RM is showing the Board and us where the money needs to be spent – wisely... and not too much either. The Board will like that... and I expect them to satisfy his needs this summer.

He is also demonstrating to the Board just how close he is to being better than four of the following: Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea. I leave which four to our readers.

For me, however, the tempo is just that bit too slow and the play is predictable. We need to vary our play, attacking with more pace down the centre and down the flanks, one creates opportunity for the other. Pace prevents our opponents from regrouping, space remains available for the striker. Break the momentum, as Pienaar and McCarthy have been doing lately, and we end up running parallel with the 18-yard box without the vision to reverse the ball in to those runs by Naismith and Traore of late. End result: too many 20-yard shots, off balance and off target. 192 square feet of target at that.

I'd like to see the players mixing it up more, whipping crosses into the box and picking up the pieces. I'd like to see darting penetration into the box creating panic and forcing risky tackles: the more incident, the more opportunity. What I don't see is a steely determination to attack the goal come what may. Add that to our build-up play and then we're talking.

We seem to flatter to deceive. We don't seem to work opposing keepers as hard as we should. On the other hand, Howard is often tested from distance, hoping he spills, allowing follow-ups.

Meanwhile, our midfield seem reluctant to join in really offensive moves! In fact, McCarthy rarely crosses the halfway line! I understand he is probably playing to orders? But even Barry has only done it once to score a great goal at Goodison.

Hopefully Lukaku coming back will help, but we need more fire power... even Seamus getting back on the scoreboard.

After the Spurs defeat yesterday we can still catch them and move back ahead of Manchester United.. To finish 5th would be an achievement given the lack of spending. However, I for one would rather finish 7th and see the team come out of the tunnel on Cup Final day.

I really cant believe how we have fallen so many points behind Liverpool over the last month or so, at the start of the year I said that I really believe that 4th place is anybody's, and you felt that all it would take is going on some kind of good run of form and stringing a few wins together, that seems to be Liverpool, I don't want to even think about them winning the title so lets not go there.

I think thats where we have really slipped up, we don't seem capable of putting back to back wins together anymore, and certainly don't seem capable of winning three or four on the spin.
Too often, and we said the same about this time last season, Everton is just all about being hard to beat and not winning enough.

Look at the win total of the others above us and then see we have the 12 wins, to finish in the top 4 you probably need to win at least 22 matches, our final win tally for each season is usually aound 16 wins and loads of draws.

Hand on heart I am struggling to see how we can knock Arsenal out of the Cup next Saturday, maybe I am hoping we can somehow hold on to a 0-0 or get a 1-1 and bring them back here.
Its just hard to see where any serious goal threat is coming from lately and hearing that Arsenal concede so few goals at the Emirates makes the job even harder.

It would be so disappointing to miss out on Europe all together. If we cant finish above Liverpool then I at least want to finish above Man Utd.