Seasons » 2014-15 » Everton News
Martinez moves to defuse Mirallas penalty row
Roberto Martinez insisted after last evening's draw with West Brom that the only issue he had with Kevin Mirallas taking the crucial first-half penalty was the fact that he missed it.The Belgian forward ignored calls from Romelu Lukaku and Steven Naismith to hand the ball over to regular penalty-taker, Leighton Baines, took the 44th-minute spot kick himself, and dragged it wide of the goal.
That prompted criticism from television pundits like Gary Neville and Robbie Earle of what they saw as Mirallas' breach of team protocol but Martinez played the situation down after the final whistle.
“Kevin took the first penalty against West Ham in the penalty shootout last week,” Martinez told the Sky Sports cameras. “He felt confident, he has been flying and the West Ham game was probably his best for the club. Leighton is our number one taker but he was quite happy to let Kevin take it because he felt confident.
“The issue is he missed it. If it had hit the back of the net nothing would have been said. If Leighton had said no and took it, and missed, then an issue would have been made of that as well. It was a key moment in the game but I'm not going to make a big issue out of it.”
There was also controversy surrounding the substitution of Muhamed Besic which was greeted by a torrent of boos from some fans after the Bosnian's typically determined display.
Tweets from club officials after the match suggested that the midfielder had suffered a foot injury that had necessitated his withdrawal with 11 minutes to go.
Reader Comments (91)
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2 Posted 20/01/2015 at 07:16:55
The real issue here is team discipline and there clearly wasn’t any. That’s down to RM.
3 Posted 20/01/2015 at 07:22:26
The whole thing is an amateurish nightmare, and unless something changes quickly we'll probably get relegated for the first time in most of our lifetimes.
4 Posted 20/01/2015 at 07:23:41
At times Carragher and Neville talk sense, but they aren't 100% right all the time. I am fairly certain if Sterling or Van Persie would have been man handled twice and thrown in the net they would have been screaming for a penalty. It's funny how the top teams can get more than penalty, where as everyone doesn't. Carragher cheated in the Derby, and he cheated as a pundit.
5 Posted 20/01/2015 at 07:32:08
If Kev wants to take over anything from Leighton, itÂs corners and free kicks because they are becoming woeful. That debacle of a corner last night, when he took it short and then received it back in an offside position, just about summed up thus season so far.
Apart from the fact that it was a Plan B, I suppose.
6 Posted 20/01/2015 at 08:37:38
7 Posted 20/01/2015 at 08:52:22
Absolutely spot on. Everyone can see it but Martinez himself.
8 Posted 20/01/2015 at 08:44:17
What benefit is there in winning Europa when we're losing it in the Premier league?
9 Posted 20/01/2015 at 08:46:28
10 Posted 20/01/2015 at 09:21:35
Poor Barkely was the pick of the bunch in terms of underwhelming. Drag-backs look good but when you receive the ball and turn, perform a drag-back and pass it back to the player who gave it you... kind of a waste of time. Again it's fear - lack of confidence.
I'm one of the few who still believes Martinez can give us something, but after that nonsense with Mirallas and bringing off Besic - the one player who to me looked a bit feisty - it's getting harder and harder to justify. I certainly don't blame anybody for saying they've had enough now - believe in principles and style of play is one thing, but there are other elements to management that RM seems unable or unwilling to address. Really gutted right now.
11 Posted 20/01/2015 at 09:31:07
12 Posted 20/01/2015 at 09:37:18
Miralles was a disgrace, and if his ankle/hamstring/insert an other crap excuse, why was he taking a penalty? He is finished at Everton but will he be out in January or the summer?
We didn't play well, WBA just allowed us to have all the possession we wanted until we got within 30 yards of goal. The rest of it was just passiing for passing sake.
13 Posted 20/01/2015 at 09:43:56
14 Posted 20/01/2015 at 09:50:59
15 Posted 20/01/2015 at 10:02:02
It was a bit tongue in cheek at the time, well scrub that ! Please make it happen !!
Devoid of ideas. No confidence. Shit excuse for both substitutions. This team need a talking too not praise for playing shite.
I believed the West Brom game was the match to decide Martinez' future. We did not win he has to go and go now.
Nothing to do with him personally but I don't support him I support EFC
16 Posted 20/01/2015 at 09:53:18
Now there's different elements to all of this and I feel that us, the fans do have a part to play. The tension was horrid last night you could feel it (apart from the drunken buffoon sat next to me with his 6 year old daughter whom he left for about 20 minutes alone whilst he went to the "toilet" before stumbling back to his seat)
Secondly. Martinez, I like him and I like his philosophy however, we have some old fashioned English players in our side... Jags, Barry, Naidy (scottish I know!) but you get my drift... So whilst the passing and posession game is good in principal you can not force it on players who have been brought up on a completely different style of play. It is Alien to them and at this stage of their careers you can't change there style of play.
So... What's the answer.... Well we either get BILL to put his hands in his pocket and buy players capable of this style (I'm NOT saying our players aren't good footballers but it's a different type of football)
Alternatively, we balance the posession with fast flowing pressing football and mix it up a lot more.
We are desperately in need of some magic in the final third and if it was up to me, I would do anything in my power to bring Del Boy back .... I would let him have a free role and not just stick him out wide as his talents are way too good to just be a wing player.
Add in a couple of spine players... GK, central defender and a strong ball playing midfielder and things will start to look a whole lot brighter.
17 Posted 20/01/2015 at 09:30:45
Lukaku first touch is so bad his second touch is a header!
That said the lack of ideas; the substitution of Besic; Kone looking lost when he came on the lack of leadership over the penalty debacle is all down to RM and he should go and finish his apprenticeship at another lower league club because he and his staff should not be managing an institution such as EFC.
My post says nothing of the anger I feel with this man in charge.
18 Posted 20/01/2015 at 10:29:36
Bainesy should have pushed him away-you're from Kirkby lad not Kirkby Lonsdale! He must have been bullied terribly at school!
19 Posted 20/01/2015 at 10:44:20
20 Posted 20/01/2015 at 10:44:43
21 Posted 20/01/2015 at 10:51:38
McGeady wasn't even on the bench last night and rightly so but the lack of competition for places means players are underperforming and we are getting the square pegs round holes scenario too often.
The simple fact of having Deulofeu on the right last year meant Naismith and Barkley could play central, Pienaar missing all year has been a big loss a stunted Baines' attacking impact all these issues need to be addressed asap because the fact is we are now in a relegation battle!
22 Posted 20/01/2015 at 11:01:44
23 Posted 20/01/2015 at 11:02:36
24 Posted 20/01/2015 at 10:44:39
However this knee shaking, lying(yes lying), over hyped manager should go. He is treating supporters with total disrespect, brushing our long history in the top flight, slowly but surely into the second tier. Even worse is blaming Injuries for substitutions, its plain to see Injuries have nothing to do with it.
Are all EFC supporters that stupid?, apparently RM thinks so.
Yes its time for him to go, and in the next few days, we need a new lease of life in our playing on the pitch and support off it. If BK does not act now, post Arsenal match in 6 weeks time, maybe too late for all concerned. BK needs to be cold, callous without fear or favor, for the long term stability of EFC, Sack Roberto Martinez, this week.
25 Posted 20/01/2015 at 10:46:05
The penalty was awful. Mirallas is a great player on his day, but he's always seemed to be in it for himself. Even his Belgian team mate Lukaku looked genuinely pissed at him, before he even missed the penalty.
Cash in now and get some reinforcements in.
26 Posted 20/01/2015 at 11:24:40
27 Posted 20/01/2015 at 11:27:47
Check out this Martinez look-a-like!!
28 Posted 20/01/2015 at 11:33:38
29 Posted 20/01/2015 at 11:31:26
I think Martinez has two games to save his job and if we don't get the right results we need than he will be gone, let's just hope we get the results because if we don't we will be in serious trouble.
On an up note, Besic is a class player, Martinez should have taken off Barkley for Kone!
30 Posted 20/01/2015 at 11:46:25
31 Posted 20/01/2015 at 11:56:33
32 Posted 20/01/2015 at 11:44:45
33 Posted 20/01/2015 at 11:59:57
34 Posted 20/01/2015 at 11:45:41
35 Posted 20/01/2015 at 12:00:23
36 Posted 20/01/2015 at 12:04:03
37 Posted 20/01/2015 at 12:10:36
38 Posted 20/01/2015 at 12:10:34
39 Posted 20/01/2015 at 12:14:11
40 Posted 20/01/2015 at 12:16:20
41 Posted 20/01/2015 at 12:17:40
Unnecessary pressure no matter what happened. Pressure on Mirallas because the bigheaded twat took the ball, he HAS to score or pressure on Baines if he wrestled it back (which he should have done and told the arrogant prick to fuck off)
Ian 17, not too sure what game you were watching, the one I saw had Mirallas stuck to the line and doing absolutely fuck all with the ball when he got it. Great players impose themselves into a game, this fucker is happy to stand still on the line wait for the ball to eventually get to him.
On another note, I wish we would take a leaf from the Redshite's book and do a Stirling with Barkley and send him on holiday for a few weeks. The man's confidence is in tatters and he will ot get back to the correct frame of mind whilst these bottlers are playing this way.
He was less than useless yesterday and I have yet to see him make a tackle this season.
God, I hate Everton sometimes, you can tell by how sweary my posts are becoming this season
42 Posted 20/01/2015 at 12:27:11
Had he put penalty away we would have been saying at least he was the one to stand up and be counted.
As it is that miss could define our season if we come up a point or two short!
43 Posted 20/01/2015 at 12:29:28
44 Posted 20/01/2015 at 12:23:02
As for taking Besic off for Kone...I get the whole bring a striker on thing but not for Besic. Barry was actually playing okay but Barkley is moving like he's in treacle and his speed of thought and movement is causing us to lose the ball a lot. He should've got dragged off to protect his clearly waning confidence from dipping any further. I've backed Martinez all along but I can't defend the indefensible any more.
45 Posted 20/01/2015 at 12:29:57
If it was even debatable who should take the penalty then yes I would expect Jags to be involved, he was 30 yards away.
Forget this whole "Mirallas leadership" nonsense. He had never taken a mid game penalty in his time here but the week that his contract is up for debate he decides to not just volunteer but "grab the ball" like a 7 year old child.
We have the most successful penalty taker currently playing in the prem. It is beyond me just quite what Mirallas thought he was doing.
He has put Martinez in a tough situation, it appears our belgian contingent have one good game and then think they can do what they want.
46 Posted 20/01/2015 at 12:28:33
ThatÂs no excuse for costing us the game mind, but thatÂs why he wanted to take the penalty so much.
47 Posted 20/01/2015 at 12:33:52
48 Posted 20/01/2015 at 12:36:57
49 Posted 20/01/2015 at 12:31:22
So... Why oh why have Mcaleney on the bench who can create and can make things hapoen. Why not give him a run with 15 to go... Couldn't possibly of been worse than Barkley.
50 Posted 20/01/2015 at 12:25:43
51 Posted 20/01/2015 at 12:41:02
52 Posted 20/01/2015 at 12:47:11
I took penalties for my team for years. It got questioned three times... Once by the manager outside of a game after I'd missed (my only ever miss, mind) and I said I'd carry on. Once a teammate asked if I wanted him to take one (game straight after that same miss) and I turned him down, and once when a teammate was on a hat trick in a rout - I offered it... and I got bollocked by the manager afterwards for giving it to him!
That was at semi pro level... and there was never a question of anyone taking the ball. What kind of premier league team can't get the most basic of basics right?
I really want to hear Kev's side of this because something sinks here. Footballers don't do what he did... I can't believe that there wasn't something behind it.
53 Posted 20/01/2015 at 12:55:24
54 Posted 20/01/2015 at 12:58:30
On a plus note thought Besic was superb, when McCarthy is fit them two will be great anchoring our midfield, Barry should be moved back to CB I think he'll be a great replacement for Distin, and the fact that Robles hasn't been mentioned in any posts can only be a good thing.
55 Posted 20/01/2015 at 13:11:48
56 Posted 20/01/2015 at 12:59:57
Robles - seems sound enough at the moment
Coleman - steady but not doing teh same runs he did last year (probably because the player usually in front of him is not up to much for creating space etc.).
Jags - doing ok
Stones - looking better every week
Baines - ok defense - attacking just does not have a player to link up with like Pienaar. Corners are awful - does he ever beat the first man.
Mo - doing great
Barry - ok defensively but passing is poor
McCarthy - best player we have - needs to get more involved going forward
Barkley - don't know whats happened to him - passes sideways now and never covers back
Naismith - great worker but how many of his passes go astray - now competing with Lukaku for pin ball champion
Lukaku - pinball expert - must have more in his locker than what he is doing now
Mirallas - does he every beat a defender on the outside?
Always uses others space.
McGeady - great feet but no end product
Oviedo - we need to play him more - great energy
Kone - Always thought he was a great target man for Wigan - if he can do the same here he will be useful
We are crying out for a play maker - somebody to unlock defenses.
We also need balance - we either seem to play some on the right or somebody on the left - this means most of our attacks come from one side of the pitch and to easy to defend against.
57 Posted 20/01/2015 at 14:01:23
58 Posted 20/01/2015 at 14:00:54
Mirallas was a disgrace last night but he clearly wants out and this is the excuse he needs to leave for less than his true value. Get Martinez out before it’s too late!
59 Posted 20/01/2015 at 13:58:18
Cut the PR bullshit, face facts, be pragmatic and roll your sleeves up. We're in a dogfight. I don't want to hear Martinez's spin and platitudes any more. Start by facing the Mirallas issue head on. If that means shipping him out, so be it.
60 Posted 20/01/2015 at 14:36:37
61 Posted 20/01/2015 at 14:51:25
I played in a game where we were awarded a penalty and our flash new winger grabbed the ball to take it. We had an excellent penalty taker on the team and the manager roared at Billy Big Balls to hand the ball over.
Penalty was duly dispatched, BBB got slagged off by everyone and sulked for the rest of the match.
Standard practice back then and always should be - The penalty taker takes the penalties, end of.
62 Posted 20/01/2015 at 15:56:19
63 Posted 20/01/2015 at 16:44:42
What Kevin Mirallas did last night is create pressure from every angle.
1/ Pressure on himself as he had to score if he took it. He didn't
2/if Bainsy had said "no" to him, then Bainsy would of been under a lot more pressure than usual because of the discussion
3/ Bainsy again next time we get awRded a penalty... It will DEFINATELY play on his mind.
The whole thing is far more involved and just creates a massive amount of pressure for everyone.
However.... And there's always a but.... What would we be talking about had he scored? What would we have been criticising then? Would we have even been talking about it as an incident? I doubt it.
So in the grand scheme of things we should just try and put it aside and focus on something far more damaging and that is the rot that has set in at the club and the awful awful awful football that was on display last night.
64 Posted 20/01/2015 at 17:04:22
Baines has been with us six years he should have insisted that he takes the penalties, but maybe his confidence is shot.
Talking of confidence, who is sure Martinez can snap us out of it? Not me... Taxi for our manager.
65 Posted 20/01/2015 at 17:36:17
It doesn't change the feeling that KM is a prima donna, but I suspect that we all already knew it.
If he played for anyone else, we would think he was a sulky, spoilt brat.
If he was wearing a Tee shirt with his mates name on, then I can understand his sentiments, but why do these guys think that their personal issues should be broadcast to all and sundry.
The sight of Lukaku and him at WestHam, pointing up to the sky was absurd, just like Frank Lampard pointing up all the soddin time at his late mum.
We've all got dead people, but in most walks of life it isn't seen as the done thing to start pointing up at the sky willy-nilly.
Imagine if the girl on the checkout at Aldi threw your goods into your trolley in rapid time, setting an in-house record and then started poiting upwards, to be joined by other members of staff, coz a friend, who was a very promising young shelf-stacker died in a pallet truck accident.
I wouldn't be too impressed.
66 Posted 20/01/2015 at 18:04:56
WBA were there for the taking last night but Lukaku, Mirallas, Naismith and Barkley decided to go walkies and were absolutely awful. I've defended this team and manager to my own detriment at times but last night was the night the straw broke the camel's back.
I'm not going down the 'we're going to get relegated' road because we are not, there are far poorer sides out there than us, fortunately. But I'm not going to continue to defend this overpaid, underperforming, pampered and spoilt bunch of twats any more. They can defend themselves.
67 Posted 20/01/2015 at 18:15:05
68 Posted 20/01/2015 at 18:16:43
69 Posted 20/01/2015 at 18:20:17
Baines on the forthcoming Qatar trip: "ItÂll be like a mini pre-season."
Better late than never.
70 Posted 20/01/2015 at 18:26:43
71 Posted 20/01/2015 at 18:16:44
you lasted quite well and it took a while but finally you've seen the light.
Extremely difficult to accept I know but we all love this Club passionately and no manager or player should come above it.
Just sorry it took you longer to see what a lot of us have been seeing all season and you've been given the stick you've had.
72 Posted 20/01/2015 at 18:23:48
73 Posted 20/01/2015 at 18:40:43
I would not fancy us to beat any of the teams you mentioned at the moment and with this manager in charge I see no reason for that to change until he goes.
74 Posted 20/01/2015 at 18:37:10
He's going to come back with the same group of players (I doubt we'll be buying anyone this month) and, hopefully, they'll be able to scrape enough points to see us safe by mid-March, at least.
I'm not going to jump onto the 'sack Martinez' bandwagon because I can't see what use it will do. I don't know if he will be in charge next August and to be perfectly honest, I don't care.
I admire his footballing philosophy/dream but maybe it's not the right fit for the Goodison faithful who have been brought up on a more direct, dynamic style. If he stays this season, and next, then I pray he learns and adapts because right now, this is totally shit football.
75 Posted 20/01/2015 at 18:38:34
Unfortunately, he (Jags) just isn’t captain material.
Too nice. Non confrontational. He’s always smiling before games, offering polite handshakes and friendly hello’s.
Compare that to Besic yesterday evening. He barely looked at anyone in the West Brom team as they did the obligatory handshakes. Instead, he looked focused and a little pissed off by it all.
And it shows in his game. He’s got that competitive streak in him. That boy wants to win.
I’m afraid too few of his teammates seem to share that quality at present.
They may well be hurting inside, but as fans, we want and need to see it on the field.
We’re in a relegation fight. So let’s start fighting before our niceness sees us relegated.
76 Posted 20/01/2015 at 18:48:57
If Mirallas had put it in, he'd still be a selfish, greedy, big-headed twat who's in it for himself and has been angling for a move away from Everton asap, who just snatched the ball off a loyal club man who has an almost perfect penalty record.. So there's that!
77 Posted 20/01/2015 at 18:55:55
78 Posted 20/01/2015 at 19:09:54
79 Posted 20/01/2015 at 20:11:39
80 Posted 20/01/2015 at 20:03:27
He has sucked all the confidence from that flying team we left him with last summer. RM has 2 games to save his arse. If he fails these 2 games, BK needs to act.
81 Posted 20/01/2015 at 20:38:24
it's right now he should be out.
This never ending 2 games to prove he can get us out the shit is never ending.
By the time everyone says enough it will be too late.
Nothing has changed since Leicester away first game of the season. No lessons have been learned by Martinez. Nothing has been addressed until the players had words a few weeks ago.
We can't beat West Brom at home our form is diabolical. The longer we wait the harder it becomes.
Anyone and I really mean anyone could be no worse than the present fuckwits !
82 Posted 20/01/2015 at 18:31:03
83 Posted 20/01/2015 at 21:20:05
Please BK draw the ruddy thing!
84 Posted 21/01/2015 at 05:42:13
Kevin Mirallas penalty miss: is it anarchy at Everton or no big deal?
But perhaps Everton fans should also be concerned by what did not happen. As Mirallas may or may not know, earlier this season in the Belgian league Anderlecht's young midfielder Youri Tielemans argued with his team's designated penalty-taker, Nathan Kabasele, over the right to take a spot-kick against Genk. Anderlecht's goalkeeper and captain, Silvio Proto, ran the length of the pitch to impose order, commanding Tielemans to step aside and let Kabasele take it (he missed, but that's not the point). Why did Everton's captain, Phil Jagielka, not make such a decisive intervention last night?
He missed, but that's not the point? That's exactly the point. Regardless of what Jags could have done, or Baines could have done, the problem was there with no solution. As soon as someone does what Mirallas did you have a problem.
For what it's worth, I'm glad that Jags didn't run up the pitch and grab the ball. We would look even more shambolic than we already do. And Baines would have taken that penalty with even more doubt and pressure than Mirallas did.
85 Posted 21/01/2015 at 14:06:00
I agree that regardless he shouldn't go anywhere near the penalty in such an important game, but my attitude toward him has softened slightly if that's correct.
86 Posted 21/01/2015 at 14:17:24
87 Posted 21/01/2015 at 14:35:09
So, whatever thoughts were running thru his head, Baines's conduct was proper.
88 Posted 21/01/2015 at 14:03:06
In MoyesÂs first full season of the dour and the dull, we scratched our way to 7th; the following season, we were bottom for ten games and battled our way to 17th. So in many ways History is repeating itself. Moyes inherited a team with the likes of Gazza and Ginola and Unsy and yes quite a few seasoned journeymen to which he would add to.
Fast-forward to 2014-15 and here we go again. Aging pros with further additions of Kone and Barry. A season of the bold and the beautiful. A superb English talent was setting Goodison on fire with a sublime strike against an unbeaten Arsenal comparable to the strike against Man City last season? You couldnÂt write this shit, get Sylvester on the phone and his mate Arnie. LetÂs see what Spielberg can do with this?
The difference between the two managers is one is still wet behind the ears and the other wore nappies, this being a very useful piece of kit because the prick would shit himself when he took his penknife to a shotgun fight.
Do we give Martinez the time to put it right as we did the predecessor? We can play football under Roberto and – given the right players, fitness, form and a decent run without injuries that take players out for months on end – maybe he can be the man and this is merely a short term period of adjustment we need to endure.
Being a full blown scouse, I do realise football is bigger than much about anything on the planet. Forget about wars in the middle east, Ebola virus, Famine, Pestilence, the global financial meltdown. Suicide Bombers, 9/11, Nukes and Armageddon – thatÂs fuck all when my team looks like getting relegated.
90 Posted 23/01/2015 at 19:26:54
91 Posted 23/01/2015 at 19:50:01
93 Posted 24/01/2015 at 00:33:04
On that note maybe just maybe Besic defused the situation by saying he was injured, full marks for Naismith and Besic for not dragging the club down by speaking out.
Had either had said otherwise, this would have esculated among supporters at upcoming games, both players love the club so I for one applaud both players for nipping it in the bud.
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1 Posted 20/01/2015 at 07:10:28