Think the lowest we ever fell last season was 14th iirc.
Could be wrong...I try to forget the bad.
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Think the lowest we ever fell last season was 14th iirc.
Could be wrong...I try to forget the bad.
Professor Toffee
On and on, over the hill and the craic is good
The competition or the currency?
A
AJC5
Guest
Do you have any doubts about Martinez being the long term answer?
What mistakes do you think he has made in his tenure?
Why are you so confident that he will turn our fortunes around?
orly
Please check with me for Blammo criteria
Not really, that's actually nothing like what is being said.
Clubs either side of us in the pre-Moshiri and post-1992 food chain have sacked their managers for worse form in a single season. Martinez has been able to do it twice.
lancs blue
Player Valuation: £35m
Standing there with a pitch fork whilst armageddon goes on. Ten out of ten for effort though. The art of defending is simples if you have a manager who is prepared to adapt. Unfortunately stubborness is Bobby's main failing and his lack of game management allows more defeats than wins.
njligernj
Player Valuation: £15m
... was a joke mate. I understand your point I just don't care about it ... Newcastle are a catastrophe of a club. Is he lucky? I guess ... not as lucky as he would be if BK was still majority though.He hasn't "survived" this season yet (in fact I'd say he has to start next season to have survived the consequences of this season). Mosh isn't going to fire a manager before he's even seen a game in person.
orly
Please check with me for Blammo criteria
Exactly mate
When you think that Moyes is now being described in such terms
The pursuit of players can be a tricky old business for a football manager, particularly when you are at a club like Everton and the competition often has rather more money to spend.
David Moyes would go to huge efforts to lure a footballer to Goodison Park during his long and successful tenure on Merseyside.
He once drove from Preston to London to meet Robbie Keane, arriving at the striker’s house at 3am before driving home again two hours later. And to no avail at is turned out. The clubs, the other one being Tottenham, were unable to agree terms.
+7
David Moyes spent 11 years in charge of Everton before leaving to take charge of Manchester United in 2013
Michael Owen was another target, and they once hooked up for just a few hours in Florida. On that occasion it was Owen who made the effort.
‘I was out there on holiday,’ recalls Moyes. ‘Michael flew in, we played golf, had dinner and he went straight back to England.’ Alas he also went to Manchester United.
Miroslav Klose very nearly became an Everton player, as did Demba Ba. ‘There was one day when I flew to Paris to see Demba Ba and then planned to travel on to Germany to see Klose,’ he says.
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‘He had been playing for Germany the night before but broke his wrist and the meeting was cancelled. His wife had actually come over to look around the training ground.’
But John Stones was signed almost by accident; only recruiting a young defender sure to play a central role in Saturday's FA Cup tie at Goodison after Moyes had exhausted every option in what proved a fruitless search for a new forward in January 2013.
‘We had a good team but we really needed a centre forward; a bit more quality up front,’ says Moyes.
Moyes brought John Stones to Goodison Park in January 2013 after a fruitless search for a new forward
Moyes is encouraged by Ross Barkley's improvement this season after a disappointing campaign last year
‘But we didn’t have the finances to do it. I seem to remember we looked at Alvaro Negredo but we couldn’t get a deal done.’
With his efforts proving unsuccessful Moyes returned to the idea of signing this young centre half from Barnsley. His scouts had recommended him and both Moyes and his assistant, Jimmy Lumsden, had been to watch him play. They liked what they saw, and at around £3million he was coming in under budget.
MOYES' RECORD AT EVERTON
GAMES - 518
WON - 218
DREW - 139
LOST - 161
WIN PERCENTAGE - 42
‘He wasn’t going to be too expensive but he was really good on the ball,’ says Moyes. ‘He was versatile. I think he could even play as a central midfield player, which might be something England should consider at some point.
‘I only had John for the few months before I left Everton but he was a great boy. Bright, alert, a bit of a glint in his eye. I remember the fitness coach telling me he’d gone to him and said he would do whatever he told him if it meant it would make him a better player. Very impressive.’
It is among a number of reasons why some of the most powerful clubs in Europe are looking to recruit 21-year-old Stones. Indeed why Chelsea – the side he meets on Saturday – tried to sign him last summer.
Moyes hopes the arrival of new billionaire owner Farhad Moshiri will help Everton hold on to key young players
These, Moyes knows only too well, are the challenges that often face Everton. But he hopes the arrival of a new billionaire owner in Farhad Moshiri will at least give them a fighting chance of holding onto Stones, Ross Barkley and Romelu Lukaku.
Chelsea have been very keen to capture Stones but don’t be surprised if Manchester City come in with a big offer this summer.
‘In my opinion it was good for the development of John and Ross that they have stayed at Everton last summer,’ says Moyes. ‘I think Ross is having a much better season than he did last year. He’s playing well. And I think John is as good a footballing centre-half as we have seen in this country for a very long time.
‘It’s tough for young centre-halves at the highest level now. It’s maybe harder for a young centre-half than it is for a young goalkeeper. It used to be that the main responsibility of a centre-half was simply to head it, kick it and tackle. Now it’s also to start the play, and also to contend with forwards of a different style and quality; some of the best players we have ever seen.
‘Sometimes it’s difficult to keep players. We fought to keep Wayne Rooney. I fought tooth and nail to keep Joleon Lescott. We also lost Mikel Arteta and Jack Rodwell.
‘But ultimately these players will want to play at the top level, so I imagine Everton will be desperate to qualify for Europe and want to get to cup finals too. I’d just hope Everton, with the takeover, are now in a stronger position to fight for their players, and work really hard to keep them.’
Moyes is delighted for his old club when it comes to Moshiri. ‘I’m really pleased for Bill Kenwright,’ he says. ‘It’s been a long search for the right investor. We got close on a few occasions during my time there, but it looks like the new owner will be good for the club.
Moyes looks on after the final whistle after Everton lost the 2009 FA Cup final against Chelsea
‘Development is key. I was someone who always hoped Goodison could be developed and rebuilt. The atmosphere is sensational there and you don’t want to lose that. What Goodison lacked was things like enough corporate boxes to generate revenue.
‘If Everton are going to move to the next level it’s in those areas that they need to invest, because Everton should be a club that always challenges the top teams. If you look at them now they have some outstanding players.’
They were challenging a top team when they met Chelsea in the 2009 FA Cup final; exactly the kind of game that makes Moyes so keen to return to management after his departure from Real Sociedad earlier this season.
‘It was a blow losing Mikel Arteta and Phil Jagielka for that game,’ Moyes recalls of that Wembley clash. ‘Mikel was probably in his prime at that moment. A really influential player. And Jags was maturing into a top centre half. So they were a real miss for us.
Moyes admits that the FA Cup semi-final defeat by Liverpool in 2012 is among his greatest disappointments
Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll celebrate after Liverpool beat Everton 2-1 in the 2012 FA Cup semi-final
‘Chelsea had an abundance of top players, of course. Frank Lampard was in his pomp, as were John Terry and Ashley Cole.
‘We scored early through Louis Saha but they were so strong down the left hand side, with Florent Malouda and Ashley Cole. They were so good we just couldn’t cope. And they had Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka up front.
‘That was an excellent Chelsea team and the best team won on the day. But we were never out of the game. We were always close. And it was a big thing to get to the FA Cup final, because Everton are a club that need to be looking to get to that level.’
Moyes actually regards the FA Cup semi-final defeat to Liverpool as one of his greatest disappointments. ‘That was tough because it was a chance to get to a final,’ he says.
‘I’ve always treated every Cup game like a game you have to win. I would always rather be a good league team than a good cup team, because if you finish well in the league it means you have done well all season.
'But the FA Cup is important, particularly when you think how difficult it now is to win the league.’
You'll note 'long and successful' in there describing Moyes' Everton reign. Well, 50% right I guess.
I do wonder where Bill is going with all this. No joking with David K aside, was amazed to see greater reference to Elstone that Martinez in the statement.
Yes
Loads
I am not 100% confident, that said I think he's done some brilliant work in the market, and if he can tighten up the defence we will be ace again. We score for fun.
njligernj
Player Valuation: £15m
The Elstone thing HORRIFIED me ... haha ... "Mourinho or Martinez" is an argument ... "Elstone or nobody" is a non-starter ... no CEO at all would be a major upgrade. He *has* to be fired.
Still ... the summer. He'll get his slip in the summer.
Right?
orly
Please check with me for Blammo criteria
I genuinely thought he would until I saw that statement. Now I'm worried he will get to continue.
The only sympathy I would have for Martinez would be if he managed to get sacked before Elstone!
blueboy1945
Player Valuation: £8m
Well said sir.
A
AJC5
Guest
Thanks. What makes you think he can tighten up the defence given his record at Wigan and Everton to date given that we seem to still be making the same mistakes that we have all season - conceding late goals, conceding ridiculous penalties, defending to deep and conceding goals from crosses/set pieces.
With Moyes in charge I always felt that we were short of a bit of class in the final third and strength in depth i.e. problems that could be solved by buying better players. With Martinez I don't think our problems will be solved by buying players, our problems are with his system/philosophy and it therefore harder for fans to have faith.
Re transfer market. How would you rate him compared to Moyes?
Most of Martinez' transfers have been risk free - McCarthy (known quantity from Wigan), Barry (proven player, initially on loan), Lukaku (initially on loan, signed after two successful seasons in the premier league - his value has definitely gone up though), Cleverly (decent utility player on a free but no more than that), Lennon (proven premier league player).
The only unknown quantities are Besic and Funes who both have a lot of potential.
A
AJC5
Guest
See, you can post something interesting when you put your mind to it.
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