Paul Merson thinks he would be "shocked" if Everton ended...

Paul Merson thinks he would be “shocked” if Everton ended the season without winning anything.

A little less than a month ago, Everton appeared certain to escape relegation after regaining some outstanding form.

But when The Toffees were docked ten points and forced back into the relegation zone,

the atmosphere completely shifted.

Even so, Sean Dyche’s team is only two points behind Luton Town and is in danger of climbing out

of the relegation zone once more after winning over Nottingham Forest this past weekend.

Paul Merson has since offered his perspective and emphasized a few “X-Factor” findings.

“If Everton were to be demoted this season, I would be stunned. They performed

well away from home versus Villa and have a lot of X-factor results.

“Everton is a formidable club on their day, and they should be able to remain up because

the three promoted teams are having difficulty in the Premier League.

“Everton is a strange team at home; right now, they’re winning away.

They can give Newcastle some trouble if they can generate opportunities at home.

The fact that Everton is only one victory away from leaving the relegation zone,

even after suffering a significant point deduction, speaks much about how bad the freshly promoted teams have been.

With seven points, Dyche’s team is currently in 18th place, two points behind Luton Town,

who hold the final spot and are safe from relegation. Because of this,

a victory at Goodison Park on Thursday over an injured Newcastle team may be sufficient for

Everton to leave and possibly never look back.

With his team’s most recent performance against Nottingham Forest serving as a strong indicator,

Dyche does appear set to spend Christmas outside of the relegation spots.

The Toffees are simply too excellent to be in the relegation spots,

therefore when the season is over, the deduction won’t matter because a mid-table finish still seems likely at this rate.