The End of Season Martinez Poll

[davek]

More to playing budgets than Net Spend. There wont be many Club's outside of the Premiership bar the few giants that have bigger wage bills over the next few years, but then you knew that already.

I think you may be reading too much in to what Martinez said and his thoughts behind it. He's never been a manager to concentrate on defence, he's more likely thinking that if we go a goal up we should just retain possession for the rest of the game as you can't concede when you have the ball.

I honestly didn't see any evidence that he addressed the fitness issue last season, and even by season's end players like Barkley in particular were still carrying too much weight around their core.

I think we had the worst record of any team where individual howlers in defence are concerned. A lot of the difference between last season's solidity and this season's profligacy has been down to that...not all of it, but a fair chunk of the goals conceded.

 

[Carlito]

Gutted I didn't manage to finish in the top eleven of davek's table of losers.

What a phenomenal achievement that would have been.

 

[COYBL25]

The ones who voted "stay til Xmas" are basically saying he's on his last chance, which is more leaning towards "out" than "in" as it stands

Spot on.

 

[Little Ralphy]

I think we had the worst record of any team where individual howlers in defence are concerned. A lot of the difference between last season's solidity and this season's profligacy has been down to that...not all of it, but a fair chunk of the goals conceded.

If you encourage your defenders to play out from the back when the team as a whole is not comfortable with that, then you will naturally get a lot of mistakes. The more chances you take the more likely something will go wrong. It's like at Wigan when he had Caldwell playing out from the back, he doesn't play to the strengths of the players at his disposal and seemingly doesn't change the players to suit his style either.

I also blame fitness for mistakes, as everyone knows when you're not fit enough you'll make technical errors that you wouldn't normally.

 

[Little Ralphy]

We play better with teams coming on to us. Now we have to find a way to deal with opponents who dont and find a bit of space to exploit them - and Martinez is in the process of identifying a playmaker for that.

One player won't make the difference though. You need a real top drawer player to be able to unlock the tightest of defences, and even he'll need the right players around him.

Part of the issue is that he doesn't utilise width to break sides down, instead we use the width to advance the team up the pitch and then move the ball centrally and try to force our way through the middle of a tight defence. It's frustrating watching them make the same mistakes over and over and it not be addressed.

 

[paulbefc]

So if he's still crap in 6 months time, those people will want him gone. The people who voted to stay til the end of the season or to see out his contract are more or less saying we could be in the relegation zone in December and he should still keep his job

I said until at least Christmas and I fully expect him to be here in 12 months time because I believe he'll have us, at the very least, top half by January.

If we're bottom half by new year and out of the League Cup, then I'm 90% sure I won't have any patience left. I don't expect that to happen for a second though. I've been patient this year because I believe this season was a bit exceptional in some respects and the circumstances are extremely unlikely repeat themselves.

I'm still very much Martinez in and am miles from Martinez out. I've been saying the same thing since January.

 

[catcherintherye]

My position has remained unmoved since January of this year. Even during our mini revival and subsequently through our final two home defeats of the season. Only really winning the Europa league would have shifted me (and indeed I suspect a majority of fans). He should be given until Christmas next year.

Whether we finished 8th or say 16th it has been a poor season league wise. With any new manager there will be a point whereby the honeymoon period wears off and they start to be "found out". If you want to sack every manager who goes through a poor season, you will become a merry go round like Newcastle. Stability for a club like Everton is important.

Martinez now has the time and space to go away, mull over what has happened and what went wrong and look to make changes to right that wrong next season. He can then be judged at Christmas.

This is not to say though, that I am awaiting for Christmas to come to sack him. But it is a time frame that I'd like to see some of the changes implemented.

 

[catcherintherye]

I love the way that Kopite mess Kristian Walsh (he of Crystanbul infamy) starts telling Martinez where he's gone wrong after a net spend of £17M in two seasons, but gives a free pass to that no mark over at Anfield for coming up empty handed for three seasons after spending £250M.

To be fair though, it is quite a balanced article. Getting the best out of Barkley from a number 8 position is very important, as is finding a centre half.

I think the % of fans who want certain players to leave is interesting too. Atsu, Kone, Alcaraz, Distin people want shut of, and also Hibbert and Barry but to a lesser degree.

 

[davek]

One player won't make the difference though. You need a real top drawer player to be able to unlock the tightest of defences, and even he'll need the right players around him.

Part of the issue is that he doesn't utilise width to break sides down, instead we use the width to advance the team up the pitch and then move the ball centrally and try to force our way through the middle of a tight defence. It's frustrating watching them make the same mistakes over and over and it not be addressed.

He tried McGeady - people whinged. Lennon does a good job of giving us width by tracking back and allowing Coleman to get forward with runs. We missed that against Spurs.

let's face it: he cant win whatever he does for some people.

 

[davek]

To be fair though, it is quite a balanced article. Getting the best out of Barkley from a number 8 position is very important, as is finding a centre half.

I think the % of fans who want certain players to leave is interesting too. Atsu, Kone, Alcaraz, Distin people want shut of, and also Hibbert and Barry but to a lesser degree.

It's not great insight though is it? And everything said about what's going on at Everton from a supporter of a man who's presided over an absolute footballing and financial disaster should be written in parentheses.

 

[MikeH72]

We play better with teams coming on to us. Now we have to find a way to deal with opponents who dont and find a bit of space to exploit them - and Martinez is in the process of identifying a playmaker for that.

Spurs came onto us and played us off the park

 

[Little Ralphy]

He tried McGeady - people whinged. Lennon does a good job of giving us width by tracking back and allowing Coleman to get forward with runs. We missed that against Spurs.

let's face it: he cant win whatever he does for some people.

But as I said when we get in the wide areas with the likes of McGeady and Lennon, we just use it to hold the ball up, let the midfield advance up the pitch and then play it back to the middle and try to force our way through the centre.

It's very rare we get wide quickly and put a good ball in to the box for Lukaku to attack. it's almost like they're told not to do this it's so rare.

 

[davek]

Spurs came onto us and played us off the park

So that makes Spurs better than Wolfsburg and United then and thus proving your point...rather than it being a throwaway observation regarding a last game of the season 'not even arsed' match.

 

[davek]

But as I said when we get in the wide areas with the likes of McGeady and Lennon, we just use it to hold the ball up, let the midfield advance up the pitch and then play it back to the middle and try to force our way through the centre.

It's very rare we get wide quickly and put a good ball in to the box for Lukaku to attack. it's almost like they're told not to do this it's so rare.

I take your point, it is maddening. Unless it's a clear break when we have equal/more players than the back-peddling opposition, Martinez will want his wide men to check back and wait for support. He likes those percentages in our favour.

Deulofeu was a law unto himself in that respect. Despite RM's fulsome praise of the lad, I think he's atypical of the type of wide man he wants.

 

[catcherintherye]

It's not great insight though is it? And everything said about what's going on at Everton from a supporter of a man who's presided over an absolute footballing and financial disaster should be written in parentheses.

Oh no it's a very straightforward piece, but it does move us beyond the usual "stop the tippy tappy" sort of narrative, for which I give him some credit. It's a sad state of affairs that moving beyond that puts you in the top 50 percentile of journalists.

I suppose I divorce his views on Rodgers as I'm not that interested. I have long since thought Kopites are illogical creatures, basing their findings on spirituality and tradition so I wouldn't take any notice.

Of course we could have a more complex analysis of what's going wrong. I am nervous of this though as we end up going into much too much detail and potentially throwing the baby out with the bath water. In depth analysis can end up becoming a parody of itself.

Essentially the key points this season that need to be improved;
1) Get a dominant centre half to attack crosses (got better since Jagielka form has improved)
2) Get the best out of Barkley
3) Play to Lukaku's strengths

It doesn't go much further than that for me. If we do the above 3 things we'll finish in the top 8 again.