Halfway point of the season

[Fresh Prince of Belle Val]

Qualifying for Europe wont be the measuring stick mate. Developing a team and a style of play and addressing defensive frailities will be the task of the second half of the season.

No question 60 pts plus this good cup run is more than enough.

We aren't a club that changes managers like socks.

I agree the qualification for Europe isn't the key. But another poor season with such a talented squad and I don't feel we can give Martinez much more time. The defensive issues is just too much of a major issue for me right now. We just aren't learning from it.

 

[formerly manx toffee]

I want European football year in, year out through the league and a trophy at some point.

It is not surprising that a trophy is more likely under Martinez than Moyes as on its day his team can play anyone off the park and win handsomely.

It is equally not surprising that the boring to some percentage game of Moyes gets you into Europe more often. Lots on 1-0 on the break, lots of parking the bus for 70 mins if we happened to score early. But not many losses.

I do not want to be Kevin Keegan's Newcastle. I want to be the Everton team that can find the happy ground between the two styles above.

At this point I would take Moyes' approach, but then I have never been a Bobby acolyte.

 

[ToffeeTim]

Far too many agendas at play in this forum. Too many extreme opinions one way or the other. It's perfectly understandable to have doubts regarding the manager, it's hardly a conspiracy. I'm extremely conflicted myself because I don't want to sack a manager who brings this kind of scoring form, but I equally am never going to tolerate conceding 7 at home to leicester and stoke because I support Everton fs.

 

[nsno-chris]

At the half way point of the season we have conceeded 19 goals at home

Let that sink in for a minute

 

[welshtoffee]

Playing like a good quality team going forward but totally abysmal defending. Sorting the obvious goalkeeper problem out will definitely help (Martinez seems to be the only one on the planet who does not think we have a goalkeeper problem). Until Martinez sees we have defensive issues we really are going to struggle

 

[Elong]

Can you put this into a pie chart please Dave.

 

[Stan Lee Park]

No new owner attracted in for the tv cash is going to say: "I know, let's chance that other manager and see if he get's us into the stamina sapping EL next season to totally screw up that season's chance of staying in the PL".

Not happening.

BTW, the bit about betting was underhand and sly...I loved it.

No, the new owner is likely to say "Let's keep the manager who has taken us to the bottom half of the league and can't win games, despite having talented young players all over the pitch". That should encourage even more investment in the manager'stalents.

 

[davek]

Can you put this into a pie chart please Dave.

Graph for now. If there's a lot of requests for a pie chart I will supply one at a later date.

Thanks.

 

[nsno-chris]

Pie charts don't lie

 

[nsno-chris]

All our data has been analysed by Titan. Its predictions are grim:

 

[kenada_blue]

At the half way point of the season we have conceeded 19 goals at home

Let that sink in for a minute

Villa havent conceded that many at home.

We've conceded more goals at home that any side in the premiership I believe.

 

[Jayhow15]

Maybe this thread could be used for any thoughts people have on performance and expectations (what's gone on/how we've performed in the first half of the season and how it matches/surpasses/falls short of their expectations) and what can be expected in the second half of the season?

I'll kick it off in terms of a look at where we've been before at previous season halfway points (last decade) and where we eventually ended up.

Halfway position and points (and in brackets end of season position and points):

2015/16 10th 26pts (................)
2014/15 12th 21pts (11th 47pts)
2013/14 4th 37pts (5th 72pts) EL Qualification
2012/13 6th 33pts (6th 63pts)
2011/12 11th 24pts (7th 56pts)
2010/11 11th 22pts (7th 54pts)
2009/10 11th 22pts (8th 61pts)
2008/09 6th 29pts (5th 63pts) EL Qualification
2007/08 6th 33pts (5th 65pts) EL Qualification
2006/07 8th 27pts (6th 58pts) EL Qualification

This season so far fits in pretty much with the average of the decade at halfway mark in terms of position and points at the turn.

We're obviously playing great attacking football and Keystone Cops defensive football. It'd be nice to think January would bring movement. We need a decent second striker to slot in when the inevitable Lukaku injury comes along and a GK of any note to take over from Howard - although the latter looks unrealistic.

I'm standing by my 60+ point finish and good cup runs as the benchmark of a good season. We'll get them and it'll be a very decent marker down by a developing young team.

Not feeling 60+ points but agreed that the football going forward is great - shame we're so tactically inept and cant defend ! Tighten up a bit and play a bit more sensibly when in a winning position and there's no reason we wont have a respectable final placing.

 

[mini-Blues x 2]

Best young centre half in the league....best full backs in the league. Coleman- Baines. Jags be back soon....fingers crossed and praying.

 

[The Equaliser]

Halfway point of the season and our home record is P 10 W 3 D 3 L 4 Pts 12 = not good enough.

 

[Zatara]

Well, its quite hard to comment on the halfway point points wise as weve had really bad luck and weve also had key injuries aa well as errors from young players...

What i will say is this:

GK -- Howard has to go now. He shouldnt be kept past january, it cant get much worse.

CM --We have 3 defensive midfielders in McCarthy, Besic and Barry yet have no dominant central midfielder. You could argue that Cleverley is a centre midfielder but him and Barkley are not box-box players which you need one of in a midfield 3 or a deep playmaker.

LW -- Whatever is going on with selecting Kone when fit in an unusual system is becoming baffling. He mustnt trust Mirallas or anyone else there though.

When 30% of your outfield eleven is poor then you have a problem.

I'm sticking with the rebuilding process and i think this is a season too early for us. If we can keep the "young stars" and add 3 players into the first eleven whilst also improving the squad then next season would be the one where i would expect top 6 with a real go at top 4.

In two seasons time with added experience i would expect us to be hitting top 4 under Martinez.

This season anything 8th or above is good for me.