Isaiah

Just messing around here, but it's come up on another forum, a kind of 'make the best of a bad scenario' situation: if you had to choose from one of these managers, which would you choose: Big Sam Moyes Brendan Rodgers Duncan Ferguson

Pelligrini is my choice. Something about how he conducts himself has the Everton style about it. Out of interest, you guys (and perhaps girls) who have selected the 'other' box, who do you want?

3 down. We need to bring on Osman in the 94th minute. Martinez will deflect from the performance by saying Sunderland were fighting for survival. Just as he deflected from the performance at Leicester by saying the players were distracted by the celebrations. Just as he deflected from the performance at Liverpool by saying...oh fuck it, you get the point. I've been one of his biggest supporters but he needs to go at the end of the season. He's lost the players. Every game for the last 2 months he has said "we will learn from the mistakes of the last game and give the fans a performance" and they never do.

You're being ridiculous because you're wishing illness on a man because, under his leadership, 11 men in a blue uniform aren't putting a little ball into a net more often than the other 11 men. Do you need more? Ok then - your hate for this man is at such a peak he's become a "thing" for you. Are you starting to get some perspective now? To be annoyed at a football manager is one thing. To hope he - by all accounts a perfectly nice human being - comes to harm is pathetic on your part and you might want to consider that maybe following a football team just isn't for someone like you.

If they had come from 2 goals down to win 3-2, would it not have been correct to praise their character?

Got a tenner on Niasse to collapse with exhaustion on 8 minutes.

But to be fair, it wouldn't have been professional the day before Everton's biggest game of the season to talk about his own job. What could he possibly have said that would have been beneficial to the team? "If the players lose tomorrow, it's likely I'll lose my job"? What good could come of that, 24 hours before the players take to the pitch for the FA Cup semi final? He's admitted that results and performances have been crap, not up to Everton's expected standard at all, and he's said that tomorrow they will try all they can to put it right by winning the game. What is wrong with any of that? Why does he have to say that his own job is on the line just because journalists press him to so they can have some headlines? And I haven't seen Pardew or LVG say they're playing for their jobs. Quite the opposite, LVG endlessly says he's not at all concerned about his job, no matter how awful his results have been.

Does anybody know what our best-case-scenario back 4 is looking like for tomorrow? I've lost track of who is injured and can't find any consistent info online. .

Even odder is a 3rd choice teenage goalkeeper telling an almost complete stranger his 'inside knowledge' about Martinez probably leaving if Everton lose on Saturday.

Don't know if he's been mentioned yet (haven't read all the thread) but Villas Boas is hating life in Russia and the Zenit fans haven't taken to him at all. Russian media reckon he's on his way out this summer. Would you take him?

He isn't "desperately out of his depth" at all. Semi finals of both cups this season (no other manager did that), and if a few of those absurd 'last minute' results had gone our way we'd be up near the top 4 of the league. Yes,some of the performances have been poor, but earlier in the season some of the performances were pretty awesome and we were very unlucky not to win. You may want someone slightly better than Martinez, and that'd be fair enough, but to suggest Martinez is "desperately out of his depth" is insanity.

I know this won't be the most popular opinion stated around here, but I want Martinez to be given 1 season more with the new money about to come in. For the good he's done (his first season, some of the players he's brought in, the cup runs) he deserves that I think. He must be given very clear and non-negotiable targets for the season (a trophy and./or top 6 finish would be my suggestion) and if he fails to achieve them then thanks and goodbye. But I really do think he's a good manager and the team have had some pretty shitty luck this season (below-par performances too, I'm not denying that). Next season is going to be a weird one, what with all the teams having the money to buy top players. I don't think now is the time to be bringing in a manager who has no premier league experience. Keep the continuity for one more season at least. I seriously doubt any of the players want Roberto gone, and that's the most important thing. Give him a wad of cash and another year with clearly defined high targets.

Hoping to finally see Niasse play. I've lived in Russia for the last 15 years (St Petersburg), and although Zenit is the team I watch most here, I've seen a lot of Niasse over the years. He's genuinely a very good player, and not just by the standards of the Russian league (which isn't as awful as you may think these days). It's baffling why he isn't fit yet, but when he is I think he's going to be a very useful player. Rest Rom tomorrow and put Niasse on from the start, he's not going to get up to Premier League speed without playing Premier League matches, and with nothing to play for in the league now, tomorrow is a good time to give him a work out.