From My Seat: Stoke City (A)

I also can’t remember any recent cock ups by him and that’s all I can remember with Howard.

Martinez seems to be listening to the bad media slagging he has been getting and there seemed to be a change in tempo and a more balanced team which has helped, hope this continues.

Is this the earliest you have put a report in Ken? A good one as usual anyway. thanks.

Are you just trying to provoke a response or was that a genuine attempt at sensible debate, or are you just upset that Tim Howard could be finally on his way out?

Genuinely interested.

Pleased that the obstinate one has finally listened and changed tactics and personnel.

Thank you, Jason Derulo.

For the first time for thirty long years we have the potential to do something special in the next few years. Martinez is solely to thank for this optimism. Let’s make sure we don’t drive him away and the great youngsters with him.

Leaving aside the fact that the claim isn't quite true (Martinez has actually been coming in for some belated stick from both journos and ex-pro's recently), how is it in any way ironic?

Gloating, is a pretty base reaction to a few wins and totally misses the point, that we’re all genuinely concerned about our progress.

If you think you’ve gained some moral victory because of the last few results, you're a fool, because there’s still a lot wrong with the club.

Of course we were all overjoyed by today’s win but show some humility, it’s not the beginning of a golden era, just 1 good result.

I'd like to see us close other players down more and press further up the pitch as we are very much a defend-and-counter team at the moment.

Felt like I had watched the game after reading this. Thanks!

The bias is now getting out of hand. I thought it had reached its peak when Shearer openly said, on MotD, at the time of Chelsea’s gross tracking of Stones,bthat Stones should go to Chelsea, thus getting away with sticking his thick-as-pigshit nose into another club’s affairs.

The metropolis-based media has always been slanted to the London clubs. Media City in Manchester ditto. But tonight was on another level.

Spurs won 1-0 at home to Watford and get a lavish,nfawning analysis. We win 3-0 away at Stoke and get dismissed.

The real issue – what do we do about it?

I know a lot of people have noted the absence of Howard and Stones. I am wondering how significant the absence of Deulofeu is. Fantastic talent going forward but it may be that defensively he leaves more open? Thoughts?

Really? Just by his mere presence? Joel hasn't had to make a play yet. Amazing you give him the credit over another reserve who has actually done the work, and done it brilliantly.

I say the introduction of OVIEDO has helped tighten the defence. Love Bainesy, but he doesn't pressure crosses or tackle in the open anymore. Baby dominated Shaqiri (the guy who blew us off) so completely that the little twat was subbed off.

I'll hold off on kowtowing to Robles until he needs to come up big. Baby's the big plus right now.

Tough this. A changing of the guard is going to happen this year. Tough because I love Leighton on and off the pitch. There comes a time and it is fast approaching when picking an older player repeatedly holds back progress. Because of Oveido and Garbutt the left back berth is under that microscope now and I'm not unhappy that the manager has made the bold choice to drop Baines.

It's like losing a best friend but the writing is on the walland I for one would not be surprised if Leighton left this summer but I believe it will be summer 2017.

Mike mate is your hesitation over Howard down to your admirable love for USA football?

Howard is finished MG. Famous last words!

My hunch is that Robles will finish out the season now and rightly so. Did I hear this correctly: EFC 10 clean sheets this season; 9 with Joel between the sticks?

Agree with you about Oviedo and would add Stones to the mix. We have been far better defensively with Stones, Howard and Baines on the sidelines.

It was Jay who made the point about Robles, and I think it's fiction. None of us has any idea in the world whether "Howard's poor form has left the defence nervous" because none of us has actually spoken with them. Having been around professional athletes for about half of my life, I don't believe for a minute that veteran pros get nervous and play differently depending on who's in goal.

Besides, as the emergency keeper on some of my teams over the years, I found my defenders actually played harder because they knew I was crap. Threw themselves in front of a lot more shots. Fear is a great motivator.

Very enjoyable report Ken. We fielded a team of great character who played to the script and won the day. A real professional performance against a useful Stoke side strengthened by recent signings. Okay, they won't be up to speed just yet but we did a fine job nevertheless.

Upcoming matches against the Baggies and Bournemouth will present us with a completely different set of problems and it will be interesting to see how we plan to deal with them.

Del's time will come again. He's an exceptional talent, just that he can't go more than 60 minutes. I wonder if he's out while he builds up a base of stamina. Overtrain and then release onto an unsuspecting league?

Today's performance was top drawer. We still seem a better team without the majority of the ball. It's been true all season.

Tactical or fluke? Don't care. My overall view on Roberto's suitability for us won't be influenced by just a couple of games.

He will never change his sacred philosophy and the old style will return as soon as he feels it safe to do so. This is a replica of 14/15 when the season was saved by a run of six games in which he relied on the players to call the shots.

Pity really because if he wasn't such a ' style fanatic'/control freak,' he could be a decent manager. But come what may, he's ours for a long time yet !

He has always looked fitter and gives the team the energy and desire that quite a few of the bigger names lack and play in a sleepwalk fashion.

Rom, Ross. Great stuff.

And Row Z when required.

There are very few who have consistent brilliance. The rest have 'form'. Judge them on what you see in them over a decent period and enjoy the high points.

We were crying out for Del to replace Lennon. It gave us a boost in creativity. If Del plays well and then Lennon hits form just as Del starts to struggle, then you'd have to give Martinez some credit? Even more so if Del starts lighting up the league again when he eventually forces his way back in.

If only Mirallas could stay fit to take his chance...

If you rewind the goals against this season what is the ratio of great attacking play to piss poor defence? 5:1? 6;1? Or even more. Therefore if we can add clean sheets or even concededing 1 to our game, I don't fear anyone.

We've got the derby in which we will do the usual freeze, despite this being the worst RS side I've seen (I say that every year mind) the mancs at OT and Leicester away. The arse at home, but there's no reason why we can't have a storming end to the season.

36 points up for grabs the season starts here.

He had a load of stick on here before he even joined the club and plenty did not want Everton to sign him, I like Geri and he will come again but Lennon has come in and taken his chance very well, and should continue to stay in the side.

It was very much the same as it has been all season, just different personnel. Unfortunately that doesn’t suit the Martinez Out brigade or the fans that seem to know better than the manager.

Robles has had three clean sheets and may not have been the busiest but he has done what is needed when it was needed. The other piece that was different was the dangerous playing with the ball at the back and that can most certainly be attributed to Jags and Funes Mori (and the fact that Stones was missing)

Thinking long term, I wonder if moving Stones into the role that was played by McCarthy yesterday when Barry's legs start giving out. He has the vision and the ball control. That would also have McCarthy playing the more holding role that Barry currently plays.

Finally, let's agree with Ken, a win away at Stoke can only be seen as a positive so let's stop moaning. And as always, thanks to Ken for another great report!

With Howard in the team the defence appear more nervous, something I couldn’t detect yesterday. All in all it was a very good performance and if we’d played like that in some of the drawn games we’d be looking at a CL spot. Maybe Martinez has realised that possession is NOT the be all an end all of football.

Whether Stones, a fantastic prospect but still learning, or Howard walk back into the team when they are fit again is down to Martinez but it would be a retrograde step in my opinion to start changing the side unnecessarily.

Lennon is on the right, more defensive than Deulofeu, Cleverley on the left, more defensive than whoever plays out there so the team looks more solid. Jagielka and Funes Mori at the back who are older and more experienced than Stones so know when to hoof and when to do step overs.

I am certain that Martinez is still saying go out and express yourselves, which is his philosophy its just the players are more experienced it has nothing at all to do with the tactics, it's just easier to say that so Martinez can be blamed for our league position and not blame the players.

You change the personnel, each of whom plays a different sort of game, and this will change the tactics. Lennon is better defensively so that change will alter how the game develops. If it was a like for like change then fair enough, nothing would change. Jagielka and Funes Mori at the back will play a different game to Jagielka and Stones, so, by making that change, you are altering the tactics.

You don’t have to be "privy to this information", you just have to be able to watch a game and appreciate that a change of personnel involves a change of tactics ....

Look, I'm off to my wine cellar to choose a suitable grand cru for dinner....if you respond then you'll have to wait some time for a reply...

The instructions or tactics from the manager will be the same, how the 2 players interpret those instructions to reach the end goal will be different so we play differently but the tactics don't change.

That was why I said tactics haven't changed, the way the players interpret them are different.

Baines is an Everton hero for me, but great to see Bryan fit and well. Him and Tom remind me of Leighton and Steven at their best, and that was up to Holy Trinity standards. We have a great squad, please use them well Roberto.

Some players will look better in good team performances rather than being the cause of good performances. The art of management is figuring out who or what actually improves our team performance.

I still think getting Baines/Oviedo and Coleman on the pitch is key for us. We never look the same threat without two attacking full backs.

When you think that as well as the team played yesterday, we have Stones, Baines, Mirallas and Deulofeu in reserve. With this squad we should have been thinking top 6 minimum and possibly even top 4.

So, while the last couple of results have been pleasing, I can't help but think we have blown a great chance.

I'm not sure he changed the tactics per se, he picked a balanced team with in-form players who had a better idea of what they were doing and were physically able to do do the job.

I did like the way we looked determined to keep a clean sheet.

A good week. We need to keep it up before we start getting excited.

Osman or Cleverley, won’t go past players, but they keep the ball, and even more importantly, they keep their shape. It might be a coincidence? but when Kone came on for Deulofeu, at Man City, we lost our balance, our shape, and our game plan. Stones was left exposed, and we missed out on a trip to Wembley.

Everton are too easy to play against, is what everyone has been saying for way too long, and this has surely been because, both Barkley and Kone, have been playing wide left. Only they don’t stay wide, or even left, they go inside to try and help Lukaku. Not to bad when we have the ball, but absolutely criminal from a defensive point of view.

Let me remind you

In the last 3 games:

No more tippy tappy shite at the back.

Punts up the field or row Z when the defenders are under pressure.

The opposition are being closed down and not being allowed acres of space.

MF are linking up better.

We are not obsessed with possession for possession sake and therefore moving the ball up the pitch quicker.

All of those things are changes in philosophy and tactics that supporters and pundits have been crying out for all season.

They are not just down to personnel changes.

Also for those knocking Bainesy the lad has been carrying a knock for weeks and at his best is the best LB on the books. Oviedo had a great game but lets see if he can maintain it and remain uninjured before we start giving Bainesys spot away.

I just find it weird that the better defending came only now with personnel changes, but that given newcastle and stoke are in a rut, we won't get tested till West Ham and Arsenal, so did we improve or that we just got easier games against out of form teams?

I want to see how this team fares against the contenders and how flexible RM can be when his whole team is fit. I am sure we'll be much better than where we were before, I just don't feel as confident they can dictate play and shape as well as the past 2 games.

Think RM should be judged on the bigger picture, transforming the quality of the squad, the assets and the reputation for attractive football that brings in the talent which want to play for Everton right now.

As the squad is young and as the new style of football beds in and as the squad gets stronger, fitter and each one has to compete for a place then the performances and the results will pick up.

It is not so much the tactics that the results have been negative, think it has been individual blunders, numbers of injuries and some dodgy refereeing.

Think RM needs to grasp the GK issue - his one mistake for me this season.

" Why only now" is down to the intransigence of the manager. Despite some posters on here disagreeing, the majority of fans have wanted to see changes in both personnel and tactics all season but Martinez has stubbornly refused to act. It's been clear to many that when Lennon, who accepts defensive responsibilities, plays Coleman has more freedom to forage forward and with a fit again Oviedo or Baines doing the same we look a better team. True, Newcastle are no great side but have been playing a little better until they played us. Stoke also, but is it JUST them playing badly or us making them look bad. Whatever, we can only beat what's in front of us. And we did, handsomely.

Simon#60

We may have replaced a winger with a winger but if you can't spot the difference in styles between Lennon and Deulofeu.....
Jay Harris #70 says it so much better than I can. Or need to.

If we take Jay #71 and look at what he has put I still don't see it as a change in tactics. No more tippy tappy shite at the back, I think you will agree that both Jagielka and Mori don't have the ability to do that, I do agree though it is better but maybe instead of a change of tactics they are more aware than Stones when to do it and when not to do it. This is down to experience. Punts upfield, see above. Opposition being closed down, I agree that this is better and I would suggest that this is down to Cleverley on the left and Lennon on the right and McCarthy back to fitness.

This is what Martinez has been after, but at the beginning of the season Delefeuo was starting and became most creative player with assists but defensively not as good and can only last about 60 minutes at the time Martinez was okay with this but recently performances havent been as good so Lennon has been brought in.

I believe that he gives the same instuctions to Lennon as he did Delofeuo but he knows that Lennon will get back and defend better and can last longer, again a change of personel but not the tactics.
Midfield linking up better I think is down to the players playing there are more comfortable on the ball ie Cleverley or Osman as opposed to Kone, I think if Pienaar was in there we would be just as solid. Again not tactics.

The one thing I would say is the back 4 look alot more comfortable and relaxed with Robles behind them as opposed to Howard and hopefully that remains the case for the rest of the season. The one thing we seem to agree on is that something had to happen and hopefully whatever it is, it continues for the rest of the season.

For those saying that it wasn't possessions for possessions sake, newsflash. We have been playing low possession counterattack all season. And guess what, we played a lot of it last season too. We have been playing that way away from home forever.

Our defense away from home is actually 4th best in the premier league !!! (Sttato link: http://www.statto.com/football/teams/Everton). At home our defense is 20th (i.e. the worst) in premier league while our attack at home is the 2nd best in the premier league (attack away from home is 4th best in PL).

So why are we so rubbish at home ? Why aren't we playing better ? Could it have something to do with the type of support we are receiving at home ? abuse hurled at young players making individual mistakes? Silent Goodison which doesn't like 'boring' football (this boring brand has resulted in the highest number of goals scored at a home venue in all of PL this year incidentally) ?

Any idea who is second best? Yes, it’s us. We are 8 points better off and playing some fantastic attacking football. Progress or regression? I suppose the answer to that depends on whether you base it on last season, or the season before, or the goals scored, or trophies won, or which camp you have become established in,or indeed any other measurement that you wish to apply.

I enjoy watching this team and believe we have some great times just around the corner with Martinez still at the helm.

It is fairly simple why we have been poorer at GP this year. We have been to gung ho in our shape and tactics making us vulnerable to counter attack. We have also made too many individual errors.

When you only win 4 out of 13 games and ship goals at an alarming rate it is no surprise the crowd have been edgy and have vented their frustration at times.

Of course there is a bit of chicken and egg. The players are not immune to hearing the crowd reaction. But it's fairly simple, start playing better and the crowd follows.

Simon do you think if Lennon, would have went on at City in the cup instead of Kone, that Stones wouldn't have got so exposed?

My own opinion was that change, changed everything. Shape, balance, and a lack of pace to counter attack, even changed our game plan. This at a time when we were just over twenty minutes from a cup final, we decided to open up the pitch for city

If you can't see that the change in personnel hasn't altered tactics, then why does our left side have a much better defensive shape at the minute?

Phil Walling says it won't last, and with the introduction of Niasse, I wouldn't bet against him. Only time will tell.

Well that is great to see.

I know there will be a rush to quote goals against but I am 55 going on 15 and love seeing our goals !

I think Robles, as done ok, but not much competition when we have Howard as first choice. And he would have to be an improvement on him.

Lets see how Robles, gets on with better opposition and shots coming in from all angles. If he keeps is place, that is.

Lennon, Iv'e always rated him. And was over the moon when we bought him. He as a lot more to is him game other than speed. He's not greedy and as a good eye when to pass to someone in a better scoring position. He should keep his place, but who knows with RM.

West brom, on paper a walk over. But any Pulis team, you know there could always be a shock instore. Lets hope not.

First of all, I was pleasantly surprised by the result as Stoke. We have an awful record there and a 3 0 win, regardless of how well Stoke are playing is a good result.

However, like others, I would caution against the "having turned the corner" rhetoric. We can only beat what is put in front of us but wins over Carlisle, a very poor Newcastle team and Stoke shouldn't erase all the awful performances we have witnessed this season. It was only a couple of weeks ago that we were comprehensively hammered at City in the one game that really mattered after being 3 1 up. I would like to believe this is the start of an upturn in fortunes, but we have been down this road before last season when a few wins masked all the major problems we had. Lets see if we can continue this till the end of the season before getting excited.

As a side issue, Nigel #76, we have been awful at home for nigh on 2 years now. Evertonians are a patient bunch but what we have witnessed over the last couple of years has finally worn us down to the point whereby the atmosphere is ridiculously bad. The style of football has been dull, unexciting, tepid in the extreme which is why we are at the point at which we are. Creating an atmosphere at a ground is a two way thing. The supporters can only create an atmosphere for so long when the football on offer is not exciting. When Martinez first took over, the atmosphere at the ground was fine, but slowly over the last 2 and half seasons, that has been eroded to the point whereby the opposition fans regularly take the piss, and to blame the supporters when the style of football has created this atmosphere is ridiculous in the extreme.

His view on Cleverly isn't shared by me, I think that he's been exceptional in recent games.

He never does, and the same for Funes Mori, Stones, Barry, McCarthy and Galloway, they all forget what their jobs are and get caught out of position. They are told by RM, "Do what you want, play with freedom... " — that’s the problem.

Not only has this taken pressure of the back four but it has enabled Barkley to do whatever comes into his head at the time - which is the way to get the best out of him. Without Lennon and Cleverley in the side this would be a luxury we could not afford. He is a footballing enigma but he has been brilliant recently and if allowed to have the freedom he needs he will get even better.

I wish we could find a similar solution for young Stones because he is a very similar spirit to Barkley and in my opinion has been gifted with an equal measure of talent and physique.

I watched the City v Leicester game last night and couldn't help feeling that Stones could do anything that Toure could do in the middle of the park? Perhaps the manager could give Barry a rest in one of the upcoming games and give the young bloke a try out in that position. If it worked everyone wins.

If a young blue wants to sign up with Chelski, City or United then do you really think they will be able to get away with the sort of performance they show for us on a regular basis? Absolutely not. You and people like you are the reason that we are in the position that we are. Underperforming, thrashed in the semi when 3 1 up and looking like not winning anything again. Letting the young players get away with murder and not doing their job is not helping them or us in the slightest. Its no coincidence that the team have started performing again when the players have had a bit of a rollicking from the crowd recently. They need to know that all the pissing about with the ball, not tackling or competing for 50/50 balls and not pulling your tripe out for the full 90 minutes is not acceptable for Everton FC.

You insult all Evertonians by suggesting it will be their fault if Stones, Barkley, Lukaku et al leave. Its not the fans fault, it will be the clubs fault for not being able to provide top wages and or not being able to provide medals and trophies. You also insult us suggesting that we would rather have a Kilbane rather than a Deulefou....we know good football. We have seen and rightly lauded the Ratcliffes, Southalls, Steven and Stevens, Sheedy, Bracewell, Sharpy, Rooney etc, we know what good football is and what a good footballer is. We also know when good footballers are underperforming and after 2 years of this we are getting restless. I take it you are happy to let the status quo exist and we shall wallow in mid table mediocrity still never troubling the engravers to put our name on trophy. But thats ok, as long as we don't hurt Johns, Ross's, Roms feelings then all is good. Ffs get a grip.

I think you can safely say Mourinho wouldn't have put up with it, but then again the kids wouldn't have been playing as he doesn't pick kids and to be fair to Fergie in the last 5 to 6 years he hasn't brought kids through.

Teams like Chelsea, Man Utd and Man City need instant success so buy players ready now, Everton are not in a financial position to do that so have to buy youngsters and hope they come good, therefore they will make mistakes, fans go on about we should be higher in the league because of the players we have, but it is potential and we should be patient with them.

Perfect example: Deulofeu – 21 years old, great going forward, not so good defending. Bring Lennon into the team, 27 years old, we suddenly look more solid and we are winning. What Lennon does going forward and defending is what he wants Gerard to do but he needs to learn.

The training pitch is not the same as actually playing in a game so, without playing in games, they are not going to make mistakes.

I agree that the training pitch is not the same as a proper game but so much can and should be learnt on the training pitch. When to play football, when to clear into row z, when to pass, when to shoot, what options to take when on the break. There is a multitude of tactics that should be rehearsed on the training pitch but which seemingly aren’t. Martinez doesn’t help the young players by saying its ok to make mistakes game after game. There has to come a point whereby the player all but eradicates these mistakes.

I also get that the top clubs want instant success and that means that the players are on shorter leashes than ours in regards to making mistakes, but that also doesn’t mean that we have to tolerate inadequate football. It's an expensive hobby to go week after week and I (maybe foolishly) still harbour dreams that we may win things. I also harbour dreams that we will win on a regular basis. These so-called dreams are never going to be realised by the players making the same mistakes over and over.

If we wish to join the elite then we have to adopt the same standards as them and that means play to our potential week after week. It's not good enough for me or for Everton FC to constantly accommodate players who don’t learn or aren’t prepared to put in the hard yards for my beloved club. Its been 2 years of sloppy play now and we are where we are and it's not good enough. That is why the crowd are so quiet and there is unrest. The excuse of they’re just kids and we should let them do what they want has finally run its course. This team should be delivering now with the players we have.

Look at Lukaku, he has gone away, worked hard at his game and look at how good he is now. The other so-called younger players could do far worse than to follow his lead, then we may start to see this team realise its potential instead of blaming the fans for supposedly stifling the potential. Ridiculous.

I'm not picking on John Stones, just using him as an example as to how the same mistake is happening time and again. We have been patient, as I said, for 2 years, but surely if the same thing keeps happening time and again, then the supporters have every right to be bemused by it all. I am not one for sitting in the stands and having a go at a particular player during the game. The treatment of Tim Howard, for example with the ironic cheers when he catches a ball, is completely counter productive and totally unnecessary. He is, after all, an Everton player. However, surely people can understand that when we are not playing well and haven't done consistently for over 2 years, that the atmosphere suffers and that is definitely not the fault of the fans. When we have been subjected to dull to boring football for a considerable amount of time then the players do have a duty to get the fans onside and actually play like they give a damn. When they do that (City at home in first leg) then the fans respond. Its a two way street. We have done our bit for quite some considerable time without it being reciprocated by the players so its quite natural for the fans to switch off. The players, at the moment, are not the phenomenal world beaters that Martinez has built them up to be so there is a lot of hard yards for the players to do to build up the blind adoration from the fans that they so desperately yearn for. Maybe if Martinez hadn't built up the players to superstar status before they were ready then we wouldn't be in this position in the first place.

Remember those times ? the crowds were much more supportive and we used to play Leon Osman on the right wing and Fellaini or Cahill on their own upfront with Phil Neville's creative brilliance in the midfield, while Barkley floundered on loan at Sheffield and kids like Lukaku and Gerard wouldn't touch us with a 10 foot barge pole.

Perhaps that era was more preferable to folks like you ?

We shall never know if Lukaku would have come to Everton at the time of Moyes, he never had that kind of money given to him. And as to your assertion of Barkley "floundering" at Sheffield United, did you really think he was ready for first team football then? At times he barely looks ready now let alone then. There is a great player itching to get out of Barkley, but letting him get away with not challenging for the ball, not taking on 50/50 tackles, not defending from the front and not learning how and when to pass when on the charge is completely doing him a disservice. He is not a kid anymore, he is in his 4th season of top flight football and should be consistently doing it on a regular basis and, as I say, Martinez letting him and others get away with all the mistakes they want, is not doing them or us any favours at all. If they never get taken to task about these mistakes then they never learn and that shows on the pitch.

And going on about the crowd during Moyes's reign, you either didn't go to the game then or have very dodgy memories but the crowd were very vocal at the time. I can never remember a period that we have now whereby you can hear a pin drop. We had some fantastic atmospheres. The thing is, we may not have had the talent we have now, but the players maximised what they had and the supporters appreciated that. Now players are wasting themselves or not performing for 90 minutes and the crowd don't easily forgive not giving your all for EFC. And before you accuse me of wanting workhorses over talent, that is not true. You can have talented players that work hard. Look at Barcelona and Man United of the late 90s, all brilliant players but never stopped working and they got their rewards for that in titles and trophies. So, you see, there is no excuse for that anymore.

Perhaps the era for "folk like you" was going to watch a pretty Wigan team with a soft underbelly get relegated?

The argument about the money is pretty much a moot point as it is all relative, there is more money in the game now, and more teams can spend big money and players prices are inflated, Fellaini at the time for £15m is now the equivalent to Lukaku at £28m.

As for Barkley this is my biggest bug bear, this season he has scored more and assisted more this season than in all his other Premier League seasons put together, so he is improving. The fans get on his back when he doesn't see a pass or tries to take on one player too many, its easy watching from the stands to say what he should have done, its totally different on the pitch.

The pressure he is put under by the fans, maybe its because he has been at Everton since he was a kid so feels its up to him to make things happen. A couple of weeks ago on the local radio phone in after the match, the wonderful mayor of Liverpool came on asking when Ross was going to be dropped cause he did nothing.

You may be right about Barkley thinking its up to him to make things happen, but surely this is where a good manager should come in and reign him in. This is what I mean about making the same errors again and again. He is not getting the correct coaching in my opinion. I feel he is just being left to his own devices as opposed to analysing the mistakes and trying to eradicate them. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe thats exactly what they do. If they do, then they are not analysing very successfully. As I say, I don't place all the blame at the players doorstep, the manager has to take a huge slice of responsibility for it too. By the way, Joe Anderson should be keeping those kind of views to himself really. I agree Barkley is improving. To be fair he couldn't get much worse than last season, although again, I felt for the lad, he was obviously struggling and the manager wouldn't pull him out of the firing line as he should have done. He is progressing, but is he progressing at a rate befitting his talents? In my opinion, no. If he was coached correctly then he should be leaps and bounds above where he is now. Again, not picking on Barkley, just using him as an example.

All of which brings us back to the original point, which is that the fans aren't responsible for the poor performances at Goodison Park. There is a multitude of reasons why we are poor but to blame the fans, who turn up week after week and sit through mind numbing football and error ridden football then we are entitled to be bemused by it. That doesn't mean that a small minority should pick on certain individuals but it is entirely understandable why the place is like a morgue and it is down to the players and manager to find ways of recapturing the bear pit of an atmosphere from only 3 years ago.