Sean Dyche reveals what Everton players said on points deduction in squad meeting

Sean Dyche said he is refusing to “cry it in” as he attempts to rally his players to respond to the 10-point deduction that has plunged Everton into the relegation zone.

The Blues boss said there was a clarity of belief at Finch Farm that the coaching team and squad should ignore the controversy around the sanction and focus on winning back the lost points.

He is eager for those around him to avoid pinning their hopes on the penalty being reduced through an appeal and focus on the new reality of their situation. After the defeat at home to Manchester United on Sunday, that is with the club second from bottom and five points from safety after Luton Town beat Crystal Palace on Saturday.

VERDICT: What happened after final whistle gives Everton hope in points deduction fightback

Erik ten Hag makes 'really sad' Everton point after Man United win at Goodison

Speaking after a 3-0 loss on a night of fan protest against the severity of the punishment handed to Everton, Dyche was asked whether his messaging to the players had changed now that the club had lost what had been an eight-point cushion to the bottom three.

He responded: “The messaging is look, we can cry it in, we can moan about it, we can say it is unjust and all the rest, which I think we all think it is and I think the whole of football, by the response, thinks it is. But the facts are the facts. It is currently there so let’s get on with it.

"I’m not one for crying it in, it is done until the appeal. Let us see what happens with that but the only thing we can guarantee is what is happening in this moment and what we can do about it, so we have got to take on the challenge as it comes.”

A busy December now awaits Everton, with an eight game schedule that includes