Horne: Everton won't go down but they do remind me of Wigan

Very much hope that we do not do this against Newcastle or we will have a mountain to climb.

I remember having a debate with Barry on the stairs of the Upper Bullens when Walker was in charge, he tried to convince me Walker would turn it round, don't know if he believed it himself but he couldn't sway me

Now, I couldn't give a stuff about the manager -all I'm interested in is our getting 41 points which I've backed them to do as a desperate saver against the bet I've lost on finishing seventh.

I wonder if RM watched this before choosing his team and tactics for Sunday?

My wish is, of course, overwhelmingly that we stay up. I think we will but I also hope that Martinez is dumped. I know he won’t be.

My reason for wishing this is fairly fundamental. Martinez will not change and nor will he acknowledge that improvements we are experiencing just now result from a system change. He is so stubborn and egotistical that he will say it’s the same system now being played exactly as it should be. Most of us know that is bullshit.

But regardless of whether we achieve Premier League survival, many of us believe that at the earliest opportunity be that he will revert to a possession based game which, whoever it does suit, doesn’t suit this team!

I personally I don’t want to watch a team managed by Martinez next season. I know there are some who will live with that in the hope that his normal mode was what we witnessed last season. But there are more of us who know that, based on history, that is not the way it is!

I’ve also had enough of listening to the most bizarre post match comments you’ll hear anywhere if football with a detachment from reality that’s for most of the time is both frightening and depressing. I don’t want to hear about the need for players to be themselves or be in a good place. Do such comments square with a manager who, whatever else he does, puts out a super fit team? Probably not and it shows.

If we do get a new manager – and I don’t expect for a second that we will – I don’t want BK to appoint someone who manages within a 30 mile radius of Merseyside. I want someone with a viable track record in a decent league and take a chance even if he’s foreign-based. I know this last paragraph is pie in the sky but saying it makes me feel better simply just to say it.

Once RM had killed what was left of Moyes style it all slowed down and began to be played in our half side to side waiting for the gift of the opposition being lulled into sleeping, which they don't do in the EPL.

I did read that our performance v Newcastle felt like a blend. Just a thought.