Given what is happening on and off the pitch, Everton rightly feel as if they are the target of this campaign.
The ten-point deduction, which has shocked the football world, has led to mass protests and fury directed against the Premier League.
They are now seen as the enemy, more so than any tribal club rivalry, and real hatred has flared up in the wake of such a landmark ruling.
This frustration extends beyond last month’s financial penalty, however, as several judicial decisions have been handed down against them in recent weeks.
The overturned penalties and often overlooked innocent fouls in the middle of the park came to a head yesterday, as VAR overturned a perfectly good goal for the Toffees because of a foul in the build-up.
Andre Gomes was the alleged perpetrator as his pressure caused Emerson Royal to collapse, but the referees bowed to the will of Tottenham Hotspur, further highlighting the demise of the once combative contact sport.
Speaking to Match of the Day, Alan Shearer said: ‘The referee didn’t think so and the assistant didn’t think so (that it was a foul), so I completely understand what Sean (Dyche) is saying.
“Yeah, it’s probably a foul. But is it absolutely a foul? He (the on-field referee) didn’t think it was a foul. I understand Sean’s point of view and I get it.
Should Everton’s goal against Tottenham Hotspur have been overturned?
In the debate, which is likely to continue until the next refereeing dispute, there will be many opinions on the fairness and reliability of the VAR system.
After all, its use yesterday seemed somewhat unnecessary, as the decision of the referee and the linesman on the pitch seemed unanimous.
They all saw the same moment and came to the same conclusion. So why change it?
Gomes’ foot did indeed touch Royal’s, and as Shearer notes, it was probably a foul, albeit a very mild one. There was contact, but some common sense needs to be applied.
The contact was hardly forceful or aggressive, and probably not even enough to make the Brazilian collapse to the ground in the way he did.
It seems cruel to let something so small and insignificant mar Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s masterful goal.
If this is the way modern football is played, fans will soon experience a clinical game in which no one will go near their opponent for fear of being penalised for the slightest inconvenience.