After a week which saw Everton handed the harshest sentence for their breach of financial rules by a Premier League that looked keen to show strength and the ability to self-regulate, its clubs responded in kind.
It was generally accepted, prior to the Premier League shareholder vote on a temporary ban on incoming loan deals between clubs with the same owners, that the motion would be passed.
Instead, it fell short of the necessary 14 votes to pass thanks to eight rebel clubs keen to maintain the status quo.
Of the clubs in question - Chelsea, Man City, Newcastle, Everton, Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United, Wolves, and Burnley - only Wolves stand alone with no clear vested interest; no potential talent-sharing deal in the offing, or new ownership looking to add another club to its stable.