Deacs

26/12 - Newcastle (A) 28/12 - Stoke (H) 03/01 - Spurs (H) Not the worst, but not easy either. I'd settle for 5 points from these games.

Newcastle 1 - 1 Everton Lukaku

Tough place to go for a Boxing Day game. Be interesting to see if any changes are made. I'd be quite happy taking a point from this. A clean sheet would be nice as well.

So was the second.

BJ, seeing as you keep replying to my posts I have to assume you can read. Given that your replies have no relevance to my posts, you either have an over active imagination or are just plain simple. Either way I choose "ignore".

Lukaku scored 15 odd goals for us in the 2013/14 season how is that not in the team 18 months ago? Stones also made over 20 first team appearances that season. That aside it really had no relevance to what I said. My initial post (that you quoted) was that Stones and Lukaku are likely to leave this summer if we can't offer them European football. It made no mention of 18 months. The issues over 18 months I talk about are, our inconsistency, RM refusing to drop players out of form, consistently playing players out of position, failing to make any impact (or attempt there of) to influence games not going our way, a complete lack of (or perceived) man management and the ability to talk complete utter BS consistently. Consistency can not be understated but there is a difference between that and wastefulness. Marinez has been manager for 2 1/2 seasons now and he inherited a good squad. He has made good use of that squad and made some very useful additions but nothing more. It's not like he's he done a miracle here. Obviously we see things differently, as I said before I hope you are right.

Don't think there'll be too many complaints if we win, regardless of how we play.

We're talking about the same issues over an 18 month period. If that's knee jerk my reactions are slower than Howard coming off his line to clear a cross.

Lol, does not sharing your opinion mean I'm not a proper fan?

Again. The same has been said repeatedly for two years now. Great player in his day but done I'm afraid.

I sincerely hope you're right mate.

Fucking brilliant. How happy does that little boy look, not to mention all the other kids who'll get gifts at Xmas. Bloody good work LB.

As is my left nut.

Would prefer it if things could be sorted and he started playing at his best again. Not going to happen though so he may as well go. Shame. Hopefully we've got a target lined up to come in.

Don't think anyone (of consequence) will be leaving in this window. Don't think many (if any) will be coming in either though.

Brilliant, more back flips than a politician. How could we possibly get better at defending set pieces?

How long do we wait? This is not his first or second season. We can't afford to give him another 2 or 3 years because the quality young players we have will not wait around. What concerns me is the idea that we have to be in dire straights before we will sack the manager. Can we not make a change for the sake of progression? We have managed 5 wins out of 16 in the league this season and taken 10 of the last 24 points. Last season was certainly no better. By no stretch of the imagination are we in trouble, and I'm sure Martinez will comfortably steer us to a top half finish to go with our cup semi final. At times we will play some great football. If you are happy with that then so be it. I personally think that with the squad we have we should be seriously challenging for a Champions league position, especially this year when most of the sides above us are throwing away points. I say this even though I know it will be unpopular because I don't see Martinez changing and without that change we will not succeed. It's about Everton not Martinez.

You have to wonder how long he can hang on, they're dreadful this season.

Staggering that the management team can have that philosophy.

Why? So we can finish 8-10 and we lose Stones, Lukaku and possibly more in the summer. Patience is one thing but we only just kept Stones this year and there is a real possibility Lukaku will go if we can't offer him European football. Then our great looking youthful spine of the team is gone and we have wasted a real opportunity. You're entitled to your opinion of course.

Lets just hope for the best case scenario, which is Martinez wakes up and we push on for Europe. Otherwise for the best of the club he needs to go.

No ones talking about the end of days Joe. What some of us, and I count myself among them are saying is that we should be doing better than we are. I also believe that we are not seeing anything from Martinez to suggest he is able to change that. I'm seeing what I perceive to be the same mistakes week in week out and that's not based on the last few weeks it's based on the last season and a half. Even the end of his first season in charge I felt we didn't really go all out for the Champions League spot. We beat Arsenal emphatically and then sat back. Mike O pointed out in a different topic that Martinez has assembled this very good squad we currently have, and he deserves credit for that (RM, not Mike) but he needs to show some flexibility, decisiveness and visible leadership in order to take this club where it should be.

Hmmm, think I read something similar somewhere can't quite put my finger on it...

If the price was right.

Lol, as Abbey Lee Miller says it's not getting to the top that's hard it's staying there. All eyes are going to be on Mike O from here on in. Everyone wants to beat the leader and we'll all be gunning for you now, and more tough sounding trash talk intended to intimidate you into going to pieces with your next few predictions.