Everton have six games left to preserve their Premier League status. A constant fixture of top flight English football since 1954, the past two campaigns have been major struggles for the club as the off-field issues were reflected on the pitch.
Last season the club managed to maintain their unbroken streak, which now stands at 69 years, but to tick over into a 70th year is far less than certain as Everton gear up for one of the most important periods in their history over the coming weeks.
The stakes have always been high when it comes to dropping through the Premier League trap door into the Championship. But as the wealth of the top flight has grown exponentially in recent years through bumper broadcast deals struck domestically and internationally, so too has the reliance of clubs on that income to continue to maintain their business models and invest in the kind of players required to be a competitive force in the most watched league on Earth.
