El Gran Azul
Player Valuation: £150k
I have never been a big fan of Keys, always thought he was smug git, but apart from stating the obvious with the stats, he has managed to get across what most of us are feeling.
Well worth a read.
'If I had been given 10 years to work with Everton by being mediocre I wouldn't accept that'.
They told me on my journalism course many years ago - never start a piece with a quote. And never start a sentence with 'and'. Too late!
I had to start with the quote because it leapt out at me in Monday morning's papers. I had to read it a couple of times to see if it had been taken out of context in anyway. Nope. It wasn't.
The headline in The Mirror read 'I can deliver glory. Moyes only brought TEN YEARS OF MEDIOCRITY'. Did he really?
The quote, of course, came from Roberto Martinez after Everton's FA Cup semi-final defeat. Mediocre? I suppose there's an argument that Martinez should know something about the subject, his whole career has been mediocre, both as a player and now a coach.
Since taking over at from Moyes at Everton, Martinez has run up a transfer deficit of £48m. He's finished 5th - with Moyes' team - and 11th. This season Everton will finish in the bottom half.
The Goodison faithful have seen only four league wins all season - against Villa, Sunderland, Newcastle and Chelsea, at the beginning of the season when everybody was beating them.
I keep reading about their terrific away form. Really? They've won five games - two of them at Villa and Newcastle.
They've won one of their last nine league games - against Villa. Now - that's a record that I call 'mediocre'.
Let's take a look at Moyes time in charge shall we?
He left a transfer of £8.5m. That's right, after 11 years in the P Lge. £8.5m.
There was an FA Cup semi and an appearance in the final. There were also Champions League and Europa League finishes.
Moyes' complete record looks like this - 17-4-11-6-5-5-8-7-7-6-5. Oh, and he was LMA Manager of the Year three times. Stunning I would say. Absolutely stunning.
Football fans on Merseyside know their stuff. Evertonians have seen through Martinez, although it took a little longer than I thought it would. He's lost them and I don't see any way that he's coming back from the current situation. I think he'll be gone at the end of the season.
In recent weeks Martinez has sounded increasingly desperate. What an error of judgement it was to have Leighton Baines go public and issue an apology for telling the truth. Baines is one of a very special group - players that Evertonians have taken to their heart. He's one of them. My mate Andy Gray is. So is Reidy. There's a few - but not many. What you don't do is take them on. The moment Martinez tried to play the tough guy and slap Baines down he lost Evertonians. I think it will prove to be his undoing.
If Martinez had the players with him he could probably ride out the storm, but I hear rumours of unrest in the dressing room. If true - that's curtains. And so it should be.
As for replacements, I've heard Moyes name mentioned. Would it be a good idea to go back? I don't know. It doesn't very often work. It didn't for Howard Kendall. I've heard Marcelo Bielsa's name mentioned in despatches. Here's an interesting thought - what about Mark Hughes? He knows the club. He's managed big clubs. He might just be ideal.
A quick word on the weekend - I thought United deserved their win. They were terrific first half. There were times that I thought I was watching Manchester United!
The Toon got a really good point at Anfield. As you know, he's not my favourite, but Benitez is on a really tidy run - five points from nine - and it makes you wonder what might have happened had he gone in sooner. Fair play to him.
Having said that I still fancy Sunderland to get out of it.
It's all but over at the top. What else can you say about Leicester. Every time they've been asked a question they've answered it. No Vardy - so some thought no chance. Quite the opposite - they came up with their biggest win of the season!
The chances are they'll win it at home to Everton. Which brings me back to where we started. Everton - mediocre under Moyes? As that fine Scouse actor Ricky Tomlinson might say 'mediocre my arse'.
Well worth a read.
'If I had been given 10 years to work with Everton by being mediocre I wouldn't accept that'.
They told me on my journalism course many years ago - never start a piece with a quote. And never start a sentence with 'and'. Too late!
I had to start with the quote because it leapt out at me in Monday morning's papers. I had to read it a couple of times to see if it had been taken out of context in anyway. Nope. It wasn't.
The headline in The Mirror read 'I can deliver glory. Moyes only brought TEN YEARS OF MEDIOCRITY'. Did he really?
The quote, of course, came from Roberto Martinez after Everton's FA Cup semi-final defeat. Mediocre? I suppose there's an argument that Martinez should know something about the subject, his whole career has been mediocre, both as a player and now a coach.
Since taking over at from Moyes at Everton, Martinez has run up a transfer deficit of £48m. He's finished 5th - with Moyes' team - and 11th. This season Everton will finish in the bottom half.
The Goodison faithful have seen only four league wins all season - against Villa, Sunderland, Newcastle and Chelsea, at the beginning of the season when everybody was beating them.
I keep reading about their terrific away form. Really? They've won five games - two of them at Villa and Newcastle.
They've won one of their last nine league games - against Villa. Now - that's a record that I call 'mediocre'.
Let's take a look at Moyes time in charge shall we?
He left a transfer of £8.5m. That's right, after 11 years in the P Lge. £8.5m.
There was an FA Cup semi and an appearance in the final. There were also Champions League and Europa League finishes.
Moyes' complete record looks like this - 17-4-11-6-5-5-8-7-7-6-5. Oh, and he was LMA Manager of the Year three times. Stunning I would say. Absolutely stunning.
Football fans on Merseyside know their stuff. Evertonians have seen through Martinez, although it took a little longer than I thought it would. He's lost them and I don't see any way that he's coming back from the current situation. I think he'll be gone at the end of the season.
In recent weeks Martinez has sounded increasingly desperate. What an error of judgement it was to have Leighton Baines go public and issue an apology for telling the truth. Baines is one of a very special group - players that Evertonians have taken to their heart. He's one of them. My mate Andy Gray is. So is Reidy. There's a few - but not many. What you don't do is take them on. The moment Martinez tried to play the tough guy and slap Baines down he lost Evertonians. I think it will prove to be his undoing.
If Martinez had the players with him he could probably ride out the storm, but I hear rumours of unrest in the dressing room. If true - that's curtains. And so it should be.
As for replacements, I've heard Moyes name mentioned. Would it be a good idea to go back? I don't know. It doesn't very often work. It didn't for Howard Kendall. I've heard Marcelo Bielsa's name mentioned in despatches. Here's an interesting thought - what about Mark Hughes? He knows the club. He's managed big clubs. He might just be ideal.
A quick word on the weekend - I thought United deserved their win. They were terrific first half. There were times that I thought I was watching Manchester United!
The Toon got a really good point at Anfield. As you know, he's not my favourite, but Benitez is on a really tidy run - five points from nine - and it makes you wonder what might have happened had he gone in sooner. Fair play to him.
Having said that I still fancy Sunderland to get out of it.
It's all but over at the top. What else can you say about Leicester. Every time they've been asked a question they've answered it. No Vardy - so some thought no chance. Quite the opposite - they came up with their biggest win of the season!
The chances are they'll win it at home to Everton. Which brings me back to where we started. Everton - mediocre under Moyes? As that fine Scouse actor Ricky Tomlinson might say 'mediocre my arse'.
