The Blue Room - Everton FC Podcast

Les joins BBC Radio Merseyside's Phil Munns to discuss the latest news at Everton.
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Matt is joined by Dave and Aaron on a much more upbeat show this week.

We look in detail at the two players potentially coming in - Christian Norgaard and Alistair Johnson. How will they change the way Everton play? And are they more that potential bandaids on big voids in the team?

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

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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

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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
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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.

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Dave looks back on Everton's 1-2 win away to Hamburg and answers your questions.
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