troy8

He'd still fit in but I'm glad we sold him when we did. 27M for him was good business and probably at this point in time the most we would have gotten for him and we have more than adequately replaced him in McCarthy and Barry.

I have one gripe which I'm going to get out of the way first off, because really it’s just nitpicking. But I didn’t like the way we started the second half slowly, it could have let them back in the game and been very different. Starting halves well is a priority in every game for me.
 
Other than that one negative point I really thought we were exceptional and I am unbelievably proud of each and every one of our players for the effort they put in, for the skill they showed countless times and for the pure will to win. We were so hungry and determined to do everything within our power to get the three points. If we hadn’t have achieved that then it certainly wasn’t going to be for a want of trying. But the players couldn’t have done it without the tactical masterstroke by Martinez, they just showed their ability in putting all his tactical nous into practice. It was clear that despite his possession focussed footballing philosophy we were willing to give up a bit of the ball in order to draw Arsenal on to us and blitz them on the break. And we did it masterfully. It was exciting to watch and had me smiling from ear to ear to be honest. Standing off them and allowing them room had me worried at times and I was getting desperate for us to put tackles in earlier at times, but putting the tackles in at the right time (when they were close to our box) worked a treat.
 
The score line didn’t flatter us in the slightest, it could, and maybe, should have been more. But I thoroughly enjoyed this game, especially the second half. It was a joy to watch us toy with top quality opposition. People have been saying that Arsenal had a bad game, and maybe they did, but I think that bad game of theirs was forced upon them because of just how well we played.
 
A special mention for the fans. I thought they were brilliant and I loved losing my voice singing and being angry. The worst thing Arteta could have done in the last meeting was kiss the Arsenal badge, feign injury and try and get our players booked. Evertonians don’t forget things like that and it made us angry, and an angry Goodison Park crowd is something amazing and something no opposition player wants to be a part of. So, thanks Mikel, you big tart.
 
 
Howard – Didn’t have a whole lot to do during the game (testament to the defence in front of him) but when he was needed he was there. That save from Podolski was brilliant because he took it so early, not letting Tim set himself.
 
 
Coleman – I thought he struggled to get to grips with not having any protection in front of him in the first half. It meant he was often double teamed when defending, and he was hesitant to go forward. But, he stood up to the test well and once he settled in to things in the second half (and got a bit of help from McCarthy) he was excellent. He got forward more and was a key cog in our ability to break on Arsenal at will. And two of the best moments of the game came from him – the bit of skill to bamboozle Cazorla was something else, and then towards the end of the game when he brought the ball away from our box by doing keep uppies for about 30 yards. He is some player.
 
Stones – He had a couple of shaky moments in the first half and I didn’t think he was quite at his best during that period of the game. He does have excellent powers of recovery though; he sorted out his own mistakes before they could do us any damage. But, as with Coleman, he had an excellent second half and was commanding, cool, calm and collected.
 
Distin – Where last game he made me the father to a litter of kittens, this game he put in a rock solid performance. Honestly, I thought he was flawless back there. He won so many headers and controlled Giroud effortlessly. He was a proper leader at the back.
 
Baines – It’s been a while since he’s played such a pivotal role in our attacking play but he was involved in everything that we did yesterday, and he oozed quality with it. His passing was crisp and extremely accurate. His balls into the box were as dangerous as they come. And his link-up play was on another level.
 
 
McCarthy – A performance that we’ve come to expect him now. Tireless, tenacious, and full of heart. The amount of ground he covered in this game (and every game) must have been huge! Our attacking players must absolutely love having him in our side because he gives them license to just do what they do best and yesterday was no different. Baines had got caught up the field just before half time and who is it that sprints 20 yards to put in a sliding tackle to stop Arsenal gaining an advantage? James McCarthy. And it wasn’t even his side of the pitch! He sees danger and he snuffs it out. Simple as that.
 
Barry – While McCarthy was running around all over the pitch putting out any fires that occurred, he just sat in front of the defence and it was his job to wait for Arsenal to get close enough and just take the ball from them, break up the play, intercept the ball, and get us on the attack in the blink of the eye. He did it fantastically well, and I lost count of the amount of times he stopped an Arsenal attack and had us on the counter attack. I felt he was the most important player for our game plan and he executed his role to perfection, so he gets my MOTM vote.
 
Osman – Wasn’t on the pitch long enough to really influence things, but that shot in the early stages of the game was brilliant, and he deserves a pat on the back for the tackle that stopped Arsenal breaking on us but led to him being on the end of a nasty injury.
 
Barkley – Came on for Osman and slotted in seamlessly. In fact, he probably added more to our game than Osman would have. He was looking like the Barkley from earlier in the season. I thought he gave us a glimpse of what could be if he is utilised as a box to box midfielder – McCarthy and Barry gave him the freedom to come from deep and he exploited that freedom time and time again. Arsenal didn’t really have an answer to him; he glided from our box up the pitch and they didn’t seem to know how he’d even got there. He showed tremendous power and strength, not only going forward but in the bits of defensive work he had to do as well. His passing and speed of play were great as well. His decision making was much better. He looks like he’s finding his form again at just the right time.
 
 
Lukaku – I was as surprised as anyone to see Rom playing on the right of a forward three, so I can’t even imagine how surprised Arsenal were! At no point did Wenger or his players react to it though and he simply ran riot. Monreal had no answer to his pace and power. The extra space to run into really benefitted him and I thought he put in a top drawer performance. That extra space benefitting him was really showcased for his goal; runs at pace down the right, builds up a head of steam, turns on to his left foot, drives across the box and smashes the ball home. He put in numerous runs like that throughout the game and his level of effort was through the roof. It was also noticeable during this game, and the past few games, that he’s using his strength much better to hold up the ball. It did worry me that he wasn’t helping Coleman out defensively but he was clearly told not to drop back, because at one point he was stood on the half way right in front of Martinez while Coleman was getting mauled.
 
Naismith – He’s listed as the central player of a front three but he was more of a floater. He was everywhere along that front line, dragging the Arsenal defenders across the pitch making space for Mirallas and Lukaku. He put in an exceptionally intelligent performance I thought - he wasn’t going to beat Mertesacker for strength etc so he dropped deeper and took advantage of him not being particularly mobile. His movement, once again, was second to none. Just look at his goal; he wasn’t on the end of Baines’ pass but he stayed in and around the danger area just in case, and as is so often the case with him, he was in the right place at the right time to slot the ball home.
 
Mirallas – I may just be forgetting about him due to so many players playing so well, but I didn’t think he got involved enough in the first half. It wasn’t that he was anonymous or anything like that, he was just more on the periphery of things. However, in the second half he really stepped it up and was so influential in us breaking on Arsenal. If it wasn’t Coleman breaking forward with the ball then it was usually him. A lack of effort is sometimes levelled at him but you couldn’t say that about him yesterday, he put in 100% effort. You only have to look at our third goal for an example of that – without him busting a gut to get to the ball Arteta isn’t under pressure and doesn’t put it into the net.

People are only jealous because we're actually doing well. If we'd got these same players, but if it hadn't worked out as well and we were sitting mid-table challenging no one then we'd probably be getting praised for giving these players a chance at regular first team football.
 
Fuck them and their agenda.

Source: Echo website
 
Id like to take this opportunity to thank the Everton fans from the bottom of my heart for their support during my time at Goodison. They gave me their backing from day one and never stopped believing in me, which is something I will always remember. To score on my full debut in that memorable game against Tottenham was very special, and the feeling of Goodison that night will remain with me. I believe the scoring run which I went on during those first six months is the real Nikica Jelavic and Im pleased the Evertonians were able to see and appreciate what Im really about.
Everton supporters have a special way of making you feel like one of them, and even when I was not in the team in more recent times I always felt they were behind me. Playing for Croatia is something I also take huge pride in and with a World Cup on the horizon I was in the situation of needing to play more games to make sure I remain in Niko Kovacs thoughts ahead of the tournament in Brazil. Unfortunately that wasnt happening at Everton, and Roberto Martinez was very honest and up front with me about his thinking. He listened to my concerns and said he would try and do the right thing for me. When I went to meet Steve Bruce I realised it was the right move to a club with the potential to become a top Premier League outfit in the coming years. Steve's ambition was clear, as was his desire to see me playing and scoring goals. While Im sad to wave farewell to Everton and all my friends; both in the changing room, around the training ground, and the fans in the streets, it is time for my next challenge.
Im only pleased that I was able to say goodbye with two goals in the FA Cup win against QPR, and share some special celebrations with them one last time. I hope to be celebrating many more goals in future, and Im excited to get going at my new club. But you can guarantee the Toffees will remain in my heart. I hope they can go on to fulfil their ambitions this season and I will always look out for them.
 
Hvala vam i sretno (Thank you and good luck)
 
Nikica Jelavic
 
Nice to hear another person has been touched by the blue boys.

Dave has spoken and so it shall be.

The one thing I've taken from this game is that under Martinez things aren't likely to be dull! It's going to take me a while to recover from all the emotions I've been through today - fear, elation, frustration, anger... you name it this game made me feel it.
 
The first half was so topsy turvy it was unreal. Chances galore for both sides, with Villa probably looking the more dangerous of the two sides and we were fortunate to still be in the running I thought. Defensively we were awful but Howard made some world class and vital stops. There was nothing wrong with Benteke's penalty but Howard made a brilliant save. And then made at least another two crucial saves in quick succession to stop them making up for the penalty miss. Honestly, they looked like scoring every time they attacked. It wasn't all doom and gloom though because we created chances of our own. Mirallas had a great opportunity early on, and had another one later in the half that was brilliantly blocked. Barkley hit the bar (probably his only positive contribution), Lukaku had a header saved, he had another chance through on goal that he really should have done better with. How the game was still 0-0 at half-time is a mystery and at this point I was thinking that if we could cut down the space they were getting in midfield to run at us we could settle down in the second half and get some control.
 
It wasn't to be. We came out and played some absolute dirge. We couldn't keep hold of the ball to save our lives and I was getting more and more frustrated watching us. Villa were dominating the play but at the same time they weren't threatening us anywhere near as much as they did in the first half, which was some relief as I may have put my fist through my PC screen if we'd have really been under the cosh. Then Martinez makes a substitution that changed things completely and against the run of play we took the lead through Lukaku. Osman was brought on to replace Barkley, and where things were continually breaking down with Barkley things came together with Osman due to him just doing the simple things, rather than trying to be too clever. Lukaku's goal was this down to a tee - Osman received the ball and just simply played it to Lukaku for him to slot it home. Although Villa did create a couple of chances after we took the lead I thought from that point on that we controlled things, came into our own and really showed the difference between the Moyes era and how Martinez wants us to go about things. We kept hold of the ball excellently, which is exactly what you need in that situation; the opposition can't hurt you if you've got the ball. What I liked is that while we mostly played it around quite slowly we could go up a gear, and that's what we did to get the second goal and kill the game off. After the second goal it was complete comfort for our players.
 
Not a great performance by any means, but it's three points and somehow a clean sheet.
 
 
Howard - It's amazing what having real competition will do for a keeper. He's in top form this season and today he was immense and is the biggest factor behind us coming away with three points. He saved Benteke's penalty, which wasn't a badly taken penalty by any means, made a quality save when their player was through in on goal, raced off his line and stopped another chance when they were through again, and made other saves throughout the game. Without him being on top of his game we don't get anything out of this game. My MOTM.
 
 
Coleman - I know he didn't exactly make a challenge to give the penalty away but his positioning was awful and that's what was punished. It wasn't the only time throughout the game either; he continually got himself into sticky situations. An horrible defensive performance from him. He was slightly better attacking but his final ball was crap.
 
Jagielka and Distin - They didn't make any howlers where you could point to them and say "you fucked up there" but they just did not look a comfortable unit.
 
Baines - Didn't really click with Pienaar today (not his fault though tbh). Did OK defensively.
 
 
Mirallas - I thought it was more of a frustrating performance from him rather than a bad one as some have said. He was continually involved in the game (something he's not done an awful lot of for us this season) and got himself into some excellent positions. For example, but for a brilliant block he'd have at least tested Guzan with his shot in the first half, and maybe even have scored. Where he let himself down was with his final ball. Nevertheless, I was very encouraged with his showing.
 
Barry and McCarthy - In the first half I thought the pair of them did a terrible job of getting a grip on things in midfield and that's why we were so susceptible to them breaking on us. Neither of them really got in Villa's faces and allowed them free reign to come at us. That's not something you should allow a team like Villa to do because they're full of pace and power. In the second half they were much better in this regard and we did get control of things in the middle of the park.
 
Pienaar - He had one of those games where you just want to slap him silly. When he wasn't being a fancy dan and giving the ball away with stupid flicks in stupid areas he was coming too central and leaving Baines exposed defensively and not having any one to work with going forward.
 
 
Barkley - Another poor performance by him. Once again it's his decision making that was all wrong. I understand it's just part of his learning curve but it doesn't make it any less anger inducing. Shooting when he should be passing, passing when he should be shooting, dwelling on the ball when he needs to shift it quickly, taking unnecessary extra touches but then other times playing the pass too quickly.
 
 
Lukaku - As in the Hull game he was well defended against but this time he gave as good as he got and didn't just accept being marked. His movement was great, he showed a lot of strength when under extreme pressure. Probably could have done better with his two chances in the first half, certainly for one of them. But when that one chance fell to him in the second half when we were barely in the game he showed his class and slotted it home. You want your strikers to put them away when it matters most. That's why he's a Chelsea player and why he'll cost an arm and a leg if they decide to sell.
 
 
Osman - I have to mention him because he played a very significant role in us winning today. I have to say that I was pleased he didn't start (and I still don't think he should be starting; coming on when the games older and more stretched is the right role for him I reckon) and I wasn't convinced he was the right player to come on for us, but Martinez got it spot on. He came on and shored things up for us just by keeping things simple. That's why we got our opener, an assist for him, and then he topped things off by finishing the game by scoring himself. If not for Howard he'd have been my MOTM despite not being on the field for a massive amount of time.

Fandango ‏@WWEFandango9h @everton Just got this pic.twitter.com/XGZTZRZWRE

It looks like we're continuing with our 45 minute good performances from last season!
 
In the first half we were woeful. We had so much of the ball and did absolutely nothing with it apart from when Mirallas had that chance early on. Other than that one time we seriously lacked intent. Despite having very little of the ball West Ham still looked the better side and the more likely to score. Score they did. Yes, they got a bit of luck with the shot being deflected but I felt they deserved that luck and the goal. I really couldn't see where a goal was going to come from for us tbh.
 
The second half was a completely different story. Martinez needed to make changes, and make changes he did, and those changes made all the difference. Particularly Lukaku, and Oviedo when he came on a little later. Now we had intent, now we had someone to hit up front, now we had someone to scare the shit out of their defenders just by being on the pitch. Lukaku terrorised West Ham right from the off and gave us the platform for the rest of the team to do their stuff. Now their defenders were occupied with him, leaving our midfielders with more room to run into. Without him coming on I think we'd have just carried on frustrating. He changed the game completely. We went at them with pace and power now and they couldn't handle it. It really was just going to be a matter of time before we scored I felt. And we did. Barkley with a lovely driving run at their defence, drawing the foul for Baines to smash home the free-kick. Then some awful defending from Jagielka (it wasn't the first time) allowed them to take the lead again with a penalty. I know McCarthy actually gave the penalty away but the blame lies mostly with Jagielka, IMO. At this point I'd given the three points up and just hoped that we could get a point of it. Barkley once again with a driving run at the heart of their defence drew another foul, and red card for Noble. Baines again stepped up and put the free-kick away, I thought the second free-kick was even better than the first; he couldn't have put it in a better spot. We had all the momentum and the added advantage of an extra man and only a few minutes later we made that advantage count and got the winning goal. Mirallas with some great work down the right to cross for Lukaku to get the goal he thoroughly deserved. We saw the game out fairly comfortably from there and could have even grabbed a fourth goal.
 
We had 4 shots on target and scored 3 goals. Now that's clinical.
 
Life is good.
 
 
Howard - Barely had a thing to do and his distribution was quite good today.
 
Coleman - I thought he was very bad tbh. Offered virtually nothing as an attacking threat and was ok defensively.
 
Jagielka - Terrible game from him, and that was pretty much from the very beginning of the game right until the end. He was murdered by Jarvis early on and was only saved because Distin is a superhuman freak. Then later on in the game his poor passing at the back almost let West Ham in, he was the main reason we conceded the penalty. Also, once Petric won the ball he just stayed on the ground! And his long balls were shite.
 
Distin - Thank god he was playing really, with his partner playing like a donkey. He was rock solid. Nothing was getting past him today.
 
Baines - Acquitted himself well defensively, but it was attacking were he really flourished. I think he's struggled in that regard recently so it was nice to see him being so influential again. He bombed up and down his wing as usual but now he was a threat. And those free-kicks... I'll be honest, when he stepped for the first I wasn't confident he'd even get it over the wall. How wrong was I! Yes, Jaaskelainen was probably at fault but he smashed it. And the second one was just different class. It was inch perfect.
 
 
Naismith - Crap. That's all there is to stay.
 
Barry - Wasn't as all dominating as he was against Chelsea but he was still extremely effective at breaking up the play and being available to receive the ball at any time.
 
Osman - His injury was a blessing.
 
Mirallas - Probably our only positive in the first half, but I still didn't think he was that great. Second half he was a key player and ripped their full back a new arse hole. You could see his confidence growing each time he beat his man. He got himself a well earned assist for Lukaku's goal with his positive play. Again, I thought he was a big reason why we managed to comfortably see out the game. Having him on the pitch in those situations is priceless because he's able to keep hold of the ball in tight situation.
 
 
Barkley - On the whole quite a poor performance from him. Caught in possession quite a lot and guilty of making the wrong decisions a little too often. That being said, he was still the one who won the two free-kicks with his positive play that led to two of our goals! That's what impresses me about him; he may be having a bad game but he's not going to hide and he's not going to stop having a go.
 
 
Jelavic - Sigh... there was just nothing and he was quite rightly substituted at half-time and is going to have to get used to the bench after Lukaku's performance.
 
 
Lukaku - I don't normally talk about the subs but what a monstrous performance that was! He turned the game completely on it's head. Their defence shit themselves with him up there. He was a bully, and always looking to go at them. He came deep to receive the ball, he ran at them, he played the ball off to others, he showed strength to hold on to the ball, and he showed a willingness to put his head in where it hurts to get himself a goal. In short, he was the basis for this victory because the whole team could play off what he contributed. The only negative thing about him is that he doesn't have a great first touch and looks a little awkward when he first receives the ball, but after that he is an absolute beast.

In the first half we were terrible. We were so flat and lacked tempo for pretty much the whole half. The lack of tempo wasn't helped by there being little movement in front of our defence, so they either had to resort to passing it around aimlessly giving the Chelsea players a chance to press us or hoofing it forward a little too often. Also, other than Barry no one was picking up the runners between our defence and midfield meaning that they were opening us up so easily and created opportunities to score almost at will. We were fortunate that the defence were mostly solid because we could have been out of the game by half time. On occasion we'd get ourselves going and I'd think to myself, "right, that's it, we're in the game now." But, we'd just drift back out of it again. Very much against the run of play we took the lead just before half time in what was a lovely worked goal. Osman and Barkley showed good link up play, Jelavic showed a huge amount of desire to get on the end of a deep cross and made the right decision to head it back across for Naismith to have the simple task of nodding it home from a yard out.
 
Second half I thought we improved massively and while Chelsea did put us under pressure I actually thought we were the better, and more dangerous side. Our tempo was upped, our movement was markedly improved and we kept the ball a lot better as a result. We also showed a lot of composure with the ball which helped. If you've got the ball then the opposition can't hurt you. I thought we pressed them a lot more in the second half too, which was something we hadn't really done in the first half, and that relieved some of the pressure that we were inevitably put under. As it approached the last 20 minutes I was shitting myself with us only being one goal up and I was fully expecting us to be right under the cosh. We were put under pressure, as you'd expect, but strangely this was the period of the game when we were most dangerous and could have actually put the game to bed and come out with a 2- or 3-0 victory. I thought we were magnificent and showed something completely new than what we've come to expect. We didn't sit back and invite pressure; they came at us and then we looked to break on them and on many occasions we broke brilliantly and could have grabbed at least another goal. It was refreshing to see us keep attacking right until the end. And that made the end of the game so much more comfortable than I could have hoped for.
 
I was so proud of the second half performance and I just hope this win has given us the confidence to push on now. Things are coming together.
 
 
Howard - Very nearly cost us a goal with his ridiculous fannying about but also made some good saves to keep Chelsea out.
 
 
Coleman - He annoyed me enormously in the first half with his attacking play. Every time he went forward he lost it by running into the Chelsea man. Improved in the second half in that regard and was great defensively all game with the help of Naismith.
 
Jagielka - A few aimless punts forward and a couple of occasions when he wasn't aware of what was around him but generally a good performance.
 
Distin - Held things together at the back in the first half in particular when it looked like Chelsea would tear us apart, and kept his standards high in the second half too. Brilliant performance from the big man.
 
Baines - I don't think it was his best performance but it was certainly an improvement on what he's shown this season before yesterday. He was still a bit subdued but got involved more. Had no help whatsoever from Mirallas during the game so was often being double teamed, but he stood up to the pressure quite well. Maybe that was why he struggled to impose himself going forward?
 
 
Naismith - I thought he had a really good game. Much better than I was expecting after seeing him named on the wing. In the first half he was our best player, IMO. While most of the other players lumbered about the pitch he was full of energy and running. He looked to relieve the pressure on our defence time and time again. And his willingness to help Coleman out defensively was priceless I thought. He has the handy knack of being in the right place at the right time and he showed that perfectly with his goal by getting himself in the box. It's something that Mirallas needs to do more when he's playing out wide and the ball is coming into the box. Yes, he did mess up a few things but he fully deserved the ovation he got when he was subbed because he worked his balls off.
 
Osman - Unbelievably poor in the first half. He was caught in possession too often, lacked any desire to make himself available for the ball, and when he did have the ball he didn't use it well. He did improve in the second half. He showed improved awareness of what was around him, he passed it better and he won the ball back for us often. My one gripe with his second half showing was that he dallied on the ball too much on the edge of our penalty area, very nearly giving the ball away a few times.
 
Barry - He was absolutely quality, I hold my hands up. I decided to pay close attention to him throughout the game and he put in a phenomenal performance, he really did. That block on Eto'o after Howard's fuck up! Even if he'd done nothing else all game he'd have had my praise. How he managed to get there in time is a mystery. But that wasn't all he did. He marshalled in front of the defence perfectly and he basically snuffed out any threat that Mata might have provided by shadowing him. He didn't just follow though, he put his foot in many times as well, which is something we've really needed and lacked. Gibson and Fellaini didn't do it. Then there was the composure he brought to the midfield that obviously rubbed off on the rest. No matter what he was so calm when the ball came to him.
 
Mirallas - Absolutely anonymous in the first half. I wouldn't have minded if he'd been subbed at half time in all honestly, he was that insignificant. Offered no threat going forward and gave no help defensively. However, once he was moved up front he was a different player. He was full of energy and trickery and was one of our biggest threats. Every time he got the ball I got excited. I noticed that he really came into his own after having a chat with Martinez on the touchline during a stoppage. After that he was on fire. The only thing that was missing was a goal or an assist, but that wasn't for a lack of trying. I honestly believe that he was the main reason why the last 20 minutes of the game were so comfortable for us and that's why he gets my MOTM vote.
 
 
Barkley - I thought this was probably his poorest game for us this season, but strangely he also showed some of the best stuff he's shown this season too! During the first half I thought he looked rather jaded and a bit tired. Especially with some of his passing, which showed by him playing numerous loose passes that Chelsea could, and probably should, have capitalised on. And his decision making showed mental tiredness too. He has to learn when to release the ball to a team mate, and when he should go on his own. That will come the more he plays, and the more he messes up. But in the second half he showed, in glimpses, just what he's capable of with numerous driving runs to relieve the pressure. What really impressed me about him was his ability to be at a standstill with the ball, move the ball quickly around the Chelsea man, change direction and then be gone. His foot speed and balance was immense.
 
 
Jelavic - I really don't think he was anywhere near as bad as some have made out, and I actually thought it was probably his best performance of the season for us. Yes, he didn't hold the ball up as well as what we'd all want him to but he worked for us. Particularly in the first half he was a willing runner with the ball when things were looking a bit dodgy for us. His link-up was ok, a few occasions when players weren't on the same wavelength though. And he showed a huge amount of desire to get on the end of Ossie's cross, and then made the right decision to nod it back across goal rather than go for goal himself (no mean feat when he's got to be desperate to score himself) and got an assist to his name. My one disappointment with his showing was his finishing. He hasn't had all that many opportunities created for him but yesterday he had a few, and they were good chances too, not just half chances, and he should have done much better with all of them.

Ooooh Davie you wanted to sign Baines as cover for Evra eh, yeah just like we got Lukaku in as a goalscoring cover for Steven Naismith.
 
Wanting to leave it late? I thought clubs doing that was out of order and you wouldn't do it yourself.
 
Congrats on the 2-0 win over Palace, are you going to fine Young for his ridiculous dive like you did to Phil Neville? or does that all change now that you are a Manc?
 
There you go Marco.

Oh no, i'm concurring with Dunc... Help!!!
 
Memma what odds will you give us being above bottom 3???
 
Just a little recap on the close season - transfer window - first few games. Moyes versus Martinez...
 
 
Moysie: 1 signing made £4m more than the release clause Felli - but he missed:- Thiago, Coentrao, Fabregas, Baines, Herrera, De Rossi, Khedira... oops!
 
Roberto:- Robles, Alcaraz, Kone, McCarthy, Barry, Lukaku in, Out Fellaini and Vic with a tidy £13m profit.
 
 
Moysies first games:- A flattering win against swansea who have been poor. A negative home draw against Chelsea, and a 1-0 defeat to Liverpool. Questionable team selections and no goals in 2 games... oops!
 
Robertos first games:- 3 games all draws. Dominating but not scoring. Opponents happy to park the bus. Must do better but promising.
 
Handling the pressure:
 
Moyesie:- looks like a rabbit in headlights. Fallen out with rooney. Not playing any creative talent, already facing scrutiny off the fans. Arrogant and stupid press confrences
 
RM:- classy, dealt with underhand tactics by moyes with dignity. Has his ideas and is implementing them. Top start.

I don't take your posts seriously - no offence intended but you talk absolute nonsense. I wondered where that post came from and then seen it was you who started this "Martinez won't last the season" thread.
 
I'm guessing you are a young kid, so I'm not gonna be too harsh and maybe give you a little bit of structured debate.
 
We have lost:
 
Fellaini, Neville, Hitzlesburger, Anichebe - shaving the best part of £300k a week off our wage bill with only one player who is a regular starter. Of that we generated £32-£33m in transfer money.
 
 
We gained:
 
Mccarthy (better than felli on the deck and more suited to RM style)
Barry - an experienced solid DM - only 32 on a year loan
Robles - potentially great keeper
Alcaraz - an international quality ball playing cantre half - free
Kone - a striker who works defenders, scores goals, better than Jelavic and Anichebe
Lukaku - a potentially world class Drgba esque striker
Deulofeu - Barca next big thing
 
 
I think you are trying to justify your frankly garbage statement before martinez was even able to apply his methods. A little bit sad, you seem to be want to be proven right. Fortunately most agree, you are talking nonsense.

So that for me is a disgusting transfer window. Martinez said the squad would be stronger. It's not. What amazes me is the positivity of people when the club continues to strip valuable players away to replace them with polished turds. Everyone is going to be happy with McCarthy and lukaku. But they are direct replacements and the latter is on loan. So 33.5 mil in. Even including the early business we are 12 mil in profit.
 
Martinez is a joke - we are shopping in a world market. It's true but they have to have played for Wigan first. We have now got the spine of a relegated team in our squad great!!!!
 
Was buying Kone for 6 mil to sell vic for six good busineess no way he is 5 years older.

Over rated
 
Luke Shaw

Some people just don't read things thoroughly .

ALAN MYERS ‏@ALANMYERS11h
For those asking: No Felli did NOT pay £4M of the transfer fee! The buying Club will pay £27.5M

Can't tell you how happy I am that we've finally got him here. I've been watching him since he was 17 and only wish we'd had the foresight to sign him from Hamilton for the £1.2million Wigan got him for.
 
We probably have overpaid slightly but we're the only ones to blame for that, and I fully believe he'll repay that fee anyway.

His head wouldn't fit through the door.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfU1EEuo9rk&feature=player_embedded
 
 
SRS FCE.
 


 
 
hahahahahahahahahahah

haha!!! Is he opting for a short stint at old trafford???

Ozil is a brilliant player.
 
I would be pissed if I was a united fan and they weren't in for him!

Can definitely see arguments for Spurs not loaning us players but then again they did loan us Pienaar.

Credit one of the GOT lads, but I like this.