Everton want Roberto Martinez as their manager if David Moyes leaves in the summer

Pity Martinez wasn't in charge yesterday. We would have battered Oldham.

Bring it on...

His work at Swansea was truly ground breaking and winning just what we need to break free of the excuse laden fest this club has become.

Wigan can't and never will attract players comparing them and us is football ignorance.

The lads that come through at Wigan (and they've had a few not all centre halves either) they're gone after 2 weeks.

He has consistently had Wigan in relegation battles despite being there a number of years.

We need a proven pedigree to stay at the top of the Prem (remember places mean money).

I hear that David Moyes is out of contract in the summer.

He has a good pedigree!!!!

It's obvious that DM wants a higher budget and higher profile position and personally I would pay him up to the end of his contract immediately and say thank-you and goodbye.

Unfortunately Martinez has the opportunity to ruin our season - if we beat Oldham - given the FA 6th round draw, fate is a fickle mistress.

And he will cease to be of any relevance to us the second he has gone.

It should be an honour to manage this club. If he doesn't feel that way now he should go now. If we have to finish fourth for him to sign a new contract, or win a trophy to get into Europe for him to stay then I for one no longer want him here. He has happily took an incredibly large salary to manage with limited resources. He has talked for ten years about his special relationship with his chairman who, he says, has given him every support and every penny that was available. This situation about us being skint isn't new. He has what he has. It's his job to make the best of what he has. If he is no longer up for that challenge then advertise the post and see who wants it. He can apply if he wants to or not..

The only question that should be asked is 'what can you do for Everton?' It should never be 'What can Everton do for you in your quest for personal glory?'

DM is going to agitate all blues with not making a decision before the end of the season..so either way he is going to leave be it due to us being pissed with him or he does plan to leave.

DM needs to prove that he can manage which is arguably the best, most valuable and best paid squad in his time here. It is not the other way round.

I would respect him a lot more if he just said if he was leaving at the end of the season rather than a predicted bitter ending to what has been a great management turnaround from the dark days of losing at Middlesborough in FA Cup under WS to today.

Come on, DM, just be honest and repay the fans who stuck by you in your early Goodison career.

COYB's

Nail on head.

Whoever we get is far from likely to keep us top seven, let alone break the glass ceiling, unless we have a decent cash injection. I hope Kenwright can provide a chunk as a start up boost.

I personally think if Moyes was to go Martinez would be a good choice to replace him and he would certainly bring an exciting style of football. But if we were to go for the lower league option again, I would love to think Di Canio would be considered (although very few would agree). Or why not Roberto di Matteo ?

Unfortunately the youth policy under Moyes seems bereft of such talent.

Don't forget we're also looking at losing Neville to retirement , Fellaini to wherever Moyes goesand pos Baines.

It would be interesting to see if he could step up and manage a club of our size and keep smiling with the expectations of 40,000 demanding Evertonians (and the matchday forum) whilst dealing with Bill and Bob.

He'd better pack a toupee.

In all seriousness its all well and good playing pretty stuff in midtable (or at the bottom of the league in Martinez's case) but it is a completely different task taking Everton (or anyone) from 5th/6th/7th to 4th. This is also Martinez's first time in the FA cup quarter final so its not as though he has a proven cup record either.

Why do people think Solskjaer or Bilic would definitely be good? Neither have managed in England so they'd be as much as a gamble as anyone else. Just because they're flavour of the month and seem to have a bit of an edge to them doesn't make them great managers.

Whoever comes in the remit is simple. Get us into the top 4 but sorry you've got no money to spend that isn't raised through player sales and Liverpool and Tottenham ahve just spent 50 million each. Easiest job in football, I can't understand how Moyes has failed. Of course this desire for football purism and away wins at big grounds will quickly be extinguished as soon as any sort of other inconsistencies start to creep into the new manager's team. Then you'll all be banging on about pragmatism, being defensively solid, and consistency. I can't think of one manager except perhaps Guardiola who would keep everyone on here happy. Even Mourinho plays negative football. Perhaps Guardiola, but then again he plays his favourites, never changes formation and likes to play with one up front.

If Moyes goes then chances are he will take some players with him and if Martinez comes then perhaps he may bring a couple with him... like Kone and MacArthur?

Whatever happens, we need the change of a new man with fresh ideas.

No mate his adventure in taking a team in the thuggery divisions and raising them from the dead with a complete rebuild based on playing football with no money and only livestock singing "Land of My Fathers" for a crowd is unprecedented.

He'd be a legend here the only problem would be Real Madrid or Barca a few years down the line.

He put Swansea well and truly on the way to where they are now, he has kept Wigan up with no money whatsoever compared to other Prem clubs, his best players have been sold by the board and not replaced, yet he is still able to manage to put out well-motivated attacking teams that try to play for wins and this is important — not (NOT!!) draws, like someone we know.

There must be something about him (that other clubs have noticed) and I'm hoping this "People" article is correct and BK has noticed. We took DM on the strength of what he achieved at Preston and he never got them promoted (to the Prem)! Can't we take Martinez on the Strength of what he has achieved throughout his career, recently keeping Wigan up with its 10k crowds is pretty impressive to me.

Overall, I'm positive about Moyes's reign; he did stabilize us — Thank you. Although 40 attempts at beating a Sky4 team away and not succeeding? We've never looked like we've had that killer/winner look once during his time (the FA Semi-Final against the weakest RS team in 50 years and we couldn't put them away). I think he's tired — as are many of us — and it is time for a change!

To all those who are frightened to lose DM — don't be! Eras come to an end and things move on. When clubs, business's and even individuals refuse to make decisions or take gambles, they stagnate!

(i) Dragan Stojkovic (might be interested)
(ii) Diego Simeone (probably not interested)
(iii) Manuel Pellegrini (probably not interested)
(iv) Slaven Bilic (probably not interested)
(v) Roberto di Matteo (might be interested)

The last few years from Everton have seen a lot of winning runs after we have been so far behind after wretched starts that we only finished 7th and 8th. So we have played plenty of pretty stuff from the non-pressure of mid-table.

As for the money argument, look at the squad, wage bill (including the manager) and it's likely 80 odd other clubs would like to be in our 'precarious' financial position.

As for Laudrup, well we should maybe discuss it this time next week. I am confident tho that he will have one more trophy than Moyes. As for Anfield capitulations, don't get me started...!!

Granted, I am one who doesn't really care about 4th place because, as we have seen before, it will be a one-season (two-game) wonder as our coefficient will probably see us get a horrific draw anyway if we were to qualify.

I have no shame in saying that if Moyes wins this club a trophy, I will laud him. If he doesn't, then I couldn't care less what he does.

Say what you will about Moyes but whoever replaces him will have an almost impossible task to move us up the league table with similar backing.

Sounds suspiciously like they want the same type of donor that BK is alleged to crave.

Check out the transfer web sites and see how much Wigan has spent compared to the three clubs you've mentioned, It's miracle they're not in the 2nd division. Those clubs you mentioned fill their stadiums every week and have much better resources... All Wigan is famous for is its pier and rugby?

"Norwich, Swansea, Stoke, all finish ahead of his Wigan sides. Would anyone on here be happy with those results from an Everton manager regardless of what philosophies you think he may or may not hold. "

There's plenty of clubs might have sacked Moyes for his 15th, 7th & 17th finishing positions from his first three seasons, but I for one am glad we gave him a chance, as I would like to see Martinez have a chance?

"Indeed its (Wigan) benefitted from a bit of stability"

Martinez has given them that stability. Dave Whelan was relatively cash happy and backed Paul Jewel when he was their manager but, when he left, the money dried up. Since then, Roberto Martinez has fought a hell of a battle to keep them up and there's a lot of people within football who give Martinez the credit he deserves.

Me, Martinez would not be the worst option by a country mile. I'm thinking about Zola right now, and yes I know his experience in the top flight as gaffer is zilch. But I'm also thinking about someone with how to play the game nous and player/manager who could be a revelation. Flair, style, panache, a winner's mentality, attack minded, creative, But just this time with Watford to judge him by, so I might well be shooting in the dark here.

I would like Moyes to go for his and the club's sake, but change for change's sake is no recipe for success. But I just have a hunch about Zola and the new life he would breathe into The Old Lady.

Anyone know if Megson is still available?

Mourinho's days are numbered and Laudrup will replace him.

Martinez performs minor miracles keeping Wigan competitive in the league. How many Wigan players would you take for a Prem team? McCarthy, maybe Kone and Al Habsi for the bench...

Lets have a look at the Maestro that is Martinez, - Last win in the league = 24 November 2012, almost 3 months ago.

In the last 18 games after beating Reading 3-2, his only wins have been lower league teams, Huddersfield, Macclesfield and Bournemouth......fecking genius he is.

Would you bet against him keeping them up? I wouldn't. He's been there before and if he's proved anything, he's up for a scrap (and that's always a good thing).

If you look back at DM's record (and a lot of other none Sky4 managers) you will find periods lasting 6 weeks to 2 months were it has been nothing but draws and loses. I agree with you it is alarming but I'll bet Whelan does not sack him because he knows what Wigan's best chances are of staying up and let's face it Wigan are not true Prem club.

I'm all for a new manager if it with help Everton, but basing his good points on being a battler against relegation doesn't fill me full of confidence that he can take us above what Moyes has done so far.

How many times have you genuinely seen Everton score with aplomb only to realise that was it for however long was left on the clock and they sit back and defend?

How many times have Everton put more than 3 goals or more past an opposing team recently?

How often has a Moyes side sat back and in doing so invited an equaliser?

I cannot fault your observations, they are perennial relegation battlers, but I would like to point you to my post @388 in response to 374 and add he's only been with them for 3.5 seasons (with a team that has nowhere near EFC's income) and with no money whatsoever compared to his opposition but puts out good attacking teams.

In the Premier League the differences between failure and victory are so fine, with us I think the extra we can give him (cash) he'll give us a good attacking team.

We do need a change I think there's many agree on this site and he's one of a possible few I would look at, he knows how to get them up when down and might just do something with the money (if he had it).

They have half the wins we have, half the draws and eleven more defeats. If he is this magician everyone seems to think he is, why is he again in the bottom three with a minus twenty one goal difference?

Everyone judges our manager on his results, surely the same must go with Martinez?

Robert, Norwich Swansea and Stoke were all promoted after Wigan yet finished easily ahead of Wigan in their first seasons. They've gone on to solidify this position through spending since but newly promoted teams should not be easily finishing ahead of an established premier league with apparently such a good manager at the helm regardless of the money spent. Once again it is the hypocristy of lambasting Moyes for not having his team playing fancy football yet excusing Martinez for not winning because he doesn't have any money.

It will be a very special manager who comes to Everton and gives us great consistent football that offers a greater winning consistency than Moyes. Just look at what Rodgers is doing down the road and how much cash he's spent trrying to do it. Martinez may have us playing decent stuff (although there is no guarantee that he wil have us playing any better than Moyes did at the ebeginning of this season) but without the investment to bring in the top quality talent then this will ultimately only get you to the level of where Swansea are now (or where Arsenal are heading over the next few seasons). He'll be vulnerable to the same problems that have dogged Moyes' reign too. The squad is too small, The top 4 in the premier league have resources beyond our imagination, there is no money for new signings, and he will routinely have to sell our best players.

I think the guy talks sense. Has a good attitude and sets his teams out to play on the deck. He's good at finding talent from unexpected countries without spending a fortune. I think he would do well with a better calibre of player.

Moyes will always revert to hoofball and safety first football when it really matters. All the pundits and fans of other clubs tell me how lucky we are to have him but I want to see a team that goes to places like Anfield, Old Trafford, the Emirates etc. with a bit of a swagger and some confidence to knock the ball around and have a go. I can count on my hands the number of times that has happened in 11 years. It's all conjecture but I think Martinez would be more adventurous and encourage a football philosophy over hoofball.

Imagine the interview
"So Mr Kenwright how much will the annual transfer budget be?"

BK "Did you know that I used to stand in the boys pen and I have lined up Phil Neville as your assistant. I am searching 24x7 for investment"

Next sound will be the door closing!!

Therefore it's not unreasonable to think that maybe other clubs, "bigger" than we are right now, have identified the same thing and that's why none of them have ever made a formal approach.

Overall I think Moyes has done a great job. His faults as I perceive them have wound me up at times, but it's the same for any fan at any club. That this is being played out so publicly (fueled by a media campaign to get him a job... er... where?) suggests to me that Moyes has grown weary of Everton, has realised that his CV says "can manage within a budget" and not much else, and if he doesn't cut the cord with BK now, he never will.

I would've liked to have seen Moyes operate under new owners - with greater resources, but also greater pressure and expectation. I'm not 100% sure he would've coped. For the same reason I don't think that big job is there in the EPL at the end of the season.

So he'll either take a sabbatical, go to the SPL or the Bundesliga, or make both parties look silly and sign on again at Everton. Given how desperate BK is to hold on to his heatshield, I'm sure he'll get every release clause he wants if a "bigger" club comes calling.

How all of this makes Everton look is your own perception, but to me it's yet a further indictment of how far our stock has fallen under the current "stewardship".

By the way (in the style of that phone update ad that's always on TV), "I've stood in the Gwladys Street Boy's Pen - can I be Chairman?"

No one's called Gwladys anymore. Shame that.

It probably makes him even more attractive as a candidate to our Board, as they don't know what day it is, never mind who is playing up front for the ressies!

Martinez is now clear 5/4 fav, with Round on 6's and Cap'n ( please God no ) Pip @ 8's.

That's why the top teams with massive budgets can play a more attractive brand, although I would argue that this season especially in the early part Everton played as attractive football as any in the Prem. Now no doubt some will say but you don't need money to play attractive football and possibly quote Holloway or Martinez but look were their teams are.

I would ask all of Moyes detractors to tell me, given the small transfer kitty he has, where do you think Everton should be on a regular basis in the Premier League? Because to finish consistently as high as we do on our budget is exceptional.

Other than possibly SAF, I can't think of a better manager we could have had during our last 10 seasons.

Taken this list from SkyBet. What a completely boring and unimaginative list of individuals they've compiled. Honestly have no interest in any of them managing us.

For what it's worth I have a feeling he will end up in Germany or Scotland as I cant see him taking 12 months off and doing some TV work IMO but ya never know I suppose.

I would like to say and you touched on it also about giving DM a large transfer budget. I wouldnt trust him to spend large amounts ie £30 - £50 million on revamping the team as for me of his £5million+ transfers he has been larely found wanting with the only 2 exceptions being our 2 most saleable assets on the field (Baines & Felli)

With regards to taking on Martinez I have to say I would happily give Martinez a go as I think with better players at his disposal he would surprise us all with how he had the current crop playing.

Thats all if n buts as we don't know if Baines and Felli will be around but if they're not and are sold I would like to see what he would bring in once he was given say 2 thirds of the sale money from either or both.

In his tenure here he has only twice spent over £10m for a player, one went on to be our first 20+ goalscorer in over a decade, got injured and is now plying his lazy arsed trade in China, the other is our most saleable assest.

It's embarrassing that a team who has been camped in the top 6/7/8 for some years still has a record transfer fee of only €15 million, which was almost 5 years ago.

No-one knows if Martinez could do it at Everton, but we have surely learnt by now that Moyes never will. Martinez might get us relegated, or win a trophy, or both / neither / better. At least this does include the possibility of better.

That said, I think we'll end up with Lambert.

James @ 530

Hiddink stays at a club or national side for about as long as takes to have tea & biscuits and then finds somewhere else that has lots of money/resources and will pay him big wages until his next tea & biscuits.

Moyes has played safe football that served his natural inclinations and BK's needs (and in my post I've thanked him for that, we needed stability), but now that we have stability he has not kicked on or looked like he can win anything. He screams about money, but has had some over the years Fellaini, Yakubu, Johnson, Beattie, Bilyaletdinov, Lescott, Mirallas, Jelavic. Add up that lot and compare it with what Martinez has spent, you might be very surprised? I still say with his resources he's doing well just being in the EPL.

I'm not lambasting Moyes for not playing fancy football, what I'm saying is that he just doesn't have that killer touch, even if this current team finishes 4th we will be lucky to qualify for the CL and there's no way we would get through the group phase based on his previous euro exploits. The FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool sums up his killer touch for me.

Tony J @ 529

As I've just stated above he's doing well to even be in the EPL.
I just want to give someone else a chance. When clubs choose managers, they don't always base it on hard numbers; there's gut instinct comes into it and it not quantifiable. There's some decent clubs out there having these gut instincts about him too.

Well said Dominic. Either cyanide ampoules or much stronger anti depressents than most of us are probably already taking from watching that lot embarrass themselves us and the club.

Personally, I can't wait for someone to suggest Ron Atkinson!

Even though our league position is the same I think we've improved tremendouly even from where we were in 07/08. The legaue position may nto show it but I feel we are undoubtedly a better side and perhaps the fact we are sitll in contention for European spots and in with a shot at Wembley shows that to be the case rather than hoping for 7th with nothing left to play for like previous seasons. I don't think Martinez is any more cpabale than Moyes of making this last lep without investment, the factt hat we're so close to making it is testament to Moyes. People will always push the bar based on assumtpions though, Robert you're practically complaining already that Moyes woudn't get us out of the group stages even if we got into it, did you watch City at all this season?

If DM does stay and for what it's worth I think he will (then I take my ampoule of Cyanide). He has built an elderly team and will have to sell Fellani & Baines to bring fresh blood in, there will be a small honeymoon period a year or two and then it's back to the same old same old for the next eight years? He's not a winner! And 10 years is way beyond the time needed to prove he is one.

Yes I watched City this season and I have watched EFC against much inferior teams do even worse.

Even if it is not Martinez who comes we still need a new manager.

This phrase "The Best of the rest" no longer applies, there are 3 leagues within the EPL, the Sky4: ManU, ManC, Chelski, Tottenham. Then comes Arsenal, RS and EFC for the time being! Our current squad that DM built will just not be good enough to live with Arsenal and RS's more youthful teams in a year or two. Moyes has gambled everything on this team of near retirement players (and BK has allowed him to do it - shame on you!), now the wheels are starting to come of the cart. We will shortly become the best of the 7th and down teams if things don't change quickly.

I don't want DM to have the proceeds from a Fellani/Baines sale, give it to a new manager whoever he is?

...focus boy, focus...

Ok here we go......

In 10.5 years he's failed 41 (and it will be 44 at the end of the season) times to beat a SKY4 team away, he's had 21 attempts at winning a domestic cup and the few times we've made it into Europe we've been woeful as soon as we meet decent oposition. This is true of the Prem also when it really matters the SKY boys find a way past us (usually due to DM shooting us in the foot with subs (too) late or the wrong subs or our defensive style (long since figured out by the opposition).

You welcome to mention beating Manu's youth team/reserve side after extra time/pens and then the Chelski final, well the first 3 minutes of it before the surrender came.

This is his best squad? It doesn't say much for him or the club if this is the best sqaud we've had in a long time. What happened to these pensioners at Fulham, Reading, QPR, Leeds, Oldham (from the lower leagues? We couldn't keep hold of the ball against them when we had to kill the game) and the list goes on....

I genuinely thank DM for stabilizing us, we were going through a bad time, But he lacks a killer touch as we found out again in the FA Semi against the weakest RS team in 50 years (he couldn't put them away).

I want a new manager and it doesn't have to be Martinez.

The thought of giving DM the proceeds of a Fellani/Baines sale for more of the same old depresses me. I think practically every other Prem club would have moved onto a new manager by now. 11 years the end of this season is plenty enough time to prove you can seal the deal in a final or regularly take EFC into euro football with a chance of going the distance.

You need to get your facts staight and engage you brain before you smugly dribble at the mouth with witticisms.

You paraphrased my post: "'the wheels have come off' apparently (really?)'". I actually wrote: "the wheels are starting to come of the cart", there's a difference can you see it?

Focus boy, focus!

Allow me to explain if you can't discern any difference in the quotes above:

EFC is going through an uncertain period with both the managers situation and performances of late on the pitch (or lack of them). In case you haven't noticed the RS are just 3 points behind and the Gunners are doing their usual consistent thing (quietly moving up the table), our general trend is downwards. There's a few bookies out there who think LFC will finish above us this season, it's not an unreasonable assumption (why do you think LFC's price has come in?).

My post is clear concerning our squad (there's no confusion!), it's an old squad and it's probably got one maybe two years left of any kind of quality football. We simply won't be able to compete for 6th or 7th place with it, were a currently competing (I believe) for 6th or 7th with LFC, 4th & 5th will go to the Gunners or Spurs. And so to sum up we're about to become not even the "The Best Of The Rest". And "The Best Of The Rest" is something many pundits regarded us as.

Also it's an established fact Moyes has gambled on experience over youth and now we will pay the price for that over the coming years.

I've also gambled that you'll be able to "focus (boy) focus" and understand something that's very simple.

It's no disgrace to Moyes or any other manager if they struggle to beat teams who have every advantage possible. Even the referee and the media help the top teams which is why you call them the Sky 4 and why Man Utd don’t get penalties against them at home. It doesn’t matter to me what his results are against the top teams or the bottom teams, what matters is his results overall and where we end up finishing in the league.

You talk about us beating Man Utd reserves but I don’t agree. From what I remember, Man Utd finished the semi against us with perhaps their strongest team. We never surrendered any game, the opposition just had better players and were able to control the game, like they do against most teams. The manager doesn’t need to motivate his players in a final because it i a FINAL so I can't accept that Moyes or the players surrendered.

How doesn’t it say much for Moyes that this is his best squad when we have only lost 4 games in about 38 matches, we have also been very unfortunate in a lot of games especially early in the season? 4th place is still on and we are still in the FA Cup.

You mention the lower teams that we have struggled to beat but it's just as irrelevant as our record with the top teams, it's our record as whole that is important. Some time your players have a bad day and the opposition have a good day, that’s football. We don’t have a divine right to beat these teams.

Also, Ian, Moyes inherited an ageing team and will, 11 years on (if he goes), leave an ageing team. With little other than Premier League survival and some awful percentage dross in between.

As for leaving an aging team... He has sold Arteta and Cahill and replaced them with Mirallas, Jelavic, Gibson and Naismith and also brought in players like Stones, Kennedy and Green so he is still building for the future, make no mistake about that.

The frighteningly poor away record at these grounds is down to more than coincidence indeed I suspect the thinking you espouse is exactly that of Moyes — not right.

I think you are right in that it is down to more than just coincidence, I would have expected us to beat the Sky 4 a few times and we should have but those times usually the referee has had a lot to say on the outcome.

Considering the money situation, Moyes is probably going to be a difficult act to follow. Kristian Boyce #561, if your list is from Skybet, it provides a motley choice, so I hope we keep Moyes, unimaginative as he is. Shit, Steve Round as 2nd favourite - what are they thinking?

However if he decides to walk God forbid, my number one choice would be Laudrup as he comes across well and he has shown he can be good in the transfer market which I think are the most important things for a manager.

To have a team like Swansea competing in the top half is very impressive however my worry is he might well do to Everton what Lambert has done to Villa after a lucky first season, but then again it might just be a one off bad season like when we finished 17th under Moyes.

I wouldn’t have Martinez as I think he would have us fighting relegation like Wigan after a couple of seasons by trying to play tippy tappy football with Hibbert, Neville Jaggs and Anichebe which will never work.

The problem is we probably couldn’t afford the compensation to take a manager in a job so it would have to be a manager that is available and out of work, so I would go for the safe option of Nigel Adkins. I think he would do ok and probably keep us in the top half but I cant see an improvement on what Moyes has done so the fans on here will want rid after 2 or 3 seasons.

Di Matteo is available but without money he struggled at West Brom so I wouldn’t bother.

It could be worth a gamble on Di Canio, it might back fire as he is a loose cannon who would probably walk out after a season but might be worth a risk, however he has no PL experience and I don’t know how good he is in the transfer market which to me is crucial considering how little money we have.

10 Newcastle 25 2 31
11 Blackburn 26 -8 31
12 Fulham 26 0 30
13 Everton 25 -1 30
14 Aston Villa 26 -15 29
15 Blackpool 25 -11 28
16 West Brom 25 -17 26
17 Wigan 26 -18 26
18 Birmingham 23 -10 24
19 West Ham 25 -17 24
20 Wolves 25 -17 24

If that were true, then it comes as no surprise that he was loved by the Chelsea dressing room.

Most of us would recognise that Moyes (having fallen out with a few players in his time) has a tight dressing room. Some might question whether that has a detrimental affect on the time (too nice etc) but he clearly does his research when signing a player to make sure he's not going to upset the balance.

So by extension of that, our next manager also needs be someone who won't wreck that equilibrium, even accepting he'll want to move a few on to bring his own players in. We can all admire how Man City played at times last season, but what a twat of a dressing room that must be at times to sit in.

The Manchester City dressing room: a mental ward. Can you imagine Balotelli and Nasri in the same room? One gone; the other will soon follow. I think these two are to blame for much that is wrong at City.

As for the Everton dressing room, I am inclined to believe that Moyes is the lord of the manor surrounded by two or three overly sycophantic vassals (Pip is one of them for sure).

I somehow find it hard to believe that Di Matteo is that sort of person. He always struck me as a socially intelligent person, made wise by the injury setbacks he suffered during his career. A guy who is deeply devoted to his blind sister: when asked what his greatest wish would be, he replied that he would want his sister to have her eyesight back.

So if we assume as seems likely that Moyes has said that he wont sign a new contract, has the chairman asked him to say nothing till the end of the season hoping that it doesnt effect season ticket sales.

Then there is the Chairman's position: Does he see this as the time to step down as Chairman? If that happens. who then becomes Chairman? Possibly John Woods... but would he want the job? Because, if Moyes goes, then the Chairman will be responsible for appointing a new manager.

I somehow can't see Woods wanting the job, so who would the board appoint if Kenwright steps down as Chairman.

Slyly drops MOB I.D card into gutter and walks slowly away trying to look nonchalant.