Deacs

I don't rate Belgians apparently. I hated Jan marie pfaff because he was supposed to be better than southall, I don't like Stella as it leads to domestic abuse, tin tin was shit... I did like Enzo scifo though, he should have been much more.

The main problem with Roberto is his stubbornness, his apparent refusal to learn from mistakes. This means that his tactics are easily analysed and there are a number of very sharp managers in the Premiership who will do just that. Why is is that we have such a poor home record? In most cases its because opposition managers have done their homework and adopt their tactics accordingly. We do not play well against teams who consistently get 10 men behind the ball. We struggle to open up packed defences. This is why our home record is so poor. When we play away, the opposition attack us more which provides more space for our mid-field and attackers. At home, we do not win many headers from crosses so our crosses tend to be low or pulled back. For his size, Rom should win far more headers than he does, but we need someone with a good leap who can unsettle defences and provide an outlet for our wide players.

But for Everton it's...
 
134 games
60 wins
36 draws
38 losses
160 goals scored
130 against
44.8% win ratio
 
The stats that involve his time at Swansea & Wigan are meaningless as far as I'm concerned.

Hopefully Martinez won't be with us much longer.

as we seen under Moyes time - its not necessarily the fees that govern the quality of the players - its the money you can offer in wages vs your rival bidders.
 
wages are essentially controlled by financial fair play - we don't generate enough revenue to compete with the big boys in terms of the wages we can offer. Even clubs like west ham are now paying the likes of Payet £125k a week... a few years ago they would be blown out the water by us when we had arteta on £70k a week.
 
The £100m transfer pot will need to be used very creatively. There may be a fair bit of gambling in terms of buying lesser paid "wonderkids" vs established players as the wage bill could spiral out of control very very easily.
 
Put simply - we need the 50,000+ stadium with corporate entertainment etc very quickly.

We were indeed.
 
Two strikers is a must if Rom goes, Kone isn't good enough back-up.

Ah, OK then. Maybe a rethink is in order .

Happy St Pattys Day

I'll get me coat!

I lay no blame at Niasse's feet for how his start at the club has gone. I question Martinez' handling of him and blame that entirely. It just hasn't made any sense whatsoever.
 
I had no expectations of him when he was signed because I knew absolutely nothing about him. He may be a complete dud or he may go on to become a great player for us over the next few years. The early signs haven't been great but I'm willing to give him a chance.

I'm not convinced must have seen it a 100 times now and I still can't say for sure he didn't get clipped. Doesn't mean it was a foul though, what's happened to accidental contact? Couldn't the ref just have waved play on?

This is why people have lost faith in him. People wouldn't be as upset, if he said something like "we got hit hard by not defending the crosses properly, we'll reassess the coaching around this and hopefully stop it."
 
But it's naive. Really really naive and massively frustrating.

I'm not convinced must have seen it a 100 times now and I still can't say for sure he didn't get clipped. Doesn't mean it was a foul though, what's happened to accidental contact? Couldn't the ref just have waved play on?

When Howard Kendall signed Dave Watson he tried a back three of Watson, Ratcliffe and Mountfield. It didn't work. Not because any of them weren't great players but because it disturbed the natural shape and style of the team.
 
I see certain similarities now. I don't think any of us would have expected Mori to settle in so well and look so accomplished so soon. But the fact of the matter is that he has, and he does! On current form he can't be dropped. So that leaves Martinez with the conundrum of what to do with Stones. I have no axe to grind at all with Stones but he should be treated just the same as any other player returning from injury - if the player who replaced him is playing well then he has to fight for, and earn, a starting place again. Think Robles/Howard, Baines/Oviedo, Lennon/Deleufeu. Why should Stones be any different? By making a special case for Stones, Martinez risks sending a dangerous message to Stones and the rest of the team. The message should be 'Stones, you are a good player but if you want your place back you are going to have to earn it. We are not going to make a special case for you.'
 
For the last few games we have had a back four in front of Robles that, whilst by no means perfect, looked like a solid and improving defensive unit. We should not risk upsetting that just to accommodate Stones. His chance will come. When it does, he has to be ready to take it.

Everton are a sleeping giant, 37,000 fans in an era where we have not been competing is very good, especially given the cost/inconvenience and ability to watch any game at any time.
 
I think we will get 60k in the right stadium with the right transport and with a team that is getting investment to challenge.
 
Let's be blunt, Goodison is a dump compared to other stadiums. Yes it has an air of authenticity etc but so does a load of shitty 1930 pubs with stinking toilets, you aren't going to take your family there.
 
I've had my car broken into twice, so has my brother, I've been on crowded delayed trains and by the time you get home you feel somewhat harassed.
 
A different experience will make the decision for many like myself find taking two kids to a game so much easier.

I just can't figure out how Deulofeu, Lennon, and Mirallas could play at the same time. Replace Deulofeu with McCarthy or Cleverley and maybe the setup is realistic.

Very well put.
I do, I believe in striving and not being safe, but I also understand how football works and realise that there are lots of other things to consider.
 
At the end of this season he either has to make substantial progress or it could be time to move on.
 
I am going to vault myself and say that last week was a blip in a run that has turned a corner.
We will win tomorrow and get back into winning ways against villa in the league.

And he struts.

Say what you like about Mirallas he does have the ability to score good goals and make something from nothing. He should have been given time yesterday.

From the BBC...
 
This will be the most heart-warming story you will read all day. Nine-year-old George Shaw has had his dream of scoring a goal at the Gwladys Street End come true. George, who has cerebral palsy, put the ball into the net recently and then won the club's Goal of the Month vote, which was voted for by Toffees' supporters. "I never thought I would win. I thought I'd come close because of all the support I've had but I can't believe I won!" said George when he found out. "Thank you so much to everyone who voted for me." Some quotes from Everton boss Roberto Martinez, talking about nine-year-old George. "It is an incredible story to see how powerful football can be," says Martinez. "Seeing him score in front of the Gwladys Street end became a genuine contender for goal of the month. "The players have been talking about George for so long and he has shown us how to be a competitor and fighter. Hopefully he has given us inspiration to get another win.

No test required , he is definitely not fit to be our no. 1 goalkeeper

Give him more this week

TWO STRAIGHT WINS!
 
TWO STRAIGHT CLEAN SHEETS!

Pretty ridiculous the stick he gets. The lad can't win, he makes a simple pass some of the crowd groan, doesn't make a pass and the crowd groan.
 
He lacks a bit between the ears but his instinctive play is excellent. When he gets more maturity and experience he will be world class, thats if his confidence hasn't been shattered by the crowd. The knowledgable crowd know he needs support - hence the diamond song.
 
He will frustrate and amaze in equal measure. He has got so many different tools at his disposal it really is a joke... two excellent feet, can shoot, great balance, strength, pace on the ball, vision - when you have so many options it can be difficult to make the right choice.

Fuck me...imagine if we'd lost [emoji38]