Everton voices need to be heard in battle against Premier League points deduction

Everton are still fighting on multiple fronts and this is important to remember during a January of intrigue. One day, hopefully soon, I will be able to write that with visions of multiple charges towards silverware ongoing as Everton enter the second half of a season with long-held dreams starting to become reality.

But for the moment I mean that, on top of the Premier League battle for survival and, yes, the FA Cup, the Blues have challenges off the pitch that need to remain at the forefront of minds.

The biggest is visible every time you stare at the league table and see the distortion of a team with eight wins having fewer than 20 points. It will also be visible in L4 on Sunday morning during a pre-Aston Villa event that holds importance.

A few hours before kick-off (10.30am to be precise), regional mayors Steve Rotheram and Andy Burnham will be speaking at Arnot St Mary Primary School for an Everton Fan Advisory Board event. There is much for them to talk about and the attempted takeover of the club by 777 Partners and the American organisation's plans for Everton are issues that still require serious exploration. But the main topic of conversation this weekend will be the points deduction that has left the Blues in a far more precarious position this month than the players and supporters deserve.

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Both politicians have been central to the fightback against the unprecedented 10-point penalty handed to Everton for breaching Premier League spending rules and remain keen to continue their protest. Their words will be a public, supporter-centred display of what