Sean Dyche has given his reaction to Everton’s 10-point deduction.
The Premier League imposed its heaviest sporting sanction on the club last week after it was found guilty of breaching Profit and Sustainability rules.
Goodison Park chiefs are set to appeal the ruling, which could carry further implications with several of their ex-relegation rivals considering legal action.
Fans are set to demonstrate against the independent commission’s findings before and during the Blues’ showdown with Manchester United on Sunday.
And while Dyche admits that Everton’s dressing room was shell-shocked by the news, he insists that it does not alter the team’s mission for the season.
He said: “Like everyone in these parts, we’re shocked
“The wave of noise [outside the club] says most people are shocked. The enormity of it. The disproportion of it. So we’re a bit aggrieved.
“But it doesn’t change the focus of sorting things out on the pitch, getting the team to win and the performances to feel different.
“We are along the right lines but this has given us a push backwards. The job hasn’t changed but it makes it more difficult, pending the appeal.
“I’ve always believed the final league table is the truth of the season. I’m not going to change that. I’ve told the lads it changes the viewpoint.
“But it doesn’t change what we’re doing. It enhances what we’re doing. We have to go harder and stronger and longer.
“They are the rules of football.”