Neville eyes future manager role

As a manager, he will expect the same commitment, bottle and professionalism he has always shown for us, from his players. That's a great start. What makes managers stand apart is the eye for a player and whether the team he constructs and inspires is balanced with age and ability, athleticism and game nouse, passion and calmness - just like our great team of the 80s had.

4/1 Martinez
12/1 Neville
10/1 Hughes

Hearing him speak about us on saturday I don't think he's that enamored of us as a club though.

I reckon its going to be Neville. I want di canio to be a good manager. He has no link with us, but they guy has passion and would be a little more interesting than the average joe.

Look at him when he gets subbed off. Nobody likes it, ever, and taking off the armband must be like tearing his arm off on top of that. But does he pout? Does he walk straight down the tunnel? Does he heck. He watches the game, follows his team mates in every pass and tackle. And they know that.

In fact, a hard transition for him will to become 'the boss', and not part of the playing team. I wish him all the best.

I get a bit of sick of the constant praise about what a wonderful bloke he is. He is on fantastic money, has been average at best for years. He is perhaps a nice guy that wont make him a good manager anymore than it would make him a good player. Somebody IMO that whose influence and impact as a player and as a captain is vastly inflated. I don't dislike the guy I just get fed up by the constant fawning over him on here from some.

What is the point of having a great attitude if you have the ability of a League 2 player?

As for management, i've always been a fan of the idea of a rookie from within the club, who knows all the staff and worked for/with the previous manager for years. Unfortunately, in the modern game this is nigh on impossible due to managers usually lasting 1-3 years at any one club, so building of such relationships never happens.

Of course if we could get a Bielsa or Pellegrini then it would be different, but beyond that who would replace Moyes? Barca did pretty well with a rookie in Guardiola, didn't they. And the new guy Tito (whom i'd never heard of before) seems to be doing well.

Such moves are also good for player relationships, something that is very important to our team.

Personally, seeing Pip take over the u-21s for a 2-4 years and then replaceing Moyes if he were to to, would seem a decent proposal.

Then at least Toffeeweb would be happy, we could blame every transfer as being part of some gentlemans agreement with Man Utd.

Especially, "Somebody IMO that whose influence and impact as a player and as a captain is vastly inflated".

Inflated how? You one of those fellows wandering around the changing room, are you? Enlighten us.

It makes me laugh to think of him or a Mick Lyons or Hibbert ever putting in a pathetically disinterested performance like Fellani or Heitinga at Leeds or Felli at West Brom. Neville currently shares the fall guy role with Osman. It's the case that when we lose you an guarantee one of them or both is to blame. Yet how often do you hear or read people saying "you don't realise the graft and influence and leadership of Neville/Osman until they arn't in the side".

It's true I think that Neville remains a very strong skipper, both on and off the field. The respect he has at the club seems huge. But it's also true that in the last year his performances are less influential and age is catching up with the guy. In my view it is only Gibsons injury that has seen Phil start so often this season. How ironic is that given the hate mob stuff we saw about Gibson when he came ? Now he is stand out a much missed player.

Neville has many of the attributes that will make him a top manager but he's clearly got years to go before he can manage a Premiership club. I can see him at EFC. He is an inspirational professional who is perhaps realising his top class playing days are closer to ending than he thought himself when discussing the subject recently. He doesn't deserve the stick he gets but I suspect that privately he may be surprised he's still a first eleven choice. I'd be very happy to see him as a no2 to a big name manager, and though he's my hero I can't see Duncan being a better manager.

Anyway, for now let's not worry as its more important to try and fathom which EFC is turning up at QPR, the Utd, Villa or Swansea lot, or the West Brom, Leeds, Wigan performance crew !

All managers should ply their trade at the bottom, not go straight in at the top just because they play at the highest level.

You wouldnt give a new coach a job as England manager just because they got the most caps playing.

Earn your reputation as a manager and build up from there not be given the top job straight away.

You have to wonder if they have a gentlemens agreement that this is Moyes' last season at the club.

I cannot see it myself, but maybe Man U have expressed an interest in taking Moyes as their next manager.

Would not be surprised to see Neville given a go if that is the case.

Contrary to an earlier post Martinez was (from what I read and saw) very magnaminous towards Everton and I think he is nailed on to take over Everton when and if Moyes leaves.

In all seriousness, I think he'd be a crap manager. If he thinks his best position is midfield, then that's a damning indictment of his decision-making.

No thanks..

On a side note... interesting that it's being reported that Milan are offering Guardiola €7mill a year... which is quite close to what Moyes gets now!

Secondly, the praise of Martinez, who in 8 games against Moyes in the league has yet to get the better of him?

Even when our team was at its worst, we still managed to get results against better sides.

As for being a manager...its very hard to predict who will make it or not. I thought Roy Keane might turn out to be a great manager but was very wrong. Phil seems prepared to work very hard and thats always a good start.

In terms of Everton I certainly would not want to take a chance on someone who has not managed in a top league and for a good few seasons. If Moyes does leave then Martinez seems like someone who gets his teams playing decent football and is able to unearth a gem or two, though whoever comes will have huge ginger shoes to fill IMO.

Martinez got a result against us (the offside first goal was never mentioned in any interview I saw or read) and so what's he going to say? 'Actually they're not that good - we dropped two points'? He was very lucky to get one, and he knew it.

Anyone expecting a replacement of a higher profile than Martinez, is, IMO, deluding themselves.

Think he's a thoroughly decent human being and (certainly when compared to most of today's thick-as-mince players) he appears to have a bit 'upstairs'.

And who knows, someday he might make a good manager.

Many great/flair players have tried and failed miserably (eg; Bobby Charlton), so being a great player is no guarantee of anything.

So yeah, solid pro and all that.

All that said, despite his medals at Utd, I think he is a very limited player.

His touch, vision and passing are (imo) woeful and with the football we are playing right now, this is REALLY being highlighted.

(I can't fault his effort, but if you played me, you wouldn't be able to fault mine either).

You can see he knows a lot about football, not just defending either, but he really knows the game, more than anyone on this website. I would assume his brother is equally knowledgeable.

This is the key factor to be sucessful at management. Look at many previous football players who attempted management and failed in the Punditry circuit...Shearer, Merson, Thompson....they're all thick as pig shit, and their knowledge is minimal.

Apparently if you profess to care about the club being bloody awful doesnt matter? I would care if I was on his contract.

Barry, I am glad you like those Martinez odds, Moyes is shorter for the united job (dusts down June post).

If an 'outsider' was appointed Neville would be out too, as the new broom would want his own staff - unless it was someone who knew him like, heaven forbid, Stuart Pearce. Very unlikely.

But let's say its six years down the line. And Pip has done a decent job, even for a season or two, at Shrewsbury or somewhere. That's when the possibility opens up.

Not now for sure, but someday more than maybe.

I think your comment about about managers' pay* is worth making, and you know its not like me to nitpick, but at a generous rate I make €7mill to be about £5.6mill. At this point I realise that I don't actually know how much DM gets paid but isn't it more like £3.5mill? I can feel an avalanche of corrections at my back already.

But using my figures that would put Guardiola on £2.1mill more than Moyes. I could get by on that.

* While I'm here I read The Guardian online so I'm never sure if everyone, eg in print, gets the same stuff. They should. Anyhow, there was an article today about the end of the Alf Ramsey era and Joe Mercer's 36 days or so in charge. As much as anything else it gives insights into how the FA worked in the bad old days. Must be different now, eh? The managers' salaries stuff is genuinely shocking.