bluenosetoffee

I can't see there being any truth in the rumor. I would be absolutely gutted if we got rid of him. Such a workhorse in midfield and gets the team going. You can tell when he isn't in the team thats for sure.

He will sign a new 2 year contract and he will probably know that he is surplus to requirements. He is good backup if Coleman, Stones get injured.
 
I do like Hibbert though always have and have always thought he is a class defender.

Don't we finish on 69,70 or 72? Roberto don't know shit

The monies not great. Not a touch on the champions league.
 
But it's still extra income. Hopefully the accountants at the club are busy with their calculators working out how much extra bob can have in his transfer budget.
 
Plus the main thing is the raised profile of the club, the added attraction to potential new signings (maybe, dare I say it, investors?) and that it is the next step. A step in the right direction.
 
The side note being that the fact some fans don't like the idea of the Europa cup is more a fault of uefa's and how they have set it all up than anything else.

So what happens if we qualify for Champions League and Hull win the FA Cup? Do Arsenal get relegated?

We only need one more point this season to guarantee European football for next season. Successful season for sure.

Lets focus on getting champions league place secured first before muttering on about winning the title.

Who wrote 'Martinez wont last the season'?
 
This is on a par with that.

The person who wrote this should have looked at the stats first. This article was on mediawatch (Football 365) as well. (See below).
 
Loan Rangers
There is a wonderfully bitter piece on the website of the Metro today, written by Paul Mannion, who describes himself as a Newcastle United supporter. That much soon becomes clear.
Mannion pens a criticism of Everton's use of the loan system, hinted at by the headline 'Why Everton are out of order for signing so many loan players'. However, the reasoning and logic of the argument is flimsier than tissue paper in a hurricane.

'Everton deserved their victory over the Magpies at St James' Park but the flattering scoreline highlighted the growing problem of loan players in today's Premier League,' writes Mannion. 'The Football Association need to address the Premier League loan system to stop it having an adverse effect on the table.'

There are already rules in place regarding the loan market. Clubs can only sign a maximum of two players on loan from another Premier League club. So that's sorted.

'A third of Everton's starting line-up were on-loan players from the world's elite clubs and their whole team is built around them.'

Three is not a third of eleven.

'Without Lukaku, a world-class striker who would be beyond Everton financially if they were to attempt a full transfer from Chelsea, as well as Deulofeu and Barry, the Toffees wouldn't be anywhere near a Champions League spot.'

A Newcastle supporter criticising Everton for being able to take Lukaku on loan, and thus giving them an unfair advantage, would be a lot easier to swallow if Newcastle's manager had not spoken about taking the same player on loan just 24 hours earlier.

"I think he is a player a lot of clubs will be looking at in the summer," Alan Pardew said of Lukaku. "I don't think Everton will get a free run at him."

It would also be an easier argument to accept if two of Newcastle's three strikers (Luuk De Jong and Loic Remy) were not on loan, with Remy the club's top scorer and actually contributing more goals than the 'world-class' Lukaku this season.

The person who wrote this should have looked at the stats first. This article was on mediawatch (Football 365) as well. (See below).
 
Loan Rangers
There is a wonderfully bitter piece on the website of the Metro today, written by Paul Mannion, who describes himself as a Newcastle United supporter. That much soon becomes clear.
Mannion pens a criticism of Everton's use of the loan system, hinted at by the headline 'Why Everton are out of order for signing so many loan players'. However, the reasoning and logic of the argument is flimsier than tissue paper in a hurricane.

'Everton deserved their victory over the Magpies at St James' Park but the flattering scoreline highlighted the growing problem of loan players in today's Premier League,' writes Mannion. 'The Football Association need to address the Premier League loan system to stop it having an adverse effect on the table.'

There are already rules in place regarding the loan market. Clubs can only sign a maximum of two players on loan from another Premier League club. So that's sorted.

'A third of Everton's starting line-up were on-loan players from the world's elite clubs and their whole team is built around them.'

Three is not a third of eleven.

'Without Lukaku, a world-class striker who would be beyond Everton financially if they were to attempt a full transfer from Chelsea, as well as Deulofeu and Barry, the Toffees wouldn't be anywhere near a Champions League spot.'

A Newcastle supporter criticising Everton for being able to take Lukaku on loan, and thus giving them an unfair advantage, would be a lot easier to swallow if Newcastle's manager had not spoken about taking the same player on loan just 24 hours earlier.

"I think he is a player a lot of clubs will be looking at in the summer," Alan Pardew said of Lukaku. "I don't think Everton will get a free run at him."

It would also be an easier argument to accept if two of Newcastle's three strikers (Luuk De Jong and Loic Remy) were not on loan, with Remy the club's top scorer and actually contributing more goals than the 'world-class' Lukaku this season.

Mirallas should go - too inconsistent
Distin, Jagielka, Osman, and Pienaar - all beginning to show their age
Gibson - to injury prone
Duffy - not up to snuffy
Vellios - no idea why here's still here
 
Why sell Kone? I really don't understand why he's being written off. He is a solid player with a track record of creating and scoring goals.

I'd sell mirallas for £15m if someone was going to offer that much. on his day he is quality, unfortunately just don't see that enough.

Martinez brings positivity to an Everton team. He has come out and we will need to spend in August if we are in Europe as it takes it toll on players. Moyes attitude would be there is 11 games left and a lot can happen from now to the end of the season.
Least Martinez is talking about Europe and not playing down our chances.
 
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/efc-analysis-how-roberto-martinezs-6768565
 
"Roberto Martinez confirmed his status as the Premier League’s great game changer on Saturday"
 
I have always rated Martinez and wanted him to be manager. Even I didn't think we would be in the position we are now though. I predicted a 10th place finish as I thought it would take time to adapt to his style of play but straight away we have played well. COYB!

Martinez brings positivity to an Everton team. He has come out and we will need to spend in August if we are in Europe as it takes it toll on players. Moyes attitude would be there is 11 games left and a lot can happen from now to the end of the season.
Least Martinez is talking about Europe and not playing down our chances.
 
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/efc-analysis-how-roberto-martinezs-6768565
 
"Roberto Martinez confirmed his status as the Premier League’s great game changer on Saturday"
 
I have always rated Martinez and wanted him to be manager. Even I didn't think we would be in the position we are now though. I predicted a 10th place finish as I thought it would take time to adapt to his style of play but straight away we have played well. COYB!

Remind me why United are shite again? Won the league last year by 11 points..spent over £60m on two players.
 
Yeah I kinda miss seeing a defender come on for a striker in the last 20 minutes whilst inviting the opposition to get an equalizer or winner. Maybe I just miss the long ball to fellainis chest , the ball being played out wide for another cross to no one.
 
I reckon if we hold on for another month we could get Davie back, he will sort it, he will have those trophy winning pictures taken down from finch farm and replaced with images of Mitch ward, John Spencer and Claus thompsen, probably throw in the images of the simod cup final just to show the players that they really are punching above their weight. Sin miedo will become sin concepto... Bring it on!

Get on the phone to Davie and beg him to come back then lad!

If we finish at the same level as last year, with a new manager, new coaching staff, new style, way more injuries, and having made a sizable profit on transfer deals, I would definitely view that as success. Personally, I'm sticking with my earlier suggestion of a fifth place finish.

Gerry for me. He got the ball in the box time and time again. Sometimes he lost it but tracked back quite well. Intercepted Nolan, otherwise it would have been one on one.
 
Even when he did lose the ball he didn't let his head drop and he gave the defenders trouble time and time again.

Gerry for me. He got the ball in the box time and time again. Sometimes he lost it but tracked back quite well. Intercepted Nolan, otherwise it would have been one on one.
 
Even when he did lose the ball he didn't let his head drop and he gave the defenders trouble time and time again.

Would he have been Welsh had he been a terrible player John?
 
It's like that long-running Andy Murray joke, he was Scottish until he won something.

I think Barkley played cr@p. It was like playing with 10 men when he came on the pitch. I don't think there was a moment where he didn't lose the ball or give it directly to the opposition.
 
I am not saying Barkley isn't a good footballer because he is, no doubt about that, when he normally plays it is like we have 12 men on the pitch with his energy, strength and awareness but against Chelsea he didn't perform well at all. Osman played quite well in the CAM role, he was getting shots away, passing it well. Probably one of the better games I have seen him play in under Martinez.
 
It is a hard defeat to take, it isn't even the fact that we lost that is hard. It is that we lost it in the 93rd minute of the game. 2 more minutes, 2 more flipping minutes!!

I think Barkley played cr@p. It was like playing with 10 men when he came on the pitch. I don't think there was a moment where he didn't lose the ball or give it directly to the opposition.
 
I am not saying Barkley isn't a good footballer because he is, no doubt about that, when he normally plays it is like we have 12 men on the pitch with his energy, strength and awareness but against Chelsea he didn't perform well at all. Osman played quite well in the CAM role, he was getting shots away, passing it well. Probably one of the better games I have seen him play in under Martinez.
 
It is a hard defeat to take, it isn't even the fact that we lost that is hard. It is that we lost it in the 93rd minute of the game. 2 more minutes, 2 more flipping minutes!!

Did you see Martinez at the final whistle? As soon as the whistle blew he turned round and pulled Naismith to him and started talking to Naismith. Naismith looked made up and you could tell he was giving him confidence and saying how well he did. That for me speaks volumes about Martinez and his management skills

Naismith again proving all his doubters wrong. Never a winger! Looks classy in front of goal. Top finisher, great movement.

Small club mentality Sideliner. If you dont think you can compete with the "big Dogs" you never will.
 
I can give you tons of clubs that play in Europe on a regular basis that benefit from it in their local leagues.
In the Nordics we have Rosenborg in Norway and Copenhagen in Denmark. They rarely progress to the knock out stages yet their balance books are the healthiest in the Nordics. And now they are neigh on impossible to beat in the league. (modern times) They were not always the richest clubs.
 
IFK Gothenburg had a great run in Europe during the 80's Even won it one year. They have since then capitalized on that for many years. Becoming one of the most popular clubs in Sweden.
 
Its not only prize money and tv money and gate money. Its a fan base grower. If we play more in Europe we find more fans in other countries. Those fans increase the likely hood of being televised more often. They also buy merchandise.
 
Are you honestly saying that a run in Europe wouldn't benefit the club?
 
If you don't play better teams often, how are you to improve?
 
 
There is a Chinese saying - Big Birds don't eat small crumbs. (if we want to be the big bird we need to start going for bigger crumbs)
There is a Swedish saying - What you lose on the swings, you gain on the roundabouts
Another Swedish one - Fortune comes to the bold
 
If we never stand up to a person that we cant defeat sitting down we will soon have a sore arse from all the sitting. And that is exactly the mentality DM had when it came to facing the bigger clubs. He never stood up and took the fight. RM did it straight away. If RM stayed sitting against Man U, Arsenal and Chelsea this season we would have 7 points less.