For Everton, frustration mounts in watching foes spend big

The problem is our depth, getting injuries and not adequate cover (Europe). But we will have to cope. I think 4th place is a big ask this season although we have strengthened our team of last season. Last season we simply threw 4th place away and it was there for the taking. But all the top four have invested heavily and I think it showed against Chelsea, that this season 4th place wont be as easy to hold, especially if we make the mistakes against lesser teams of last season.

I think if we finish 6th we'll of had a good season, a good run in Europe and if we could add some silverware from league cup or FA cup well that would do me just fine. But to do anything, we will have to sort our defence out very, very quickly because Jags and Dis look ragged.

So let's hope Roberto, has something up his sleeve, because attacking passing football is fabulous to watch, but we not going to get very far if our defence is like a sieve.

All the team look out of sorts to me, just some to different degrees to others. So whatever method Roberto is using it don't seem to be working does it?

As for the spending situation, IÂ’m never convinced by anything about us so, in some ways, I was pretty happy with the money spent and the fact we lost no-one, even though we should probably have had even more to spend after previous sales along with TV revenue etc.

One thing that always worry a me is the thought of losing one/some of our better assets; we spent more than normal, does that mean we have thrown a bit of extra into it to seal top 4? If so, does it mean that, if we fail to get into the top 4, we will lose a major player?

Always a worry as a blue!!

At the end of the day, hand in heart there is not much hope in terms of us getting 4th, We don’t have a big enough, quality enough squad.

Its all well and good banging on about our great midfield options but are they really top 4 material?

Can the likes of Atsu, McGeady, Besic make the right matchwinning decisions on a game by game basis?
Is Pienaar past it? Probably.
We know Osman is.

Barry and McCarthy are good holding players but offer nothing going forwards.
What will Barkley react like after his injury?

Can Lukaku score 20 goals?
Can Eto’o stay fit?

We don’t have enough options in defence.
We don’t have adequate cover for Howard if he loses form again or injury hits.

All in all maybe Moyes would have been more fondly remembered at Everton if he had won a trophy?
A trophy winning manager and the players of that team go down in history.
Moyes was always a very good nearly man, always nearly but not quite.

I’d love to see Martinez with a trophy in his hands come February or May.

Now that would be fitting to that big mural standing proudly on the Main Stand.

I do agree though wholeheartedly, we should look no further than the next match and go out to win every match and every possible competition that Everton Football Club is involved in.

In fairness to David Moyes, he worked so hard to embed the "bunker" mentality, where players were conditioned not to worry about big names in the opposition ranks, and whilst we were rarely feted for our exciting play, equally rarely were we intimidated by the opposition, home or away.

We may have lost 5% of that mentality, but arguably we’ve gained 10% in terms of renewed self belief and, I believe, greater capacity to win away from home and in an bold, stylish fashion? Time will tell.

Roberto has signed well, but he needs luck with avoiding injuries, and he and the coaching team need to get the conditioning right so the team can perform under the yoke of having to play twice a week. Personally, I think the Chelsea defeat – and, more importantly, the manner of the defeat, will prove a watershed. That is the standard we need to aim for; we have had our wake-up call.

I have just returned, fully medicated with every anti-depressant under the sun, and ready to carry on the good work at TW.

Generally, we are fickle as fans, but some are more fickle than others (parody on George Orwell’s parody Animal Farm) I can of course sympathise, and understand the concerns to a degree.

I think what most fans want, is overnight success, which, as we all know very rarely occurs in football, unless there is a take-over by billionaires. Which, to be honest, and I have often thought about this, is not fair in many ways, because it is just buying success and not really earning it.

When we think back only just over a year really, how far we have come under Roberto, people like Eto’o Lukaku etc. wanted to come and play for us and not just motivated by the lure of the filthy lucre.

Being the Devil’s Advocate though, I would have definitely liked a Centre Back in this window, but as that has not happened we will have to roll our sleeves up and socks down (a la Dave Thomas) and just get on with it.