I am not sure the wood for the trees argument really work mate. Nobody here is saying our current form is good. We are playing very poorly. We have also shown we can play very well under Martinez.
We need to improve massively on this seasons form next season. Under Moyes we went from 17th to 4th. An important part of that transformation was Moyes acknowledging where he made mistakes, but also the club letting it be known to the players that they didn't just get a manager sacked when they felt like it. The Club came through it stronger, and we haven't had problems with relegation since that season. Had we have chopped and changed at every opportunity I doubt that would be the case.
If we used to the woods for the trees analogy, I would ay I am firmly aware we are in the woods, but also acknowledging how that situation has arisen, and what the best course of action to get out of it is. That is different from denying it's existence (or the existence of problems facing Martinez).
Great post, well written, and you've tried to counter what I was getting at. But I disagree completely, utterly, totally, and fully. Lets take it from the top.
I wasn't getting at form, our form is perfect, we continue to play poorly - no aberrations, our form is steady, we continue to play in a sub standard way and my point was about 'stubbornness', especially in light of being surrounded by the obvious and then 'phenomenalling' ones way through it.
We played some ok stuff in the EL (unless Wolfsburg had brought shooting on target boots with them) and are ok in that for now. Lets acknowledge a positive. The EL campaign and the majority of how it was managed is a huge positive. Good for us, good for Bobs.
I'm glad you brought Moyes up, means I can continue. I have said previously that Moyes job to start with was easier than the one for Martinez, building a unit to fight and grind and so taking us from relegation faves to mid table safeties is a universe away from taking a regular top 7 side and making the huge step to even a regular top 5 side in the PL. I aint even goin front, the complacency in the support that Moyes built with steady progress built a level of expectation. Thats great for him and us, we slowly pulled ourselves out of the gutter - which is very much where we were.
Sticking with Moyes, and pragmatism (or lack of it) when he came in the side didn't perform in matches how he desired, there is a very famous tale of the senior players (Ferguson, Stubbs, Carsley IIRC (this rememberance needs checking)) where Moyes was having the squad running marathons in training through the week either to punish the previous fixtures failings or to up the fitness to be able to deliver what he wanted - but he wasn't dealing with lower division part time drinkers, he was dealing with PL athletes who although not perfect couldn't handle the marathons and so the senior players went to him and said "look, your kickin our asses in the week and we are hammered by the time the game comes, we all have marathons in our legs and its making the matches even more difficult" - so Moyes took note and reined his punishments in.
He saw the light, or, he saw his error and recognised the wisdom brought to him by players not scared to speak up.
Martinez expecting the players we have to step up to Barcelona levels of skill is beyond reasonable, they did not do it last season, if the players could play like the Barca crew, they'd be playing for Barca! Last season was built on defence solidity and the easy ball into midfield to be moved around usually by Barry. The League got wise and have cut these options down for us, Martinez has struggled for months slowly creeping towards a year to change things significantly. Persisting with his Barca expectation of the players is like the players expecting him to be Alf Ramsey and instill a belief and courage in them as well as making worldy decisions on line ups to make things work. In both cases it is beyond capability.
He needs to see the light, the error and recognise the issue is with his one gear playing policy and how it has been found out.
Leading us deeper into the forest, into the darkness and making the return all the more difficult is going to leave us stranded and at risk of exposure. All the brilliant 6 yard sideways passes in the brief history of time wont save us then. Change it or walk. Dont change it - dont walk - get the boot.
Stubbornness, it aint working. I am glad that we have seen a lot less titting about at the back, but the paralytic fear in midfield is killing the players (especially young ones). Lets see him set our record signing up to his strengths and the rest of the side geared to him - pragmatic, lets give ourselves the best chance we have instead of dying for a philosophy.
His persistance with his failures at Wigan do not have me confident he'll do the required changing. Odd that expecting 'Total Football' from the staff doesn't extend to himself in terms of 'Total Management'.
