A worry for me is to have the top scorer in the league and still be in the bottom half a point lost on martinez
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It is way better than last season.
In the corresponding fixture last season, I sat bored out of my skull watching Stoke beat us 1-0.
Yesterday we witnessed the same team beat us by the same odd goal but it was a world away from the turgid offerings of last December.
If we must lose then much better to lose an exciting game like yesterday than the borefest that was Boxing Day 2014.
Rome was not built in a day.
The received wisdom heretofore is that great teams are built from the back.
Bobby is doing it differently.
He is building from the front.
We are going to take off good style in the second half of the season
A loss is a loss mate.It is way better than last season.
In the corresponding fixture last season, I sat bored out of my skull watching Stoke beat us 1-0.
Yesterday we witnessed the same team beat us by the same odd goal but it was a world away from the turgid offerings of last December.
If we must lose then much better to lose an exciting game like yesterday than the borefest that was Boxing Day 2014.
Rome was not built in a day.
The received wisdom heretofore is that great teams are built from the back.
Bobby is doing it differently.
He is building from the front.
We are going to take off good style in the second half of the season
We finished 11th last season and are 11th now he is taking us backwards.
The attacking play is better but the defending is worse,the manager just can't get a balance and do it for 90 minutes.
orly
Please check with me for Blammo criteria
The received wisdom heretofore is that great teams are built from the back.
Bobby is doing it differently.
He is building from the front.
We are going to take off good style in the second half of the season
So the totally opposite approach to Wenger, Ferguson, Mourinho, even Kendall etc.
How's it working out for him?
What I find most frustrating in everything is that we havent been soundly beaten in any game, except UTD at home, which I think can be put to one side.
Were vastly superior than most team's we have played this year in each game. Our problem is gifting teams goals.
Take all four goals yesterday; four individual errors. Stones , Barry, Galloway & Howard all were at fault for a goal.
What annoys me most is that teams arent 'earning' there goals against us; they are being gifted them.
Stoke were [Poor language removed] yesterday; Leicester and Palace were the weeks before. But we have gifted the teams opportunities and goals. We battered all three teams; created chances/tested goalies/hit the woodwork, but each time we have come away with nothing.
Its very difficult to judge as the fact remains we are playing some teams off the park but not getting points. We need to do better defensively as were not good enough to have a one goal lead; our fabulous trio of Geri, Rom & Barkley were dead on there feet when that 4th went in yesterday. Geri was nearly in tears from my view. Rom couldnt watch the penalty.
Where does the blame lie?
For me, we have two guys in the defensive pack who should be doing more; Stones & Howard.
Howard is an utter joke situation right now; his position is becoming further untenable with every game. I actually think Martinez is being hugely unfair on him now as the pressure is a joke on him and hes clearly not good enough. Martinez really should take him out the limelight for both there sakes.
Stones isnt improving his defensive capabilities whatsoever and is showing no sign of the leadership/snide side which he needs to develop to become 'Everton & England captain' (his words). Its all well and good being great going forward, and I think we all know he is going to be superb. But we were saying the same thing last year, and when he first broke in. Now, this season, is the time where he needs to develop further. I dont see it currently.
I also attach blame at Martinez roundly. He needs to somehow get more out of this team; he needs to find a way to get us defending better and carrying on the purple patch we have of scoring as we simply are a joy to watch going forward, especially when Barkley, Rom & Geri are in tandem like they are. Absolutely blow teams away they are, but right now, there manager is letting them down. He isnt giving them a chance for their skills and goals to earn the wins those three in particular deserve.
His treatment of Robles and Howard is also very stubborn and will cost him his job eventually.
I say he has the rest of this season and if we finish 8th or below, I would seek a new manager. I feel if we keep him in charge, without substantial investment in the playing squad, the likes of Rom & Ross will feel that they need a change. Whilst not ideal, a new manager may give them the impetus to stay for one more year, as will the substantial squad investment. Without either, I think they will feel its time to move on as Martinez will no longer be able to get anything more out of them, in particular those two.
Were vastly superior than most team's we have played this year in each game. Our problem is gifting teams goals.
Take all four goals yesterday; four individual errors. Stones , Barry, Galloway & Howard all were at fault for a goal.
What annoys me most is that teams arent 'earning' there goals against us; they are being gifted them.
Stoke were [Poor language removed] yesterday; Leicester and Palace were the weeks before. But we have gifted the teams opportunities and goals. We battered all three teams; created chances/tested goalies/hit the woodwork, but each time we have come away with nothing.
Its very difficult to judge as the fact remains we are playing some teams off the park but not getting points. We need to do better defensively as were not good enough to have a one goal lead; our fabulous trio of Geri, Rom & Barkley were dead on there feet when that 4th went in yesterday. Geri was nearly in tears from my view. Rom couldnt watch the penalty.
Where does the blame lie?
For me, we have two guys in the defensive pack who should be doing more; Stones & Howard.
Howard is an utter joke situation right now; his position is becoming further untenable with every game. I actually think Martinez is being hugely unfair on him now as the pressure is a joke on him and hes clearly not good enough. Martinez really should take him out the limelight for both there sakes.
Stones isnt improving his defensive capabilities whatsoever and is showing no sign of the leadership/snide side which he needs to develop to become 'Everton & England captain' (his words). Its all well and good being great going forward, and I think we all know he is going to be superb. But we were saying the same thing last year, and when he first broke in. Now, this season, is the time where he needs to develop further. I dont see it currently.
I also attach blame at Martinez roundly. He needs to somehow get more out of this team; he needs to find a way to get us defending better and carrying on the purple patch we have of scoring as we simply are a joy to watch going forward, especially when Barkley, Rom & Geri are in tandem like they are. Absolutely blow teams away they are, but right now, there manager is letting them down. He isnt giving them a chance for their skills and goals to earn the wins those three in particular deserve.
His treatment of Robles and Howard is also very stubborn and will cost him his job eventually.
I say he has the rest of this season and if we finish 8th or below, I would seek a new manager. I feel if we keep him in charge, without substantial investment in the playing squad, the likes of Rom & Ross will feel that they need a change. Whilst not ideal, a new manager may give them the impetus to stay for one more year, as will the substantial squad investment. Without either, I think they will feel its time to move on as Martinez will no longer be able to get anything more out of them, in particular those two.
njligernj
Player Valuation: £15m
9 points to fourth is not an insurmountable gap by any stretch (especially in a season where almost every game is competitive) and the stats guy in me does hope for a regression to the mean on set pieces, goals scored/conceded and just plain luck which would help us out.
That said I think we're carrying two players right now in RMs first choice 11 and having the best bench we've had in years doesn't matter if they are never used. Rotation because of fixture congestion and injuries isn't making good use of a squad; every team rotates with this many games whether they have a deep squad or not.
We haven't used our bench enough this year (barring replacements for injuries). Players like Kone, Naismith after his hat-trick and of course Howard have kept starting spots way beyond when they should have. It "feels" like the bench has done well this year but take out injuries and you see Mirallas, Besic and other capable players sitting on the bench behind people who aren't contributing (or are arguably suitable for trailing or tied games but certainly aren't appropriate for defending leads).
One of the things that sold me on RM over Pereira when that whole mess was going on were all the articles I read about all the analysis he does on massive TVs and all the game tape he watches when he should be spending time with his family and all the tweaks and tactics we would see.
What does he see when he watches the games? He sees no issues with Howard? With Kone's nothingness since his hat-trick? With our defence? With set pieces? You don't "feel" like changes have been installed game to game or month to month. Aside from the switch to playing more direct/countering during the depths last year it all feels very stale indeed.
If Howard starts in the league v. Spurs and we get knocked out of the cup I'm moving to the fence. I said I'd give him three years of good faith but two and a half and Howard/Kone might be my limit.
That said I think we're carrying two players right now in RMs first choice 11 and having the best bench we've had in years doesn't matter if they are never used. Rotation because of fixture congestion and injuries isn't making good use of a squad; every team rotates with this many games whether they have a deep squad or not.
We haven't used our bench enough this year (barring replacements for injuries). Players like Kone, Naismith after his hat-trick and of course Howard have kept starting spots way beyond when they should have. It "feels" like the bench has done well this year but take out injuries and you see Mirallas, Besic and other capable players sitting on the bench behind people who aren't contributing (or are arguably suitable for trailing or tied games but certainly aren't appropriate for defending leads).
One of the things that sold me on RM over Pereira when that whole mess was going on were all the articles I read about all the analysis he does on massive TVs and all the game tape he watches when he should be spending time with his family and all the tweaks and tactics we would see.
What does he see when he watches the games? He sees no issues with Howard? With Kone's nothingness since his hat-trick? With our defence? With set pieces? You don't "feel" like changes have been installed game to game or month to month. Aside from the switch to playing more direct/countering during the depths last year it all feels very stale indeed.
If Howard starts in the league v. Spurs and we get knocked out of the cup I'm moving to the fence. I said I'd give him three years of good faith but two and a half and Howard/Kone might be my limit.
No.
A loss is not "a loss".
I have sat through enough losses at Goodison Park over the years to know the difference between a boring or bad loss and losing a game in a cracking afternoon's football.
Yesterday was very definitely in the latter category.
That improvement from last ŷear is there for all but the most blinkered to see.
Once we get that defence tightened up the sky is the limit for Everton under Bobby Martinez.
He has the team living up to the boast we make in the song we sing before every game........"Everton the team that plays beautiful football".
And it us a long, long time since we belted out those words with any conviction.
So the totally opposite approach to Wenger, Ferguson, Mourinho, even Kendall etc.
How's it working out for him?
So It hasn't been tried before ergo it won't work?
Watch this space, bud.
Watch this space.
njligernj
Player Valuation: £15m
How on earth is that going to happen?
The improvement going forward is there for all to see as is the shambles defending.
The problem is martinez does not have it in him to get the balance.
I mean who in their right mind would pick howard game after game that is suicidal.
I would rather win ugly than lose entertaining.
Keep the faith, Bro.
Soon we are going to be winning and entertaining at the same time
Thats were we disagree my friend i think he is lostKeep the faith, Bro.
Soon we are going to be winning and entertaining at the same time
I've seen nothing in Bobby's career to suggest he can tighten the defence up. He needs help doing this and if he was to get it then the sky really would be the limit but I just don't think he will.
Also a loss is a loss at the end of the day. When we score 2 or 3 goals in a game we shouldn't be losing them. A cracking afternoons football would be us scoring 3 and our defence not giving them a sniff.
Skeleton Crew
Player Valuation: £8m
Look the same guy that has us playing terrific football going forward is the same guy who cant sort his defense.
I definitely prefer this team structure and style as opposed to the plucky Everton under the previous gaffer.
I think most of us would enjoy games like yesterday compared to hoofing it forward and hoping Fellaini et al...could do something
So replace Howard and get Jags back in and let McCarthy Cleverly run the midfield by the end of January. Those changes combined with our current style of play probably will have most of us fapping to brown shoes by end of season.
I definitely prefer this team structure and style as opposed to the plucky Everton under the previous gaffer.
I think most of us would enjoy games like yesterday compared to hoofing it forward and hoping Fellaini et al...could do something
So replace Howard and get Jags back in and let McCarthy Cleverly run the midfield by the end of January. Those changes combined with our current style of play probably will have most of us fapping to brown shoes by end of season.
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