Having now read the written reasons I am torn.
I personally have never thought that PSR rules are appropriate nor should Chelsea have ever voted to support the concept or let alone any detail but the simple fact is that none of us supporters be it a Evertonian or in my case a Chelsea supporter have a say in the rules and regulations and the Regulator won’t change much on that score.
We the supporters always the ones that end up investing far more than we can afford and that’s not just in terms of £s but football drains us emotionally meanwhile these wealthy individuals who just ship up may loose a chunk of their wedge but the reality is they rarely are hurt in the way we are when matters get out of control.
Prior to FFP &PSR I had little to no interest in a clubs balance sheet, I doubt many save Arsenal supporters did, and whilst Abromavich elevated Chelsea by his massive financial input the fact it was at the expense of Utd, Liverpool and above all Arsenal meant that those three powerful players had to do everything they could to restore the status quo but above all everything had to be done to stop anyone else joining the party.
I have had a cursory look at the written reasons and have to say that what strikes me is that the two ICs are very close in terms of their take on matters . Clearly little to no progress was achieved in terms of convincing panel members that there were mitigating factors of note and other than getting the appeal panel to factor in the EFL approach to sanctions ( not procedural matters ) that may well be a precedent for the second charge and indeed the Forest charge but there is absolutely no guarantee on that score.
Turning to the second charge it really does revolve around by how much the numbers are over. The fact that a charge has been made suggests clearly that the downward trend has been reversed. Just looking at some basic numbers and facts I would suggest that paying any fees in 22/23 won’t go down well in terms or mitigation and the fact that the Richarlinson transfer was accelerated to ensure it was reflected in the 21/22 accounting year suggests that the £67 million player trading profit will be significantly down add to that the fact the significant additional costs of borrowing has increased means those loans that are outside of stadium financing will be costing a chunk more.
In terms of double jeopardy it’s a valid point but including 21/22 and average of 19/20+20/21 may well be advantageous (£65 million in P&S losses ) as opposed to just 22/23 in isolation of no more than a £35 million P&S loss over one year.
I was slightly surprised when the IC mentioned the mitigation in the Sheffield Wednesday case where the12 point sanction was reduced to 6. I am not sure the situation is quite the same but bearing in mind the Johnson transfer it’s possible that they will ( if their panel are of a like mind ) and without knowing the numbers Forest were over significantly reduce whatever sanction is arrived at
Having said all that I just can’t subscribe to the notion that Everton did anything that shouldn’t be allowed.