Cornish Steve

Part 2 of the 6-part interview is also up: The importance of keeping Baines.

That cracked me up.

Is the link broken? Can't access the page. Edit: Link is fine. My anti-virus software is broken!

Maybe the only club in blue? or the only club on Merseyside? Interestingly, ManC have only one name on the list, number 42 at that. Money may be important, but it's not everything.

I had to laugh when I read one of the comments in response to that Facebook post: "Only one player from Everton the trophyless team would get into Liverpool and that's Baines but loads of Liverpool players would WALK into Everton". This coming from someone whose team has been below Everton in the table for how many years straight, whose goals were mostly scored by a player who's suspended and wanting to leave, who were knocked out of recent Cup competitions by Oldham and Northampton, and who just sold their biggest ever signing for half-price. The proof of the pudding, as they say, ....

I agree. Remember how Martinez signs every one of his programme notes: "sin miedo" - without fear!

So you didn't watch the FA Cup quarter final? You didn't watch a year ago when Wigan beat most of the top teams (and cost ManU the title) in quick succession? They struggled because injuries hit teams badly when they have no depth to their roster. That doesn't mean they don't have capable players. Indeed, the summer transfer market points to Wigan having very strong players: Moses, Rodallega, Valencia, Palacios, Heskey, Baines, ....

Mignolet is statistically the best goalkeeper in the EPL. That's quite revealing.

Frankly, I find Darren Bent a waste of space. Neither do I see how he would fit in with a more fluid passing style. He's more suited to the long ball.

I'm not sure why, but the US have provided the EPL with several top-class goalkeepers. It appears to be a position at which they excel.

I watched part of the US-Panama World Cup qualifier game last night, although the quality the poor. The news reports this morning claim that the US team was impressive, but only in the sense that Brighton would look impressive against Colchester. From what I saw, Tim Howard had little to do. He did let in a goal right before half-time, but it was ruled offside. He also made a bit of a save at the very end. Other than that, though, he was mostly a spectator. Not much action on which to judge him last night.

I like this statement: "It is not the new system that the players are being asked to do something completely different. It is the opposite, we are trying to get the best out of players." Everyone assumes that Martinez will force Everton players into his Wigan system. Not at all! He will adapt his system to get the most out of Everton's players.

Am I missing something about Fer? He failed a physical the last time around because of a potentially gammy knee. What's changed?

Let me throw another name into the pot: Yordy Reyna, a 19-year-old who plays Alianza Lima and for the Peruvian national team. That team is interesting, because they are transitioning from older to younger players. Reyna appears to be a rising star with a passing style consistent with Martinez' approach. Maybe he needs a couple more years of experience, but one to watch.

Martinez has an advanced degree in business, right? One of the attributes of a leader is to set a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) so everyone on your team strives towards that goal. JF Kennedy did it by stating that men would walk on the moon within ten years, something that many just laughed and scoffed at. But, once the goal was set, everyone knew it and worked towards it, and the goal was met. Playing Champions League football is now the BHAG for Everton. Everything that's done, from style of play to transfer strategy to team selections, will be in support of that goal. Without such a clear target, games are just games. With this target, there's always something to reach for, and it drives teams to improve and work together.

The guy is a shrewd negotiator. I'd be surprised if he'd say anything about any player until a deal's almost done. It would be rather amusing if Liverpool signed Kone as a replacement for Suarez.

I'd agree with that. There have been plenty of comments about keeping Baines but none about keeping Fellaini. And it seems that several teams, from home and abroad, are looking to buy. According to the following article, McCarthy would be a statistical improvement over him. http://thinkfootball.co.uk/archives/10384

Other than Arsene Wenger, has any current EPL team manager been in place for longer than two seasons? Of late, it's been all change.

And I would agree with their assessment.

They would have to fit the role given the anticipated style of play, and that would rule out several of these names. Jordan Rhodes has proved his ability to score goals albeit not yet in the Premier. Connor Wickham's not achieved his potential at Sunderland. Would he work out at Everton?

It's going to be quite interesting in our house now. As a child (many many moons ago), I followed Harry Catterick's Everton and still remember vividly the (unfortunately losing) FA Cup final against West Brom. My oldest son, who was an accomplished youth player where we live, is now a staunch L*******L supporter, so derby days will likely be quite rowdy!

I'm all for McCarthy and McManaman - plus a young, proven goal-scorer from Europe or South America. Plus, no matter what the budget, it's important to have some depth, otherwise injuries have too big an impact.

Am over the moon right now! It's exciting times. The thing about Martinez is that he prepares well and is a superb strategist/tactician. Everyone has said that he'll switch to Wigan's passing and attacking style of play, but I don't see a sudden change at all. Swansea had to play differently to differentiate from the physical play in lower leagues. Wigan had to differentiate because they had neither the budget nor the depth to compete otherwise. With the resources now available, Martinez will likely sit back and carefully consider how he can build on the current approach, slowly but surely tightening things up, maintaining strengths, and addressing weaknesses. I'll bet he'll be putting in 80-hour weeks during the off-season as he researches and considers and experiments and gets to know his new team. It may take a few months before he has a real impact, but then things could really start to happen. Also, given his management style, I would hope that he'd get more out of current players by instilling in them his confidence and passion for the game. So, I'm now supporting a new team! I've enjoyed watching Wigan, even when the team lost. Their demolition of Newcastle last spring was one of the most dominant one-sided displays I've ever witnessed. Their defeat of ManU cost the latter their title. But it's Martinez's detailed and hard-working approach that I find fascinating, so Everton it is for me. They are once again going to become a real powerhouse - Top Four and not just Top Six. Can't wait for the new season to begin!

The Miami times can't be right. They would translate to 9:30pm and midnight. I can see I shall have to schedule a business meeting there close to that date.

In a word, no.