Evertonians are doing everything they can to avoid thinking about the Championship at the moment.
SkyBet adverts on television are prompting swift channel changes, Don Goodman's co-commentary on Championship games is sending shivers down the spine and even the ongoing second-tier Playoffs are a tough watch with safety not yet secured - it's hard to pick a team to back if you're unsure whether you'll be playing them next season.
Top-flight football for 2022-23 could and should have been boxed off already for Everton. Last week a 0-0 draw with Watford is increasingly looking like a missed opportunity - they were hammered 5-1 by Leicester City at the weekend - while Brentford's 3-2 win at Goodison Park is still tinged with bitterness thanks to more inept officiating.
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Of course, Everton can still book their place at the top table for next season before a potentially nerve-jangling trip to Arsenal on the final day. Although it will not be straightforward on Thursday, with Crystal Palace the visitors to L4.
The Eagles have twice beaten the Blues already this season, 3-1 in the Premier League and 4-0 in the FA Cup. They are safe, in-form - they've won two and drawn two of their last four - and have been reenergised as a vibrant attacking outfit under Patrick Vieira. The Frenchman's inclusion in the recent Manager of the Year shortlist is testament to the job he's done. They are not burdened by the attrition of relegation grind and it shows.
All facets of the club appear to have aligned following the departure of Roy Hodgson last summer, with sporting director Dougie Freedman instilling a clear player development blueprint in south London.
It centres around the academy, which is producing first-team players frequently, and a clear recruitment strategy.
They are both aspects Everton will be seeking to improve themselves, although it is the latter that has stood out for Palace. Not only have they signed young players with the potential to develop, they've explored the Championship market in recent years to great effect too.
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In 2021, Eberechi Eze arrived from Queens Park Rangers and has looked every inch a top-flight footballer. Meanwhile, in the summer they added Marc Guehi from Chelsea - although all of his senior appearances came in the second tier with Swansea City over two loan spells - , Michael Olise from Reading and Will Hughes from Watford.
Eze, Olise and Guehi in particular have the potential to form part of an exciting Palace team going forward. Their acquisitions have shown that despite the obvious jump up in quality between the second and first levels of English football, there are still gems to be mined beneath the Premier League surface.
Former Everton manager David Moyes showcased a fantastic eye for footballers from the second tier during his stint at Goodison, with the likes of Tim Cahill, Joleon Lescott, Lee Carsley and John Stones some of the names acquired by the Scot who easily made the step up. Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines had also played primarily in the Championship before Moyes brought them to Merseyside.
Moyes is still utilising that market to great effect too, with Jarrod Bowen joining the Hammers from Hull City in January 2020 and progressing into one of the most effective wingers in the Premier League. Said Benrahma was also signed from then-Championship Brentford and has become a useful rotation option in the Hammers' push for European places.
But as Everton have embarked on their feckless and frantic spending in recent years, the Championship is a market they have somewhat ignored. Instead of looking at players in the mould of Eze, Olise and Guehi - on an upward trajectory in the early years of their careers - they've typically sought to sign footballers with higher profiles who are trending in a different direction.
For new director of football Kevin Thelwell, refreshing the club's recruitment process is vital and he would be wise to take a look at the lower tier.
Nottingham Forest's Brennan Johnson is an exciting talent who will surely be snapped up should his side fail to earn promotion, while the likes of Hull City's Keane Lewis-Potter, Blackburn Rovers' Ben Brereton-Diaz and Stoke City's Harry Souttar will also have admirers among top flight clubs. Everton should be among them.
Much of the club's transfer planning will only be able to be carried out when it's confirmed what division they'll be playing in next season. After all, if they are relegated the financial pinch will be sharp.
But as much everyone associated with Everton is doing all they can to avoid the Championship, Thursday's opponents - snug in midtable and expecting bigger things in the coming years - have shown it's not a division worth forgetting about entirely, as much as it's all those on the blue half of Merseyside want to do at the moment.
