The Blue Room - Everton FC Podcast

Are things finally starting to look up for Everton? They have their second win of pre-season and two players look to be on their way in.

Christian Norgaard and Alistair Johnston both offer relief in areas of the squad which require a lot of love. But are they anything other than stop-gap solutions?

We also talk Jack Grealish’s situation, pre-season press trips and Merlin Rohl making a case to start the season in the XI.

🎤 LIVE EVENT

Let us know if you’ll be attending our live event on August 19 at the Bridewell. Email evertonbyline@gmail.com.

➕ AD-FREE LISTENING

Get exclusive content and all of our podcasts ad-free when you sign up to Blue Room Extra: https://tinyurl.com/yc83x2zh

🤝 NORD VPN DEAL

Get our black Friday exclusive deal: Big savings + 4 months extra: https://nordvpn.com/blueroom

📩 EMAIL

Get in touch with Matt and Paddy for questions, comments and enquires at evertonbyline@gmail.com

📸 LAURA GATES PHOTOGRAPHY

Get a discount when using code ‘TBR25’ at checkout
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Everton lost 8 points. Nottingham Forest lost 4. Chelsea? Not a single point, despite admitting to 74 breaches of FA rules and getting hit by three separate regulators (UEFA, the Premier League, and the FA) over £47m in undisclosed historical payments.

Les and Dave lay out the full timeline of all three cases - Everton's two separate PSR breaches, Forest's £34.5m overspend, and Chelsea's Abramovich-era disclosure scandal - and compare them point by point: what the breach actually was, who discovered it, who was punished for it, and what sanction followed.

Are these cases really comparable? Have Chelsea been treated more leniently than the clubs who lost points? We go through the arguments on both sides before giving our verdict.

Let us know your thoughts.

A breakdown of each club’s breaches:

Everton
• Case 1: 2021/22 period. Loss £124.5m vs £105m limit (breach ~£19.5m). Charged Mar 2023.
• Sanction 1: 10-point deduction (Nov 2023) → reduced to 6 points on appeal (Feb 2024).
• Case 2: 2022/23 period. Breach of £16.6m. Charged Jan 2024.
• Sanction 2: 2-point deduction (Apr 2024).
• Total: 8 points deducted, in-season, same campaign.
Nottingham Forest
• Case: 2022/23 period. Threshold £61m (reduced for Championship seasons). Breach of £34.5m. Charged Jan 2024.
• Sanction: 6 points initial → reduced to 4-point deduction for early admission/cooperation.
• Appeal: Rejected — 4 points stood.
Chelsea
• UEFA (2023): €10m (£8.6m) fine — incomplete financial reporting.
• Premier League (Mar 2026): £10.75m fine + immediate 9-month academy transfer ban + 1-year first-team transfer ban suspended 2 years. PL found payments, even if disclosed, would not have breached PSR.
• FA (Jul 2026): 74 admitted breaches (undisclosed agent/third-party payments, £47m, 2011–2018). £10m fine (halved from £20m for self-reporting). Original 6-point suspended deduction overturned on appeal, replaced with suspended two-window transfer ban.
• Total: £0 points deducted. All penalties financial or suspended. Breaches self-reported by current owners about previous (Abramovich) regime.

Want a little more from us? Try The Blue Room Extra for more than 20 hours extra content a month: www.patreon.com/theblueroomextra
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dave looks back on Everton's 1-2 win away to Hamburg and answers your questions.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

LISTEN IN FULL: https://tinyurl.com/5h2mmpx4

Matt is joined by Connor and Adam to talk through the Everton malaise.

What are the Blues waiting for in the transfer window? Has the chance to seize the initiative gone this summer? And what do we do about Ndiaye's situation?

➕ BLUE ROOM EXTRA

Get exclusive content and all of our podcasts ad-free when you sign up to Blue Room Extra: https://tinyurl.com/yc83x2zh

ANDY JOHNSON AFTERNOON

Full details for the event at the Bridewell: https://x.com/The_Bridewell/status/2081338592798912539?s=20

📩 EMAIL

Get in touch with Matt and Paddy for questions, comments and enquires at evertonbyline@gmail.com

📸 LAURA GATES PHOTOGRAPHY

Get a discount when using code ‘TBR25’ at checkout
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt reacts to Everton's third friendly of the summer against the Potters.

➕ BLUE ROOM EXTRA
Get exclusive content and all of our podcasts ad-free when you sign up to Blue Room Extra: https://tinyurl.com/yc83x2zh

ANDY JOHNSON AFTERNOON
Full details for the event at the Bridewell: https://x.com/The_Bridewell/status/2081338592798912539?s=20

📩 EMAIL
Get in touch with Matt and Paddy for questions, comments and enquires at evertonbyline@gmail.com

📸 LAURA GATES PHOTOGRAPHY
Get a discount when using code ‘TBR25’ at checkout
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices