Was it all that bad? Top 5 changes worth retaining from Roberto's years

[APN_EFC]

No Rob, because i know people who met and dealt with him! It wasnt a media image according to them, he was an extremely nice person! I am not a Martinez apologist, i wanted him gone last season and i think he has put us back five years as a football club, but i am just saying certain things did improve under his tenure? I have even caveated that by saying those certain things may not actually have been down to him? I am glad he had gone, but i dont think he was the great satan many now want to portray him as! Nor was Moyes (even though he was inadequate as a manager) nor was Rooney ( even though i was shattered when he left us)!

That's all I meant with starting this post. There were some things that were good, and we did think were boss at the time, and we should make sure we hold on to them. I wish we could also get Chris Woods and some other good coaches back!

 

[APN_EFC]

That meant fifth. Moyes got a fourth, neither won the league. At end of season one Martinez said there was still a long way to go in changing our style. Thank the Lord he was prevented from completing the journey. Indefensible!

Yeah the 72 points too. And if, like a lot of people think, this was because it was the perfect combo of Moyes & Martinez styles, then we should have got our owners or CEOs to push the club that way

 

[The Mighty Quint]

Some of our attacking play under him was as he'd say himself, Phenomenal, this season, we were 2nd or 3rd in the league all season for goals scored, up to the West Ham game, after that the players stopped playing for him.

He refused to sort the defending out though, and that cost him his job.

 

[stamullenblue]

His shoes were always clean !

 

[Frank Butcher]

There was a period during Martinez's first season when I thought we were on the brink of something special. We won at Old Trafford and then drew away at Arsenal who were top of the league at the time and we were unlucky not to win in the end. Had plenty of chances.
Ultimately the last couple of seasons and the refusal to adapt his style cost him, I genuinely think we would have been next seasons Villa had he remained in charge.

 

[SingBlue]

Confidence at the beginning as great. But not the overconfidence that then turned into delusion and stubbornness and unwillingness to change. I'm sad that all of that optimism from the first season melted away so quickly.

This got me thinking. He brought his key backroom team in from Wigan. A group used to working under a tight budget with limited expectations. I know he had a few ex-Blues working at Goodison, but they had defined roles so probably couldn't speak out of turn. There were a couple of things that became apparent towards the end of the first season that he never addressed, and were terminal for him. Lack of fitness was the one that stuck out.

When the dirt hit the fan, he had no-one to turn to for guidance. Jones' etc. would've been like "Wigan fans never turned on us when we were gash". RM has blown his chance and will have to drop down a few rungs to climb back up - but he needs to cut the ties with the mediocrity he surrounds himself with. Never understood why some managers insist they come as a package.

 

[RANMAN]

Can't believe your asking for a top 5 to be honest.

 

[toffee matt]

Fearlessness against big teams ? People still pedaling this crap.

We won one away game against a "big side" under Martinez in a season that everyone won at Old Trafford.

Our Home Record isn't much better in his last two years, One win against Chelsea this season and One win against United Last Season

 

[VaguelyBrown]

Barkley hides.

Fixed

 

[APN_EFC]

I'll be honest. I really loved receiving this on my birthday. Thought it was his best work.

Can't imagine Ron doing anything like this. With him, it'll be like:
[Serious glare at camera]
"ok, so I wish you happy birthday, ok.
you know, i am not really happy with your fitness if you're eating cake, but ok
and, really it's not up to me to wish you on your birthday, but ok it has to be done
and this is just one year older for you, so it's not that important, it is a longer project,
but we don't have time, we have to wish you. Happy birthday."

 

[arminisgod]

He did hand out some hidings to the mancs at goodison. He stood firm against Chelsea last summer and had me believing we were a top club again.

The 2nd half against the [Poor language removed] in his first season when we wiped the floor with them

 

[bring the ghost on]

Fearlessness against big teams ? People still pedaling this crap.

We won one away game against a "big side" under Martinez in a season that everyone won at Old Trafford.

Our Home Record isn't much better in his last two years, One win against Chelsea this season and One win against United Last Season

I don't get the "fearlessness against big teams" things either - it's surely more a criticism of Moyes that we were afraid of the big teams than a compliment to Martinez that we weren't. It should go without saying.

 

[bring the ghost on]

Anyway, one thing I would say in Roberto's defence is that he is a convincing and persuasive guy (not backed up by his results though).

He managed to convince Lukaku to sign when I highly doubt many managers of Everton at that time could've pulled that off. We've now got a very valuable asset in Lukaku.

Clearly, he's managed to use his same big talk to land himself the Belgium job.

 

[Dario Terracotta]

He raised the bar initially after years of "Finish tenth and be grateful" from the Moyesiah and that aspect I would like to keep,NSNO and all that

 

[Groucho]

1. Gareth Barry
2. Talking ourselves up rather than down
3. Deulofeu
4. Romelu Lukaku
5. Gareth Barry

Struggled for 5 to be fair.