Martinez's big prediction on Barkley

No but we will be if and when Barkley realises that he wonÂ’t fulfil his Champions League dream at Everton.

Let’s not kid ourselves – the only reason Steven Gerrard stayed st Liverpool throughout his best years is because they had Champions League football year-in & year-out.

If Barkley does become a great great player, and I say Â’ifÂ’ because he is not there yet, then itÂ’s a natural thing that he will want a big move to a top club

If Everton are to move into a new stadium, it will be important that the team performs well on the pitch between now and whenever that might be... Selling our better players wonÂ’t help and if, for argumentÂ’s sake, Barkley did leave, then the other youngsters (McCarthy, Coleman, Stones et al) might get itchy feet and follow suit.

I get the feeling that the next 3 or so years could shape Everton FC for the next couple of decades so itÂ’s important that Roberto gets as much support as possible to at least keep us near the upper echelons of the table, and that the board must allow him to build a younger team and hopefully a successful one.

I have read some crap from the bloke since he came here but this takes the fecking biscuit! For crissake, just let the lad establish himself in the Everton side before lumbering him with this sort of pressure. The world is laughing at us in mockery of such senseless drivel!

Clearly his technique is fantastic and his athleticism but I think his mental skills, vision and decision making are where he lacks the most currently. These abilities are crucial for an AMC who is expected to be the fulcrum of all the teamÂ’s attacking moves and are why it may be interesting to try him in the deeper role if Barry and McCarthy are missing against West Ham.

I for one would love to see the pace and power of Barkley and Besic in the middle with the more precise EtoÂ’o playing behind the striker.

These talented youngsterÂ’s know whatÂ’s out there and the lure of big money is sometimes too much to ignore, especially with the top European teams.

Ross has to prove himself a consistent performer if he is to achieve greatness. Just doing it in flashes doesnÂ’t cut it. Obviously we fans want him to start that process now so that he can help the Blues climb the table.

Ross is obviously a very talented footballer with others believing in him far more than he appears to himself but to suggest he will become EnglandÂ’s best ever is stretching the imagination.

Rooney was playing for England at 17 and winning things at 18. Alan Ball was Man of the Match in a World Cup Final at 21 years of age.

Please give up on the BS, Roberto, and let the football do the talking.

He does look like one of the better players of his generation for England – so I guess supply and demand makes him valuable.

They said Rooney was going to be as good as Pele. In fact I think even Pele said that.

It's a shame there is a need to write a players history before they have a chance to do it themselves. Leave it out, Roberto!

The season has been started in fits and starts – agreed, but that has a lot to do with pre-season/World Cup hangovers and injuries... Even so, we are not far off the pace for a top 5, even a top 4 place – we are going very strong in the Europa and have the FA Cup to aim at.

We signed a player for 㿈million.

WE SIGNED A PLAYER FOR 㿈MILLION...

WE... SIGNED... A... PLAYER... FOR... 㿈... MILLION

That player was a monster for us last season, and even though heÂ’s (according to this website) been playing a shocker, heÂ’s scored... with Naismith playing exceptionally well, and Barkley back on the fitness trail - and Mirallas coming back also...

Not to mention Coleman returning to full fitness, Oviedo back, Besic yet to be seen in full flow and McCarthy/Barry working it....

Let alone Stones...

Give Martinez a break. This team has been his for just over a season. Throw off the shackles of the negative mentality that Evertonians have adopted to make up for decades of under-achievement.

Barkley has been let loose, he is still learning, he is still growing... Rooney reached a peak extremely fast, then arguably plateaued... admittedly at a very high level.

Barkley is getting better, he will get better. And heÂ’s a Blue, on a long term contract.

I back Martinez the whole way. I donÂ’t subscribe to the negative, trash talking boo boys that hold their imaginations and dreams hostage to failure and a self defeating attitude in preparation for the pain you think Everton will feed you.

I support the club for moments like these. However fleeting they are, I support the manager for getting us to play the right way. The way we did against Arsenal last year, or Wolfsburg at home.

COYB...

How about he scores one single goal this season for us first...

I wonder if anyone there asked him what the evidence would be for making such a statement? So far, to the best of my knowledge Barkley has no experience whatsoever, of facing the best players on the European and World stages nor has he so far shown his capacity to dominate key areas of play on a consistent basis at club level. Of course the lad has potential and has shown glimpses of very great ability but to say that is the evidence for making statements about being "the greatest English player" etc is a little difficult to take seriously.

Charlton, Ball, Duncan Edwards, Moore, Finney and dozens more would have to be taken into the equation and at the moment, as others have already stated, Barkley still has a lot to prove at EvertonÂ’s level never mind anything beyond that. It is surprising to say the least that a man as intelligent as Mr Martinez can indulge in this kind of "greatest ever" nonsense.

He sounds like a hyped-up double glazing salesman at times.

Not doing young players any favours by hyping them up like this Roberto... just chill, dude.

I totally agree with RM. We have some amazing talent on our hands which if properly harnessed can bring regular European competition and a few trophies.

Far too many moaners on TW ready to seize on any positive comment from RM or his squad and tear him or them to pieces for it.

I know after his two spells at Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds Utd, he was really down and it took Alan Stubbs to give him a good talking to and Stubbs made Ross realise he had plenty to look forward to as a player.

Notice it was Stubbs and not Moyes who took the time to buck Barkley up.

Ross needs to become a good player for us before he can be thought of as great. If that ever happens...

As a master of reality... not so good.

He's such a hype maestro, it's unbelievable. Barkley is nowhere near good enough yet to even be mentioned about "best of all time" please, Bobby. Get a grip!

Instead of putting unwanted pressure on Ross’s shoulders, you’d be better off trying to unload Alcaraz, Robles, Kone and McGeady. All rubbish, but hey you probably think they are all "amazing".

No, the polar opposite isn't the only alternative. How about "one day he might become a very good England player"?

I'd love Bobby to stay quiet during an interview or press conf to see what this lot would say. I imagine there would be outrage as he wouldn't give them anything to be outraged about.

Too many of you fools have swallowed the Sky bullshit – hook, line and sinker and I bet you’re not even kids.

The net result is that when, for example, we play Man Utd Fletcher is going to be able to tell his club team mates how best to combat Ross. Of course, we had the same situation when Scotland met Ireland the other night.
It's a little bit of a problem if you ask me.

Although, a more obvious problem is that Tuesday's England v Scotland game is going to be a kickfest. Let's hope Ross doesn't get crocked or sent off.

Everton have a few youngsters maturing at present and one has to believe that, in time, they will compliment the existing backbone of the team under the guidance of RM and his staff.

Personally, I think he was brought into the England set-up too soon and probably wouldnÂ’t have been under anyone but Hodgson who has made a lot of odd decisions since he took over.

I think he's been at it today as well, I was walking through a supermarket this morning and I spotted the headline on the back of the Echo 'Martinez: McGeady can be up their with the greatest'. I couldnt bring myself to buy the paper as the headline made me feel too sick. Someone needs to have a word and get Roberto to tone it down

I love Bob's positive outlook but it might be starting to get to be too much.

You see, you're doing it again, Steve. Setting polar opposites as the only choice. The implication in what you say is that we can't enjoy an enthusiastic manager and criticise his comment about Barks. I enjoy his enthusiasm / positivity (love it) and don't like his comment about Barks. It's not difficult (therefore it must be easy!).

I get the impression that he's a firm believer in good player psychology.

Until Ross's decision-making reaches the level Rooney's was at five years younger, he can never be hailed as 'great' – even as an Everton player, let alone International.

But we all can hope he lives up to his manager's predictions.

Reminds my of that tool, O'Neill, bigging up "World Class" Ashley Young.

I know English isn't your first language, Bobby, but try and meet us in the middle, that would be phenomenal.

We have already produced arguably England's best ever although many will put forward other alternatives. Rooney will in the next 12 months hold the record for England goals scored and probably most number of England caps won – now that sort of record allows you to be spoken of as best ever.

Ross for me is a long long way short of what Rooney was at a younger age, Rooney was a far more complete footballer at 16 than Ross is now, and far more consistent.

I'd even consider Hoddle and Waddle to be better players than Rooney. Rooney, IMO, reached his peak at 21 and then dipped and flat-lined after that, becoming a very able footballer but nowt special.

For me, three players you didn't mention could have been classed as possibly England's best. They would be Finney – a far better all round player than Mathews; Duncan Edwards – who would probably have gone on to be the best ever; and finally Jimmy Greaves – the best natural striker England ever had. His record for club and country can't be bettered by any other England International in goals per games played. His record was phenomenal:

Chelsea – 157 games; 124 goals
Spurs – 379 games; 266 goals
England – 57 games; 44 goals.

My dad always used to go on about the great players of HIS youth, eg, Lawton, Milburn, Lofthouse, Matthews, Finney, Sagar etc... For some reason, he didn't rate Dixie too much (just a goalscorer in his opinion) and he didn't rate anyone who played after 1955 apart from Billy Liddell.

It must be a generation thing when so many 20-30 somethings think Maradonna is the greatest player of all time when we over 40's know quite well it was Pele closely followed by Cruyff and Alan Ball.

I expect in 20 years time the likes of Messi and Ronaldo will be mentioned and, hopefully for us, Ross Barkley as the greatest footballers of all time.

My old man always swore that the greatest England player ever was Duncan Edwards without any doubt. Apparently, he had a similar build to Ross but absolutely stood out whenever and for which ever team he played.

But we can never agree about 'greatness'. It depends on who we see and when. Nobody unassociated with Everton would put Ross in their Top 250 Ever. Yet.

I agree with Phil Walling (there, I've finally said it). Rooney is not the greatest England player ever but let's be honest, that is a pretty big accolade.

What is true, though: he has already had an outstanding career. He has always been burdened with unrealistic expectations that mean, because he hasn't become the best player in the world, he is somehow a failure.

His record speaks for itself and having seen them all, he is a much more effective player than Hoddle or Waddle ever were. And I know Gazza has been doing his best but neither he or Bobby Charlton have yet been laid to rest.

For 11 years we had a manager that beat us into believing that we should be happy with a top 10 finish... that our lot in life was to buy low and sell high, that we were a selling club. In ONE season, Martinez has us qualifying for Europe, and playing some of the best football our team has played in 25 years...

Memory serves, Rooney was a solo act for Everton. Good player, for sure, but Moyes had no team around him, and in fact we were a better team when we sold him – a more rounded team, a team that qualified for the Champions League via a 4th finish.

All those comments up here that deride Martinez for talking up our players, our home grown players, the blue bloods through and through – whether it’s to raise his confidence, or raise his price... good on you, Martinez, more so for playing positive, playing possession, and playing the passing game that The School of Science was all about.

Some of the comments on this thread are the real embarrassments to the club, not Martinez...

"I know English is not your first language Roberto..."

Seriously?Is that the best coherent argument you can put together? In English?

When Skies Are Grey... I guess...

RM has been clever. The bar has been set. Time for Ross to deliver; if not, we can unload him to the highest bidder. WhatÂ’s wrong with that?

And why would Hodgson play him when he has the effervescent James Milner to terrorise the opposition?

That Rooney lad looks a player by the way.

I mean how much can a player impress when he only gets five minutes of action? Roy is such an odd character, I think he must have had a few bob on tonight's match, rarely have I seen him so animated.

Patrick, Roy was bang out of order there. He puts the lad on with minutes to spare and then trashes him in front of the world after one mistake. Did he do the same to Sterling when the Scottish lad walked past him? Did he fuck!!

If Roy slated him too then old flabby chest has sunk even further in my estimation and I can't stand the wizened old crone.

Just play that one differently - Mourinho or whoever "bigs up" Lukaku (or whoever) so Roberto / Bill fall for it and we stump up 㿈m (or whatever). Are managers / chairmen that gullible? OK, they are at other clubs but not at EFC?!

Anyway, I hope this fires the young man up for West Ham which is all I care about.

He undoubtedly has ability to do things on a football pitch beyond the the reach of most players and therein lies the problem. When something goes right, it is inevitably eye-catching and gives the media column inches or post match discussion on MotD. That's the nature of what they do, hyping young players.

But can we honestly say he has dominated games on a consistent basis? I thought he had three very good games last year: Liverpool home, Swansea away and Arsenal away. Interspersed with these we're some magical moments but also some dross.

Yes, he's just about to turn 21 and you would hope that consistency comes with age but at the moment 㿞m would represent value for what is still only potential.

Ultimately it's a punt. The sensible route would be take the money now and reinvest. That's comes with some risk that he develops and in two years he might be worth twice that.

However, if he does mature into even the best midfield player in England, the lure of a top European club will be irresistible for both club and player.

I would add games against Newcastle to Graham's list. It is certainly true that he is not dictating games with the same consistency of the truly great but I am reminded of many far more hyped players also being inconsistent at his young age.

I am certain of one thing; the better he gets, the more media attention he will get, and the harder it will be to explain away that weird puffing thing he does with his cheeks.