Halfway point of the season

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I'd give it a 5 or a 6, probably because we've got a decent chance at a cup. He's resolved the issue of us not creating chances and slow tempo, indeed we are incredibly exciting to watch going forward. He now however needs to solve the keeper and defensive solidity issues.
While we've been quite unlucky the results haven't been and aren't good enough...
 

We've learned absolutely [Poor language removed] all with defending this season over last. In fact, we are even WORSE than last season. If this is a 'ok, let me get one thing right a season', then we are screwed. Because midfield constantly feels like we are overrun, defense is basically non-existent and our keeper is the epitomy of a joke.

Dont want him out but I said this last year at almost the same time, if he is either unwilling or unable to see that a change is needed than questions ought to be asked.
 
i'd happily take a huth, shawcross or even a dann just because they are all solid defenders who will do a decent job most weeks

they may not have the fancy names like ramos or boateng or hummels etc but they are still good options even if they don't play at top clubs
 

This is scraping a par so far. 9 points off top four, four points off top six. Even if the second half of the season goes well, we'll be regretting the stupid dropped points of the first half. There's room for improvement, but precious little room for us not to tighten up when we're in front and make sure of 3 points. The past month and a bit have been poor from that perspective. Manager can't let it go on too much longer. While we're naturally looking up the table to climb, we are only six points above 16th place too.
 
Players ratings 8+: Lukaku Geri
Players raitings 5-: Howard Kone Naismith
Players ratings 6-8: The rest
Manager Rating: 4 (Attacking 8 Defense 0)

The season had promised so much but has being very disappointing. Attacking wise we are doing very well and this is mainly down to Lukaku and Geri( Probably have saved his job). I believe that our biggest problem attack wise is that we take one to many passes on many occasions. Also everything we seem to do is down the middle or right hand side.

Defensively we are a mess. This responsibility stops with the manager. Since he has been manager he has only signed 2 senior central defenders and not one full back and turned a good solid back 5 into a mess(Alcarez and Mori). He has neglected the defense IMO. Defending set pieces is a joke. Howard is now a liability. He is not commanding his area and his lack of confidence is affecting the rest of the defense IMO. Other teams have sussed this out and know that if they get crosses and balls into the box there is a good chance they will score.

I am not for sacking Martinez now. But I want to see a major improvement not just talk that he is quite good at. This can be done through coaching or change of tactics.

January transfer window is nearly open and I do believe he needs to sign a Top Goalkeeper and experienced central defender. These do not need to be big money transfers but smart ones or loans. We also need more options for down the left.
 
pink toffees said:
Players ratings 8+: Lukaku Geri
Players raitings 5-: Howard Kone Naismith
Players ratings 6-8: The rest
Manager Rating: 4 (Attacking 8 Defense 0)

The season had promised so much but has being very disappointing. Attacking wise we are doing very well and this is mainly down to Lukaku and Geri( Probably have saved his job). I believe that our biggest problem attack wise is that we take one to many passes on many occasions. Also everything we seem to do is down the middle or right hand side.

Defensively we are a mess. This responsibility stops with the manager. Since he has been manager he has only signed 2 senior central defenders and not one full back and turned a good solid back 5 into a mess(Alcarez and Mori). He has neglected the defense IMO. Defending set pieces is a joke. Howard is now a liability. He is not commanding his area and his lack of confidence is affecting the rest of the defense IMO. Other teams have sussed this out and know that if they get crosses and balls into the box there is a good chance they will score.

I am not for sacking Martinez now. But I want to see a major improvement not just talk that he is quite good at. This can be done through coaching or change of tactics.

January transfer window is nearly open and I do believe he needs to sign a Top Goalkeeper and experienced central defender. These do not need to be big money transfers but smart ones or loans. We also need more options for down the left.
Click to expand...

It wouldn't help...u can bring top class goalie or centre back, they will rot the same way...coz all defensive lines operate as a unit and play the system...no creativity should be allowed in this space..
Since last year we have been witnessing the agonizing degradation of one of the top defensive lines in the league...
 
Martinez could have the Arsenal back four of the 90's, Adams, Bould, Dixon and Winterburn, with Seaman behind them. He'd have them shipping goals in no time. It's not the personnel, it's the tactics. We can't even do the basics of getting goal side of forwards. I enjoy the way we're playing out from the back, on the ball we look comfortable, but our lack of concentration off the ball is appalling. If was Lukaku at the moment, I'd be falling out big time with several team mates, he's doing his bit and more, yet the rest of the team seem intent on throwing all the good work down the drain, which the manager must take the major share of responsibility for.
 

At 2-1 down yesterday, go forward at will and if you concede, you concede, at least you're trying. At 3-2 up it's time to shut up shop, but we wwre still woefully open at the back. That's the frustration.

The way we attack we are more than capable of winning 5/6/7 games on the bounce, but please tighten that back 4 up
 
Not sure why people think things will improve in the 2nd half of the season. We've been poor defensively since the start of last season and he hasn't rectified it.

We are soft defensively with a weak keeper that should have been dropped in the summer. This is the fault of the manager without exception and he has to rectify it.

There is no excuse for not buying a new keeper as soon as possible in January, but as usual we will likely wait until the last day of Jan before acting, risking a cup run and further league damage.

I love Bobby for the football he produces, but any manager would be able to play attacking football with our 11 as it is that good. But credit to him for the signings he has made to get this group together.

This season is pivotal, a cup win would be huge for us fans, but will not keep big names at the club IMO. They want Champions League football and if we don't look like we can get it they will be off.
 
Nobody knows what are best starting 11 is, nobody. We have little idea how the team will perform from one game to the next.
We have threats counterbalanced by glaring weaknesses that opponents exploit regularly, yet we have no plan B at the time or in the next game.

We will hammer someone 5 or 6 nil soon and Martinez will feel vindicated, then we will get beat by Villa the next week. No one knows. Not a good place to be at all at the half way point, just waiting for the wind to blow us in one direction or the other.

Cohesion and purpose is what we need and to stop the mistake we've made down the years of playing good players on the basis of history not form or ability, Howard is prime example of that.
 
I hope it does not happen of course, but if we are dumped out of the cup by City as expected and still mid table, then I predict a lot will turn on the manager.

Everybody said that the run of games from Villa onwards was what we were all looking forward to after an apparent wretched fixture list early in the season.

Well, all we have actually done in that run of games is beat 3 of the worst sides in the league, Villa, Sunderland and Newcastle and blown the rest of those games. It really does not make for good reading!
 
We are playing far better than last year but still committing defensive errors. I was for Martinez to be sacked last year but as of today I really don't know. He has developed a lot of young players and we play exciting attacking football. After all we have only won the FA cup in 28 years. So for now I think we should give him more time. Our greatest manager took a few years to win the cup and league and this team is the closest to what we had in the 80s
 

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