thoward18

He's the reason I'm here. Happy he's staying. I know he's getting up there in age but the guy is in as good of shape as any athlete you'll find and I think he could be a starter for 3 more years and serviceable for 5.

This is a reverse of what usually happens in MLS. A guy like Tim Cahill or Thierry Henry comes to MLS in June-July, when MLS is right in the middle of the season whereas the Euros are right in the middle of their offseason. The Euros struggle out of the gate 90% of the time and everyone flips a shit about wasted money and guys just using MLS as a retirement home. Then they get a full offseason and pre-season to train, learn the team's tactics, fit into the group, etc. and they set the league on fire. I imagine that McGeady will factor in more next season when he's on the same schedule as everyone else.

30 extra minutes now for Arsenal. Great. Tire the legs out.

Could you imagine if France left 20-year-old Thierry Henry off the 1998 World Cup roster because of "inexperience"? You know, the same Henry that Wenger groomed?

He was better than any of Arsenal's five billion dollar hired guns.

Everyone was brilliant today. Lukaku played a key role in the first goal and put in an amazing strike for the second one. That was the separation the team needed.

I sure fucking hope so.

Don't get me wrong, Martinez deserves tremendous praise in his own right for what he has done, but the national/global media attention given to Martinez is reduced considerably if Jose Mourinho was chosen to manage Man U and Moyes left for the Bundesliga or something.

It's all because of the contrast in how Man U has slipped under Moyes. If (when?) he gets sacked and Moyes goes to a team with much less global relevance I'm sure everyone will chill out on Martinez. Unless we win the league. Then all hell breaks loose.

Congratulations on not addressing a single point I made. I never even hinted at whether I prefer Stones or Jagielka. That had literally nothing to do with what I was saying. Here were the points I made. 1. This is the most important league game Everton have had in multiple years and Roberto Martinez is not going to have "how will a 19-year-old backup/rotation player's confidence be temporarily affected?" dictate his starting XI. If he picks John Stones, and that's a perfectly acceptable choice, then it's because he thinks John Stones gives Everton the best chance to earn three points. It will have nothing to do with making John Stones feel good about himself. 2. If John Stones has his confidence shattered because Martinez goes with a veteran English international in a must-win game against a powerhouse club then he needs major psychological help and a reality check.

This is arguably the most important EPL game Everton's had in multiple years. Roberto Martinez has bigger things to worry about than "which decision will appease one 19-year-old the most?" And quite frankly, if John Stones' confidence is shattered because two veterans were picked over him in a game of this magnitude he's got some serious self-esteem issues. Somehow, I doubt that.

He is what he is. He's not going to curl in a shot from 25 yards out. He's not going to beat three defenders down the flank and cross a perfect ball in. He's not going to command the midfield. He's a versatile sub who finds the right positions in the box and scores ugly goals when the ball finds his feet. Especially at his wage that's a perfectly acceptable role. As long as expectations are fair I don't see what's not to like about him.

After today's results Sports Club Stats has it as a 19.2% chance that Everton finish in the Top-4. Odds clearly against Everton, but not to the point that a CL spot should be conceded.

Good point. All we need to do is find a team looking to sell a Steven Gerrard and then hypnotize them into giving him up at a price Kenwright can afford. Roberto Martinez has been on the job for less than a year. Of course the roster isn't going to fully reflect what is ideal and is going to have some holdovers from the previous regime. Look at how much more awkward and dysfunctional the transitions have been for Man U and Tottenham. All things considered, Martinez has done a tremendous job of succeeding a manager who had been in charge for over a decade and getting them to buy into his tactics.

I don't understand why we're continuously compared to Swansea. Swansea was a mediocre team who got hot at the right time and won a short sprint tournament that most top teams don't take very seriously. They tied for 9th place in the EPL. This Everton team is entrenched in a top-7, at worst, spot, and has been competitive against every top opponent (so long as healthy). As opposed to winning a European bid by fluke of random fixtures in a short tournament and how much other teams care to compete for it, Everton would be getting in by consistently being one of the top teams in the EPL over a 38-game season; a season that everyone takes seriously. You can not compare the two. A few quality players would need to be added but Martinez has admitted as much. I'm not concerned.

Pretty genius of Kenwright. Have every Everton manager eventually move to one of the bigger teams and sabotage them from within. First Man U, and now Arsenal. We'll get into the CL in no time.

Gareth Barry going back to Man City after the loan spell ends? Huh? That makes no sense. Why would he sign there to just sit on the bench? Why would Man City offer him a contract? I'm calling bullshit on this, though I do think Roberto should go after Will Hughes.

It was his first game with a new team in a new league after coming off of injury. Come on, guys. What exactly were you expecting?

If the guys specifically trained and paid to evaluate medical issues tells him that a player is good to go, then why WOULDN'T he leave that guy in. This is an issue with medics. Not coaching.

Swansea have been playing like twats ever since the PK. Lose with some fucking class.

I think there's a role for you at the Vatican.

I don't think position was the reason he was missing sitters at times last season. I think he definitely is more comfortable in Roberto's setup but even he admitted he just didn't feel like himself last season.

I never hated him. Never understood the hate. He's cheap, he's a good guy, and he owned up to his underwhelming play last season. Was pretty obvious he was always a guy with some ability but just needed some time to get into his comfort zone.

Steven Naismith is the Messi of early round cup competitions.

Or Leeds. Also, look what fighting for the title and getting into Champions League in the early 2000s did to Newcastle. We can't settle for being a mid-table team either. Look what that did to Charlton Athletic. Basically, Everton are doomed no matter what they do. Let's just fold the team to preserve our dignity.