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Today sums up Everton and Liverpool. We get a player sent off for diving. Liverpool dive and get awarded penalty!

Ok, I have taken a deep breath, counted to ten and had a cup of tea so, hopefully, a considered post.
 
There was a lot of good stuff on display today. But we weren't unlucky to lose. We gave West Ham the chance to come back into the game and they grabbed it.
 
Mirallas' sending off was stupid but, lets remember we played better without him, went 2-0 up and should have made it 3-0 or 4-0. The missed pen was a psychological turning point and that is our weakness. We are not mentally strong enough. We have heart, we have belief, we have team spirit. What we don't have is a Roy Keane type leader on the pitch. Martinez is going to be good for us, eventually, I think. But only if he is surrounded by the right people. Jags is a popular captain but any damn fool can be popular. We need a snide, nasty bastard out there to terrify our players as much as the opposition. Until we get someone like that then we will always risk imploding from a winning position again. That is only Martinez' fault insofar as he hasn't signed such a player.
 
I don't think it's time for a witch hunt. I think it's time to appreciate the many good things we saw today, acknowledge our weaknesses and do something about it in the summer transfer window. Europa league place has gone so strongest team for the FA Cup and lets have a look at Liam Walsh, Kieran Dowell, etc in the first team.

It's great to see him talking so positively about next season:
 
"...as a team, we are going to get better as well. Next year, next year is going to be fun. This year is exciting, next year even more.
 
“I can’t say Leicester are going to be champions or we are going to make it to the European spots. But they can and we can. It’s that close. But next year? I can’t wait. I am excited.” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/everton/12152121/Everton-striker-Romelu-Lukaku-At-the-moment-I-know-I-am-good-really-good.html

It's great to see him talking so positively about next season:
 
"...as a team, we are going to get better as well. Next year, next year is going to be fun. This year is exciting, next year even more.
 
“I can’t say Leicester are going to be champions or we are going to make it to the European spots. But they can and we can. It’s that close. But next year? I can’t wait. I am excited.” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/everton/12152121/Everton-striker-Romelu-Lukaku-At-the-moment-I-know-I-am-good-really-good.html

Post spotted on a Leeds United website:
 
'Everton get most things right and are deservedly known as the 'peoples club'.
 
Its not just the way they conduct themselves in the community as they don't rip their fans off and they were the only top flight club to help out Carlisle last month.
 
Classy club'.

It's great to see him talking so positively about next season:
 
"...as a team, we are going to get better as well. Next year, next year is going to be fun. This year is exciting, next year even more.
 
“I can’t say Leicester are going to be champions or we are going to make it to the European spots. But they can and we can. It’s that close. But next year? I can’t wait. I am excited.” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/everton/12152121/Everton-striker-Romelu-Lukaku-At-the-moment-I-know-I-am-good-really-good.html

I don't know how familiar you are with baseball. So, I'll break it down like this: it is very, very, very difficult to make the postseason and the teams he put together did it several times in his tenure. Things also change quickly. My team, the Detroit Tigers had a record-breaking losing season in 2003. Then, 3 years later, with the same owner and general manager, they went to the World Series. We've had solid seasons and shit seasons since then. One year the team looks inspiring, the next year someone else passes them by. Everybody has someone to blame. Ownership is the simple solution for fans.
 
http://m.mlb.com/news/article/36813722/
As this link shows, there's also a totally different perspective on what Moores did for the Padres and San Diego during his ownership. You can never really be sure about trusting the loudest segment of the fan base when it comes to talking about owners. If people only listened to vocal fans' assertions about Kenwright, they would think he was the great Satan. We know that his ownership of the club isn't a single narrative.

Still good fans out there. Proud of Everton of late.
- Raised over £8k for Carlisle to grow a new pitch (£7500 was needed nationally, our fans smashed it on their own).
- First club to show public support and awareness for Mental Health.
- Raising £1000 for Lucas Legacy charity just via donation buckets at Stoke.
- The biggest (and loudest) supporter for away ticket price caps (EFC wanted £20pt.)
Just the last month. We don't have the mega money that most clubs do but we work together as a community, a family. True people's club. Love it.

Can he take all of our corners please?

Ross was excellent and it was good to see him keep going when things weren't going right for him, rather than hide like he did at times last season, but MoM for me is Aaron Lennon. He netted when it looked as though we never would, worked his little socks off, and seems to lift the whole team. Honourable mention for James McCarthy, who closed down anything that moved and looked right back to his best. Hopefully the enforced rest has done him good and he'll finish the season in good form.

Stones should never have been in the situation where he needed to pass it back to Howard. It was poncing about instead of clearing it upfield that caused the problem. Stones fault 100%. Stones seems to think that 'hoofing it' is beneath him. There are times (and this was one) where you have to hoof it.

Well sometimes you have to say what you see
 
Frankly, if we can sell Stones for a bag full of cash after that performance I think I would grab the money and run like hell.

Passengers galore today. Rom and Ross the biggest culprits. Diabolical performances from the pair of them.
 
Angry beyond words by what I've sat through today.

Disgusting some of the ironic jeers at Howard. Disgrace.

Stones needs benching. He is a great player but he is nowhere near as good as he thinks he is and he needs to get his attitude adjusted. Jags and Mori for Wednesday night for me.

He doesn't look up for it. He's a talented lad, but let's face facts, his future won't be with us. Sell now while his stock is high, sign a solid CB to back up Jags, Mori and Galloway, a right-back and a striker.
 
Then do everything humanly possible to keep Lukaku and Geri.

He had a shocker today.
 
And this is where Martinez needs to be coaching him about his errors rather than just say 'he'll learn' etc. Yes, he'll learn...but you also need to be told!!!
 
Today, there was no need for what he did leading to the penalty. I think he tries to play it too calm, which can also mean too slow...not a good thing when you are getting hounded by an opposition player.
 
I think his future will be elsewhere. I think his relationship with the fans is becoming fractious, evident today with some more stone faced stares.
 
I think he'll fit right in at Barcelona.

Since the summer his ego has certainly gone through the roof. How do I know this.... I can see it in his body language and facial expressions. No longer is he a lucky lad playing in the PL. He's now billy big bollocks playing for a mid table side

Deutschland 83' is brilliant plus Mo Besic plays the lead role.

Despite all his good charity work, and effort on the pitch, he'll forever be remembered for this moment in my eyes:
 

How do I think he should have responded?
 
Well based on what I think of his performances when he has had time on the pitch up till the Chelsea game I don't think he had any claims for minutes on the pitch. I personally do not think he has been anywhere near the level he can be both in attitude and performance.
 
So after 1 solid game where he scored a good goal - do I think he was a bit quick to stake a claim? Yeah I do.
 
So my response would have been something like:- "I felt good out there today and it showed in my performance, competition for places is strong so lets hope I have staked my claim and can show some form"

People will realise what a good player and finisher he is now... he will bag goals for them and become a massive crowd favourite.
 
Yes - for any Norwich fans having a nose - my opinion is this below....
 
A very very underrated football player and excellent finisher. His intelligence is excellent - he energises the team, he gets in the face of the opponents and he doesn't respect names. He isn't the quickest, he is good in the air, he is reasonably strong, he is pretty accurate with his shooting but hasn't got what you would call a hard shot.
 
The reality is - he is a tremendous asset to any squad and manager. In this day of greedy footballers who don't play for the shirt - he is a blast from the past. His mental strength is the most impressive thing about him, 2 cruciate injuries, a tough introduction to the league and he never gave up.
 
I can honestly say hand on heart that he is the most impressive "PERSON" I have seen at the club in a long long time. You will never find him hiding - even when he is having a poor game. He gives back to the community and people less fortunate.
 
Enjoy him - he will always get a fond reception from Evertonians.

Good luck to him. Think he'll do fantastic there personally.
 
For any Norwich fan that may be trawling this site, just know that he's a limited footballer but an incredible person. His attitude to life, to family and the under-privileged is second to none. A brilliant personality to have in a dressing room and a great role model for younger kids. He's a terror on the pitch and although he's technically lacking, he'll make up for it in effort and commitment (and his finishing is sublime).
 
A better person than a player but sometimes, they're usually, harder to find.

I feel that the talent we have now is not coping with the increased expectations of playing well. Some of the mental f*ck-ups are unbeliavable for pros, and some of them are excellent pros (like Jags).
 
If we lose one of the big two, and we can replace it with 3 or four more players at the same level as the Deulofeu, Besic, Mori... it will be all right. There are not so many good strikers as Lukaku, so I reckon that losing Stones would be less damaging than losing Lukaku, and the top teams need him more. Barcelona could pay up to £50m to land their perfect CB, we'd never play him again unless CL and if you can find another Funes Mori I'll be ecstatic.
 
The picture changes a lot if what they bring in is another Alcaraz, though.

Just watched the interview again and Martinez was very good; showed his anger in a professional manner, pointed out the obvious flaws, defended his team but also criticised the squad. I wish he had this honesty and strength in all his interviews.