Martinez pleased with Everton's response

Bring on Mirallas!

A good all round game, Rom's first touch is getting better, but still a work in progress.

Cleverley impressed and is faster than McCarthy getting the ball forward. Barry was great again. Coleman looks like he is getting back to his old self

Unlucky with the woodwork it was just one of those games.

Still, we were in control for the majority of the match, and when we weren’t, Stones and Funes Mori were a match for the Palace forwards. Howard has his share of critics, but he put in a good shift tonight.

The entire squad looked up for this one. The only sub was Baines in an attempt to get him a little more match fit. I can see why RM didn’t make any more changes, we looked dangerous right to the final whistle. If it was me though, I would have brought Mirallas on for Kone (not that he was playing poorly), just to give the attack a different look.

Can’t fault the effort. Disappointed with the result.

Another set-piece conceded with a ball into the centre of the box. You could see unsettling Howard was a tactic used on their corners with Wickham standing in front of him. His confidence defending crosses is sapped, as must be the defense's.

Still, hitting the woodwork three times was dreadfully unlucky.

However, it's many years since we have managed to defend crosses or corners into the box well enough to give us fans confidence. So am never surprised when we concede from one. Although I think someone suggested months ago that stats indicate we don't concede many.

The game was crying out for something different as everything we were trying wasn’t happening for us – so change it!

I really don’t know what Kone’s position is and it was evident again last night (as I said in a previous post) our left side is exposed because of it. Too many times Barkley was sitting back in the left back position, I mean, come on...

We did play well, and you can say it was "one of those games" but the manager has to see that and change something to give a little spark. Too many times it was one too many passes in their box or we didn’t get the shot away.

I feel deflated after that as we’ve now dropped 4 points in the past two matches by not finishing off teams we should be beating.

Likewise, I was hoping that Mirallas would come on at around the hour-mark to give us pace down both flanks and cause Palace more problems. Nevertheless, on any other day, one of those woodwork bouncers would have gone in the net!

It was interesting to see Mirallas high five the players on their way out to the pitch for the 2nd half. Clearly a deliberate act of getting seen.

Whatever has happened... enough is enough – Martinez has made his point and the players will know who is the boss. Mirallas is a game-changer and could have done a job for us last night – certainly after 60 minutes, which is Kone's limit.

Yes, last night was frustrating but it wasn’t as if we didn’t carve out chances.

We really need to start turning draws into wins or it's going to be another season in the middle of the league.

How about using some of this "maturity & personality" in addressing the root cause of the defensive disorganization, such that the full reward of the current attractive, attacking brand of football can be realized...

Both Kone and Deulofeu looked to be flagging towards the end of the game and one or both needed to be subbed if we were to win the game.

It will be very interesting to see what develops in January.

He obviously will not play Mirallas even though there have been times during recent matches with players tiring, not playing well and games crying out for an injection of attacking pace.

Martinez is not bigger than the Club. The points we have thrown away this season is a disgrace and I put it down to his obstinacy on allowing things on the pitch to come to a natural conclusion without attempting to change things.

He’s come on this season and good for him and us; a talented professional Kone is. Nonetheless, every consideration has to be given to his age and whatever is left in that knee of his.

I'm as baffled as anyone regarding Mirallas. Was he given the new contract to goose up his value? Wouldn’t him getting minutes, busting his ass to PROVE that value, make him more attractive to potential buyers?

Kone on, no matter what, and Kevin sitting and watching, doesn’t seem to be the best thing for the Club. C’mon Roberto.

This side was excellent last night but alas it was more points dropped again. I do believe that Kone, Lukaku and Gerry up front is better for the team.

I think currently Galloway is a better defender than Baines, until Baines gets fitter.

Martinez priority must be to put Robles in goal, while procrastinating we are losing points....

Our set pieces are abysmal. No imagination, no creativity and a tendency to repeat the same tactic when it isn’t working. On Monday, this meant continuing to lob high balls without pace into the area where massively tall defenders knocked them back out with ease.

He needs to recognise a truth which all normal managers accept without a second thought – it is that all goals have equal value if the primary aim is to win a game. Winning comes first and a good performance, as desirable as it may be, comes behind that.

For his second lesson, Martinez needs to rethink the way he make his substitutions. Even when most of the players are doing well but it’s just not happening on the pitch, he needs to realise that substitutions early enough can alter the dynamic and provide the win.

Too often, he is like the proverbial rabbit in the headlights and is reluctant to change the team he selected. It’s not always about replacing a player who’s not performing (although we’ve seen examples of that); it’s about changing an approach which isn’t working in order to try to win the game – and allowing enough time for substitutions to be effective. Whatever he has against Mirallas he needs to get over it!

Incidentally, RM should have let Naismith go. We might have a big squad now but it won’t be a harmonious one for long if we remain mostly fit. Where is Besic, and what about McGeady?

Palace clearly and correctly identified our weakness at crosses and went after us from the off at every opportunity to sling in high balls. Even with Jags back, the result would have been the same, we don’t stop crosses coming in. The full backs need to challenge or be backed up.

We have attacking wide midfielders who cannot defend, we have an inexperienced pair of centre-backs who do not provide cover and do not communicate or lead, and finally we have a keeper who is a good shot-stopper but poor at collecting crosses.

Contrary to RM, I don’t think we were great defensively; crosses and corners allowed put us under constant pressure.

On a couple of other points: Naismith's last appearance was a hat-trick against Chelsea, then dropped? Mirallas obviously is unhappy and is being sacrificed for the obvious relationship between Kone and Lukaku, but should have been used. Martinez has to be more ruthless with subs and change games. It’s a key failing.

Naismith’s last appearance was a hat-trick against Chelsea, then dropped?

Not exactly. Yes, Naismith scored a hat-trick against Chelsea.

He was rewarded for that tremendous achievement with a start in the next game at Swansea, played the entire 90+ minutes, but did nothing.

Martinez gave him another chance, starting the next league game at West Brom. Still nothing except a yellow card and he was subbed off after 72 mins.

Martinez is nothing if not faithful, though... Naismith got to start a third game after that, at home to Liverpool. He again ran around a bit but did nothing and was subbed off after 79 mins.

Then came Man Utd and guess what? His fourth league start in a row! Surely this time he would produce? But sadly the less said about that, the better. He was dragged off at half-time — something Martinez hardly ever does.

I think he was given plenty of opportunity to prove he could put in a real run of form. He failed and he's been on the bench for all games since, but hasn't played.

Let’s start with a few facts just to counter your frankly quite ridiculous rant.

Martinez managed for four years with Wigan before he joined us. In that time he managed to get relegated in his final season but of course won a trophy.

He never managed Swansea in the Premier League. In his three years, he won League One in his first year and failed by a point to make the playoffs in his final season.

All of this saw him attracting bigger clubs. So not exactly ’ponced about’

’Most of our squad know that this club is their ceiling’. Well that certainly does not apply to most of our current best eleven other than I would suggest Howard, Jags and Barry who are all seasoned internationals and are probably nearing the end of their career. In fact the only player I could apply your description to is Kone and you could argue the jury is still out he is in our best eleven.

Coleman, Baines, Stones, McCarthy, Mirallas, Deulofeu and Barkley have all either been linked with ’bigger’ clubs or will continue to be so.

You can’t have it both ways with Martinez. Players who have obviously improved during his time here are dismissed but any faults or errors are immediately his fault.

For me, the jury is still out; one very good season and one mediocre one and yet to get close to silverware but I defy anyone to say that the squad we have at the moment is not significantly better than the one he started with. That progress means he has earned more time to deliver.

We have defensive weakness that’s for sure, but I just can’t buy into this characterisation of Roberto as a man who doesn’t care about those weaknesses, it would be professional suicide for him to not address it, even if it doesn’t happen to be his number one priority.

If Roberto truly does have a laissez-faire attitude to defending then that particular chicken will come home to roost and he will pay the price and Everton FC will appoint another manager who might take us back to the comfortable situation of grinding out clean-sheets without much thought given to the attacking side of the game.

This perfect Everton team that appears to be in everybody’s imagination at the moment, the Everton side that bangs in goals for fun and rarely concedes... well, forgive me but it is at least 30 years since I saw an Everton team of that calibre.

And just to refresh people's memories, that team didn’t always stop the opponents from scoring: for instance, a defeat to Chelsea (3-4) at Goodison and a draw at Watford (4-4) and victory at Watford (4-5) – and that was with a world-class goalkeeper in the team.

Those who have a dislike for Martinez will have to wait until June 2017 at least if his team produce the goods, if not they might only have until the coming summer to rid themselves of the Spanish Charlatan.

As for the season so far, well the ’tough ten’ came and went. We did ok, all in all, getting 13 points, which extrapolated over the season would be 49 pts and put us around 10th.

We’re now half way through the ’winnable ten’ and out of the first 5 we’ve won 2 drawn 3 giving 9 points, which is decent but not exactly spectacular, leaving us currently .....9th.

So where does the future lie?

Remaining December schedule offers Norwich City (a), Leicester City (h), Newcastle Utd (a), Stoke City (h). None of these fixture are daunting but, then again, none of them are gimmes like Sunderland and Villa either. We barely scraped past Norwich at home on pens in the League Cup, Leicester are flying and Newcastle is a lottery, nevermind a tough Stoke side.

My view is that they are of course all winnable but we’ll get around 5-7 points from these games, putting us on around 28/29 points at the halfway mark of the season. Which extrapolated would put us around.... 8th. (We have yet to beat a side that is above us in the league...)

We then have a harsh January with Spurs (a), Man City(h), Chelsea (a) back to back... not too hopeful of getting 9 points.

So, with our ’greatest team since sliced bread’ not really being blown away at the minute, tbh. I’m forecasting no Champions League qualification and no Europa League qualification through the league, which just leaves us to aim to win a cup. (Unfortunately we somehow have to get past Man City over 2 legs, and then probably Corporal Klopp...), FA Cup, we’ll see what the 4th round brings.

So, unless we figure out how to start turning draws into wins (we have the second most draws in the league so far with 7), we’re going to lose a ’big name’ or two come the summer... then what?

Every good side is built on a solid defence (Leicester being the current exception...). We conceded 50 league goals last season and finished 11th. Currently we’re on course to concede 51 this season... so I’m not holding my breath for top 6, nevermind top 4.

Fingers crossed for the cups it is then...

How can you possibly perceive the inner workings of a man's psyche just by watching run around a football pitch? Even your fellow Mads, in his role as homo sapiens scoffing, super head shrink Hannibal Lector, would be like "Hang on a minute, zeese lines you are asking me to read, zey are horse shit".

When and in what way has Kone ever displayed arrogance in an Everton shirt? To me, he just seems like a player grateful to be given the chance to carry on playing the game after it looked for a long time that he might have to pack it all in. Whether, deep down inside, he feels inferior or not, I wouldn’t have a clue but neither would you or anyone else unless he openly admitted it to them.

As you say, the goals scored against us will be reviewed by the management you can bet your life on it.

While Martinez would sooner champion attacking football than a defence orientated game. I think it’s far fetched to think that they do not have instructions when it’s a corner etc.

All our defenders are Internationals but on crosses, apart from maybe Funes Mori, they never seem to get off the ground! They’re invariably in the right positions but beating the opposition to the high balls is not a strength.

Baines poor, Coleman poor, Stones poor to average, Funes Mori okay, Barry poor, Macca poor, Howard weak and Jags not a strong point, Robles is also hesitant with crosses.

Someone mentioned Lukaku coming back to defend dead-ball situations, it sounds like a good idea to me.

Do tell - what was the issue between Mirallas and Eto'o?

Yes, a manager should change things when under the cosh (such as 2nd half vs Bournemouth) but we were looking the better team and more likely to score until the Barry set-piece.

I feel he needs to hire a defensive specialist to help him on the defense and that’s about it. It shows how bad your defense if when 2-3 men score against 6-8 men in the box. All good teams build from the back and holding that down should clean out some of our problems going forward. Perhaps not his top priority but we’ll see.

Other than that, criticizing RM like we can just go hire anyone doesn’t makes any sense. We know our constraints, board wise, and at the end of the day, the man writing the checks make the final say.

Against West Ham, when Everton were drawing 1-1, it was clear that Everton needed to replace Barkley and Kone with new attacking faces.

Against Bournemouth when Everton were leading 2-0 in the 80th minute, Everton should have sealed the game with just midfielders and defenders to stifle the opposition; instead Kone was left on the left side of midfield, who conveniently gave way to their right back, who then had all the time and space in the world to rifle in a shot to make it 2-1.

Against Crystal Palace in the second half, another couple of attackers were needed to break down their stubborn defence. Instead, Baines was brought on to replace Galloway and that weakened Everton’s defence that allowed Palace to make it 0-1.

He’s quick, he’s the only squad member to cross accurately with both feet and he can shoot.

Unfortunately for the lad, we’ve now stepped up a level and with Deulofeu, Lennon and Mirallas ahead of him; I’m not sure we’ll see him again.

I’ve read through other comments and we all seem to see the same game as one another. Basic summary would be a good performance with no luck and a distinctive lack of killer instinct .

If the goal was not going to come from Lukaku with an assist from Deulofeu, then we would not have scored. Kone linked well early on but, as the game went to the latter stages, it was clear he wasn’t going to get a goal regardless of whatever was going to happen.

Deulofeu was knackered from the 70th minute and needed someone else to try their luck at creating opportunities. Cleverley was tiring too; Barkley was too deep to really influences proceedings, substitutions were clearly needed.

Mirallas and Osman have both been granted new deals by the current management, Naisy was refused a move to Norwich for a very good price and Lennon is Roberto’s very own signing, I simply cannot understand how he did not change it.

For me, I'd have taken Cleverley and Kone off and brought on any of the attack-minded subs – my preference would have been Mirallas and Naismith with Mirallas out left and Naismith up top alongside Lukaku.

The last two games have had many positives but dropping points have left us in a position we are starting to look to accustomed too. 4 points to our tally now would have went some way to dropping points to the Redshite, Swansea, Watford and Spurs and given us a great chance to kick on.

I now feel we have missed too many good opportunities to gain big points in weeks where our top 6 rivals have also faulted. I am enjoying watching us play with a bit of swagger but I’m worried that our squad will break up if we can't deliver a minimum of Europa League football.

It's this learning thing I can't get my head around.

How long has RM been doing the job? Shouldn't he know a thing or two by now.

At what point does he learn when to bring on subs to change a game.

We may be playing nice neat football but if you haven't got a bit of streetwise, nous, guile, call it what you will, then I'm afraid we'll all have to get used to the mid table mediocrity that looks like is coming our way.

If we can see it, why oh why can't he?

How many times did we hit the woodwork 4 or 5 times plus their goalies made a wonder save from Cleverly as well.

We looked dangerous right up to the final whistle, of course we all want winning games but how unlucky can you get!

It's okay saying after the event, oh he should have brought on substitutes but why change the balance when you're still bossing the game.

Kone had a shot blocked from close range right on the whistle.

No need to over egg it. We hit the post and the bar twice. Whilst we were clearly the better team, I don’t buy into the claims we were utterly dominant throughout and failed to get what we deserved. Palace created their own chances, had some near misses and were denied a definite penalty right at the end.

As John (#45) points out, you have over-egged it, we hit the bar twice, once off a deflection and we hit the post.

We were dominant but at the same time Howard made the save of the game, not Hennessey, and we never looked solid any time they took a set piece.

All-in-all we were the better side but we have to wisen up if we want to challenge the big boys.

Two games where we dominated have resulted in two measly points, simply not good enough no matter how well we knocked it about.

I still wish we had Bilic as manager. At least the Mirallas problem would have been sorted out by now.