Sub-Par

Adam McCulloch 09/03/2016 14comments  |  Jump to last

So where do we go from here? I have gone past confusion, anger, despair and I am now in a new stage of Evertonian grief – blank-faced incredulity. I headed for work on Saturday evening with us cruising 2-0 at home, albeit with 10 men. Soon after, my sister texted me “2-2 sorry,” apologetic over another embarrassing collapse. My response? “I don't believe it” followed by “Well actually I do.” We all know what followed.

Results like these happen once or twice in a season. We’ve all watched enough football to know that. A Geordie mate of mine still can’t believe we did them in on Boxing Day with a Tom Cleverley bullet header (sic). It says a lot about the campaign that a result of that nature was one of my highlights. But most worrying is that Saturday’s result was no shock. I almost shrugged it off... Almost. Bournemouth, Stoke, Chelsea. And now West Ham.

I am not shocked by this result and others like it because nagging inconsistency, appalling game management, and a complete lack of awareness and acceptance have become the norm under Martinez. Shock was indeed the latest excuse pedalled to the media after Saturday. Shock over a penalty miss from our most clinical player, who had scored one and laid on another. We can point again to poor officiating, to bad luck, but we only have one person to direct our anger towards.

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I wrote not too long ago about the nonsensical drivel that Martinez spins to the press regularly (A Close Reading). On Saturday, he probably gave Lukaku as good a reason as any to leave Goodison come the summer, notwithstanding the thought that he might have to spend another season criminally underachieving under a coach with one plan. A failing plan.

I realise that even by penning this article I am treading over old ground. And therein lies the problem. In the cutthroat world of modern football, how on earth can we continue to stomach this, week-in and week-out? The only thing consistent about our club is that, after every result, even a positive like the 3-1 away win at Villa not too long ago, there will be a nagging sense that something is amiss.

It might be the way that basic lessons are not being heeded. It might be a perceived soft core, a lack of fight and mental toughness. It might be that, for all the media-hype – the last, crumbling bastion of Martinez’s reputation – the so-called attacking football on show is not as penetrating as we are told it is. After every game, we are undoubtedly disagreeing with the man in charge, three points or not.

The time has come for a substitution in the managerial sense. It’s fitting, because much of the ire from Saturday focussed on another poor showing on this front. And it’s another nail in this promising but pitiful chapter of our recent history. Just try and think of a manager who has made less game-changing substitutions than Martinez. I look back on this current season and besides the “wild-card” introduction of Arouna Kone against a naïve Watford side surprised to be leading, and the enforced change that brought Steven Naismith to the fore against Chelsea, I can think of no others. The bitter loss to West Ham shows how badly the man can get it when he does change things up.

I listen to the Football Weekly podcast often, and in the build-up to our weekend game they said that Slaven Bilic is the sort of manager you would run through a brick wall for. Roberto Martinez is the sort of manager who would tell you that the wall is a window and what a lovely view it was out there. With new money and new ownership, let's point him towards the door.

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Reader Comments (14)

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David Harrison
1 Posted 09/03/2016 at 15:58:00
Don't worry about treading over old ground Adam. The club need the message repeating as often, as loudly and as clearly as possible. MARTINEZ MUST GO!!
Ray Hughes
2 Posted 09/03/2016 at 17:19:35
Evertonians have been so loyal to this inadequate phoney who is clueless about structure, strategy and selection. He's frightened of most of the bigger names, he should have seen Howard off months ago. He's dividing supporters and disappointing us, week-in & week-out.

He's an embarrassment when he speaks, he talks such tosh. Kenwright, God bless him, has always been an inert bottler, hopefully Moshri will see through this guy ASAP. He'll never work in the Premier League again and, frankly, no other club would entertain him and every other Premier League or Championship club would have seen him off a long time ago.

He really has to go and go quickly before he damages us anymore than he has already.
Andy Crooks
3 Posted 09/03/2016 at 20:47:39
Adam, there is a really good phrase in your article, "a nagging sense that something is amiss," This is perfect. Even when we win I have never had the sense that it was brilliant.

There has always been an element of doubt. Something untoward is always under the surface. There is something badly wrong with our team and our coaching set up. Our results are so at odds with our squad that it is almost uncanny.

In my view, we have survived in the premier league because the quality of our squad narrowly outweighs the complete and utter cluelessnes and ineptitude of Roberto Martinez.

Dick Fearon
4 Posted 09/03/2016 at 21:28:11
In case he stays, I am closely watching the run up toward the Championship play-offs.

Therein could be challengers to our Premier League survival.

Adam McCulloch
5 Posted 09/03/2016 at 22:12:58
When Moyes’s tenure was ever called into question, there were always arguments, often viable, that he still was the best man for the job. We would often rightly be frustrated at his pragmatism but a brief look back into the days of Walter Smith would often reassure us that things could be worse. With Martinez there seems something close to unanimous discord from the fans.

The one saving grace is that our much-heralded (on paper) squad has something that a lot of the Moyes era did not; genuine star names, and with it player power. If Martinez loses the dressing room, it would surely be curtains.

James Stewart
6 Posted 09/03/2016 at 22:46:34
Completely agree. I thought about writing a similar piece to this Adam but couldn’t face it so kudos to you sir.

We have lost all self respect as a club and are just sleeping walking into quicksand. When was the Job of Everton manager such a position that results don’t matter? Or a position that you could hold without grasping the basic fundamentals of football? No other manager at any level would have made those changes against West Ham. Bringing on Niasse, a striker, with Lukaku already on the pitch and when down to 10 men with a 2-0 lead is just plain idiocy. Not for the first time we have seen such game management from RM that can only be described as dogshit.

Not picking up a single point from homes games against Swansea, Stoke, West Brom, Leicester, Man Utd and West Ham is simply ridiculous. 45 points lost from winning positions under Martinez since 2013. Another unwanted league record.

Every day, I check the BBC and ToffeeWeb praying that this confidence trickster has been shown the door. Hopefully Moshiri will bring a new man in who is not a a complete saboteur and we can stop being the charity case and laughing stock of the league.


Paul Kossoff
7 Posted 10/03/2016 at 16:12:06
I think we are glossing over the fact that even if Lennon had stayed on the pitch we would not have conceded those three goals, the defence was a shambles for all three, amateurish is doing an injustice to amateurs.

It is not rocket science for defenders to do there job and close the opposition down and stop the crosses!!!

But at the core fault of Everyone defence the problem is Martinez, sorry but he has to go.

Richard Dodd
8 Posted 10/03/2016 at 16:22:54
We constantly hear from Martinez that success is just around the corner. That our squad is so talented that only bad luck, bad refs and bad timing is preventing 'the philosophy'from being successful.

Ignore the 9 wins in 28 stats, the defensive lapses, the inability to'stay the distance' for any fool can see we have never got our just deserts. A 'last third' burst in which all the fates will aspire in our cause rather than conspire against it will provide all the pleasure and success we have ever hoped for.

Sounds bloody good to me. It's just the sort of day-dreaming that a more innocent Richard Dodd indulged in during the Moyes years.

It was bullshit then and bullshit now. I should know!

Robin Cannon
9 Posted 10/03/2016 at 16:24:01
@Andy (3) - "Even when we win I have never had the sense that it was brilliant."

I'd have to disagree with that; and that's the most frustrating thing about Roberto. There have been a good number of times over the past nearly three seasons where we have looked brilliant.

It's what makes the consistent failures more frustrating. Because for all his failure (and it is a failure), he's also introduced some pieces to the team that are great.

Paul Kossoff
10 Posted 10/03/2016 at 16:27:53
I meant the core fault of Everton's defence, the problem is Martinez.
Peter Lee
11 Posted 10/03/2016 at 17:52:27
Paul, I think that you meant that we would have conceded (from crosses) even if Lennon had stayed on the pitch.

Fact is, that whilst he was and we had a working 4-4-1 we not only held the opposition at bay, we had one pen awarded (that wasn't), one that wasn't awarded (that was) and created a really good one-on- one for Lukaku. In that time W Ham didn't look like scoring. Their manager said in interview that if we'd scored the pen it could have been 4 or five for us.

The big mistake was not replacing Lennon with a left-sided midfield player. Playing two up front left us unable to double-up on each wing and stop crosses coming in. Any defender will tell you that is where it starts. We could have put Baines on, switching Oviedo to left-midfield, we could have put Osman on who knows the job that needs to be done. The late switch of Barry, who had been vomiting during the match I am told, meant too much of a reorganisation in my view.

All that said, I finally lost hope with Roberto on Saturday. The initial team selection was appalling. We were all at sea and were lucky to be one up given the lack of shape and confidence in the system I sensed behind the front three. Roberto has tried three at the back before; I think he sees it as something to work towards. He tried it when we were 3-0 and cruising at Villa last week and we lost all shape and drive from that point forward. Incidentally, when Gestede had three centre-backs to choose from he walked straight over to Stones. Wonder why?

Mirallas' sending off forced the reorganisation to 4-4-1. If we had gone on to win the game I would have counted the reorganisation as stroke of luck rather than planned, although the substitution of Basic for Stones did much to make it work so credit the manager for that.
David Pearl
12 Posted 10/03/2016 at 18:34:09
I think Martinez is right that with this squad, and definitely with a couple of top quality additions it could go far. If he has lost the players then he must go. If he hasn’t he won’t and will be given time.

I just wish I would stop hearing that he only has Plan A or Preperation H or whatever. He hasn’t. If we are in control of the game that should be whatever minute we are in. Hands up anyone on here that played anything other than 4-4-2 growing up.

I played and trained at 3 professional clubs (until the old knee couldn’t handle it) and never once played anything else. Our pre-training was a couple times around the pitch. We have been behind the rest of the world for a few decades.

Anyway – within the system we play it allows for players to play in many different shapes and positions as the game changes during the course of 90 minutes. Its frustrating that we can see with our own eyes the good within the team.., but as soon as any doubt creeps in its all panic. Maybe that does come straight back to the manager but these are professional players on millions we are talking about. A bit more than my £27.50 a week.

Alan Bodell
13 Posted 10/03/2016 at 19:02:36
With a proper manager that this excellent squad respected and believed in we would be in the top 6 at least, like so many on here I believe his time is up and Moshiri needs a far better man to oversee his investment and our hopes and dreams.

Hopefully we win on Saturday but if we don’t then hopefully we get a chance to dump in before this season gets even more dire.

Paul Kossoff
14 Posted 10/03/2016 at 19:53:19
Paul 11, Even if Lennon had stayed on we would still have conceded either from crosses or through the middle, one man very rarely makes a difference unless it's a Messi or Ronaldo definitely not Lennon.

We still, after Mirallas went off had enough defenders to keep W Ham out, and if Lukaku and Niasse would have helped instead of going for strolls, possibly we could have held on.

West Ham scored from a free six-yard header against Spurs when there was 11 Spurs men in the penalty area, you just need to be more organised and aware of what you are supposed to do, but if our defence is dependant on 5ft-5in Lennon to stop us conceding then God help us.

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