Steve Nicol has mentioned the only condition he would be happy to see Everton relegated – and that is depending on the fate of rivals Liverpool.
Nicol spent 13 years playing at Liverpool and despite his association with the red half of Merseyside, he bears no ill will towards the Blues.
The 62-year-old appeared on ESPN [12. September] and was presented with the theory that there was a 40% chance that a club’s league position after three games would be their final position.
This means that Liverpool would win the Premier League title this year and Everton would be relegated to the Championship.
Asked about the occasion the following May, Nicol said: “It’s always hard to get hung up on statistics.
“I certainly wouldn’t want Everton to be relegated, but if that’s the deal – Liverpool win the title and they go down – I’ll take it.”
Everton’s chances of relegation do not want to disappear
Everton seem committed to the Premier League in recent years – no matter how close a club is to relegation, they always manage to find a way to stay up.
The 2022/23 season was about as close as it gets for the Toffees as they relied on Abdoulaye Doucoure’s goal on the final day of the season to retain their Premier League status at the expense of Leeds United and Leicester City.
Sean Dyche is no stranger to the situation the club has found itself in. At this stage last year, the Blues had also lost their first three games but secured a comfortable fifteenth place despite the points deduction.
But there are only so many times a club of Everton’s size can flirt with relegation and this time it looks different with Dyche under huge pressure to get results quickly and a tough game ahead.
Traveling away to Aston Villa with many key players missing, things are not looking good for Everton heading into their Premier League restart and Dyche will need a tactical masterclass to leave Villa Park with all three points or at least a share of change.
Liverpool winning the league title on top of relegation for the Blues is the definition of the worst possible scenario for the Everton faithful. The mere fact that the thoughts were expressed in space will not sit well with an already depleted fan base.