These are worrying times for Everton and their long-suffering supporters.
It shouldn't be that way, not with the move to the club's magnificent new stadium on the banks of the Mersey growing closer.
But it's difficult to look too far ahead given the team are embroiled in another desperate fight for Premier League survival on the pitch - and given issues off the pitch, including an alleged breach of Premier League profit and sustainability rules, which the club strongly denies.
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And it's against that backdrop that our Everton FC reporter Chris Beesley sat down to answer your burning questions on the Blues. You can see every question he answered by clicking HERE.
But below are some of the highlights...
Chesh79: How many points do we need to stay up? Three wins and two draws? And is Dominic Calvert-Lewin fit enough to play a part in the run-in?
CB: I wouldn't like to put an actual figure on it but think it will be less than that. It's disgusting that Everton are even in this situation. Surely no football club has ever spent so much to become so bad. I said from before he was appointed that Sean Dyche was the best man for the Blues, both this season and next, regardless of what division they're in - and I stand by that. However, despite an upturn in fortunes since his arrival, the team remain on course for an even lower points haul than last season, which was the joint-lowest equivalent total in their entire history. The one saving grace might be that there are somehow three teams even worse than themselves.
On Calvert-Lewin, he was certainly fit enough to get 70 minutes under his belt yesterday in a behind closed doors training match against Chester at Finch Farm but ultimately it's up to Sean Dyche to decide whether that makes him fit enough to feature in Premier League matches throughout the run-in - starting of course with Saturday's trip to Crystal Palace. After the 3-1 defeat to Fulham, Dyche said: “He’ll be back hopefully in the thinking this week as long as the week goes well." But he seems something of a stickler for players' fitness so let's see. For me we're getting to the point now though that perhaps it's just worth chucking him in because the alternative is that he just doesn't play at all but there will be plenty of qualified people at Finch Farm taking a far more scientific approach I'm sure.
rooy: Can you comment on the potential impact of relegation on the investment and financing of our new ground? I am concerned that there is a huge risk to the club that could impact its future for a long, long time.
Chris Beesley (CB): I'm not ducking this one but our business of football writer Dave Powell would be better-placed than myself to answer your question. I'll try though and what I will say is that the club have been adamant for over a year now that the completion of the new stadium will go ahead, even if the worst comes to the worst and Everton are relegated. Let's be honest, given how close the Premier League table is at the bottom, that remains a distinct possibility. It was a question put to them last season when they also faced the threat of the drop, a few of us have put it to them on more than one occasion but they insist the stadium will continue. I think we're all concerned though because this is a once in a lifetime moment that Evertonians should be savouring but none of us who have the club's best interests at heart are even able to enjoy it because of all the uncertainty, and people who know much more than me about accountancy have said that those latest set of the financial figures don't look rosy if the team were to go down.
bluelister: The independent commission presumably will have given some approximate time scale to EFC and the Premier League to ensure scheduling for all parties concerned. But currently nobody seems to know if the commission will make its preliminary decision this season, during the break or next season. Surely the club knows whether any rulings could affect us this season? Given that the Premier League were content to make a public announcement about the referral, do you agree that the Premier League also has a duty of care to our fans in managing expectations? And in that vein will the ECHO contact the Premier League for some update?
CB: That's a very good question but we haven't been given any on the record guidance over the timescale. A national publication ran an article claiming that the Premier League were confident it would be done before the end of this season but as you point out yourself, I understand that the independent commission the case has been referred to will determine the timeframe as part of the judicial process - not the Premier League.
bluebob13: Why hasn’t Sean Dyche signed a free agent striker after the transfer deadline ended in January 2023. There are hundreds of free agents and possibly very good strikers out of work that may have assisted us in getting the goals we needed.
CB: I'm not sure about the free agents. Seems like desperation stakes to me, I'm doubtful whether there was anyone out there good enough to make an impact. I'm far more annoyed by the fact that Everton were the only club in the relegation mix who didn't strengthen their squad in the January transfer window - despite selling Anthony Gordon for £45million - as it was painfully obvious that they needed more firepower.
Clashman13: Why does Tom Davies get ahead of Stanley Mills, who has done pretty well when he’s started or played for the first team? Doesn’t Sean Dyche fancy using him? Doesn’t he rate him or does he think it’s the wrong time to?
CB: What I would say is that they're two rather different types of midfielders so the pair aren't exactly like-for-like but like you, I think that Stanley Mills might be worth a look at. I often speak to Michael Ball when he's doing his column for the ECHO and he's been championing Mills' cause for a while now. I got a chance to see him up close myself on Sunday when covering the mini derby at Southport and he took his goal wonderfully - on his weaker foot too. Everton's first team are so chronically short of goals you'd think anyone who can sniff out a chance would be worth a punt and Mills fits the bill in that respect. Sean Dyche seems to want players he can trust and while it's too soon to say whether Mills is Premier League class, he looked head and shoulders above the rest of the U21 players when I saw him.
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