in any normal circumstances would get the manager sacked, and it has to change on Saturday afternoon.

The last team that the Toffees beat in the Premier League, were tomorrow's opponents Burnley. So it would be an appropriate and long overdue moment to end this barren run.

Talking of barren runs, arguably the most important thing to come out of Tuesday's draw on Tyneside was the fact that Dominic Calvert-Lewin finally ended his dreadful goal drought going back to late October, albeit from the penalty spot.

Calvert-Lewin had come on for Beto who Dyche decided to start with up front at Newcastle as he still continues to stick to his 4-4-1-1 formation, despite the desperate need for goals.

Along with many other Evertonians I have argued that Dyche must change his approach but he continues to rely on his favourite experienced and defensive players as game after game goes by.

Tomorrow he simply has to take more risks because this is a match that Everton must win. The Blues cannot hear the final whistle against Burnley without securing all three points.

Along with Saturday's game the Toffees have a succession of massive must-win home matches down the stretch to the end of the campaign.

I don't hold out much hope though that the manager will be bold enough tomorrow. That is I think a very worrying thing to admit, especially with another points deduction potentially down the road.