Baines credits Lennon for inspiring Blues' unbeaten run

Managers take a lot of stick and rightly so if they make errors of judgement but, once a player or team crosses the white line, it's down to them to be committed and work hard as a bare minimum.

Whatever has gone on behind the scenes this season has hopefully been addressed Lack of skill, players out of form can all be accepted by the Goodison faithful but players not working hard to win the ball back or to create chances is not and never will be acceptable at Everton FC. We can stick most things most of the time but we shouldn't have to accept a lack of effort ever....

Even though he's not played games for Spurs he's obviously been training and keeping fitter than our starters.

I have been well impressed by Lennon's industry and workrate (and his goals). He's settled in well and is making himself a definite starter now he's acclimatised himself to the club. As long as Martinez doesn't suddenly decide to start playing him out of position, he could prove to be a really positive addition to the squad if Martinez can successfully negotiate his transfer. That's my biggest worry as I no longer trust our 'phenomenal' manager to do even that without making some sort of drama or crisis over the move.

Let's hope Leighton's words strike home at the rest of the squad and they all try to pull their fingers out in an effort to emulate Aaron Lennon's performances. He is, as Leighton points out, quite literally showing everyone how it should be done, and for God's sake, let's see a response from everyone else. The guy is a breath of fresh air and if we do sign him on a permanent deal, could be just the man to set Rom up fir a few more goals next season as well as bagging a few himself. Welcome to Everton, Aaron.

Players like Lennon, Pienaar and others are worth their contracts and always try their best. If younger players are more ambitious then so be it IMO, get decent money for them and stick with more realistic players.

Incidentally I would much rather have Shelvey in midfield for us than Cleverley any time.

There is an awful lot wrong with this Everton side and not much seems to change week after week. We, the fans, are turning up in large numbers to see the same mistakes game after game and nothing will change – not even the manager. The club is rotting away.

Footballers today hold all the cards. If they want to play, they play; if they don't, they don't. Managers, with a few exceptions, are becoming increasingly meaningless figures. If their multi-millionaire charges decide to skip training, go into a strop or generally be a tit, then the manager has his hands tied behind his back as the club needs to protect their 'investment'.

I could go on and on giving examples of 'player power' and their couldn't-care-less twattish attitude but that would just make me angrier. And, after all, it's easier to blame the manager.

Nowadays, you can see a Balotelli who trains when he feels like it, a Wilshere constantly caught smoking at 3 am in nightclubs when he should be resting, a Yaya Toure strolling around the pitch when his team are getting battered in a derby, a Newcastle team who look like they struggle just to put their kit on, WHU players who look like they'd rather be anywhere else then on the pitch, etc.....

My point being that managers no longer have the power to threaten, even cajole, their players anymore as the balance of power has shifted in the players' favour. You see managers shouting and screaming all the time but, if their overpaid, overrated 'stars' can't be arsed, there's not much they can do about it.

Martinez and Pellegrini are both open to the criticism of being too nice, of putting hard graft behind artistry and aesthetic. I'm not sure about Big Sam but I imagine his teams work harder than Martinez's.

Yes, players have too much power but it requires a good strong manager to let them know who is the boss and what will be required. And if they don't put in the needed effort then to replace them with someone who does... a super hungry youngster for example.

The "permanent deal" factor won't be a problem with Lennon, mate, so I wouldn't concern myself too much.

The Tottenham supporters I have spoken to say one of the things they loved most about Aaron Lennon was the fact he worked his socks off and put in a real 110% shift as a player every week. He isn't liable to be like one of these Dutch or Belgian or even African sulks when they spit their dummies out over trivial things.

People accuse Gareth Barry of being an example of this but I don't think it's so much that Barry is not trying, he is giving his all every week, it's just that at the age of 34 his body has slowed down especially given the fact even in his younger days, he was never the most, shall we say, mobile or agile?

Signing Lennon, who is at the peak of his playing powers turning 28 this month, still young enough but with suitable experience, is a no-brainer for as little as £6 million in this day and age of extortionate fees.

As for the fitness factors? Well, we have said all year, it's something that Martinez and his staff have neglected since the days Moyes was here.

Lennon was a key part of Harry Redknapp's great entertaining Tottenham teams that got to the Champions League playing fast, frenetic energetic football that blew sides away with pace.

At nearly 28 , Lennon will still have his powers for at least another three years; Craig Bellamy was still lightening quick at the age of 31.

Sad beyond belief.

I've said enough about Martinez but is he too much of a soft touch? Mourinho, Van Gaal or Simeone wouldn't accept any slacking.

I could say the same for Pellegrini too. Man City just didn't look bothered yesterday. Especially Yaya Toure, an absolutely shameful display from him.

As much as he (Moyes) made his play some shite football, there wasn't a lack of effort or fitness in his teams.

When he was on ITV during our Europa League tie, I think it was Young Boys at home, and he said that "We can't expect to do the same things if we're not getting any joy." – which to me hinted at some player frustration at RM's tactics.

And now this today. It needs a winger coming on loan working hard to force the players into putting a shift in? Hmm.

The way RM talks in his pre-team talks and to the press generally, it is very evident it's all one way trash in terms of building up the team and individual players. I do not believe that RM has it in him to be harsh and direct with people, it's just not his style.

Same thing with Pellegrini, they call him "Mr" because he is a gentleman of some sorts. Both are similar in terms of their teams being rudderless in times of crisis.

To me, then, talk of dissent in the dressing room this season I find hard to believe. RM wants to be liked, that's his style, and the fact that the players told him to change the approach (as Lukaku and now Baines did) doesn't surprise me one bit – it's exactly the way he manages.

Unfortunately from what I observe it takes a "commander" style leadership approach in football to speak. Think Ferguson, Mourinho etc..I believe Moyes also took no shit either. having said that, where Guardiola fits into this, I'm not so sure...

Too many of them, including Baines, have just been going through the motions this season and only recently have they started to show some fight and desire. I know the manager is guilty of many things but when these highly paid professionals step onto the pitch, it's up to them to show some pride and guts.

As for Baines's comments: a further indictment of Martinez's poor management. He is fully responsible for getting the team to work for him. If they aren't, rather than believing that the players are all prima donnas, we can assume that they have no faith in what they have been told to do.

Flirting with relegation has forced the issue and there has been an attitude adjustment. However, the players won't play for someone who they don't believe in. Some of them are right now playing for their futures. A good barometer of where there head is at will be the first few games of next season.

I think it's a matter of respect, if the players don't respect the manager they won't work hard for him, just like in the workplace.

Or perhaps one of the dying breed is just what we need to sort out the players and their egos.

There are a number of players who will not be there next season.

The other thing I like about Lennon is that, like Cahill, Ossie and one or two others, he absolutely loves playing football. Far too many look like they would sooner be somewhere else.

Secondly, you could be forgiven for thinking that Baines is being encouraged by Roberto for these utterances, given that LB is probably (in the manager's eyes) ideally placed being a local lad and a senior pro, and therefore there's a "connect" with the fans. If a player makes these comments, then I think RM's ploy is to say that he encourages open expression of views, and they stem from the honesty and commitment of the players to improve etc. I think inevitably though, many of us will see it in a different way, as a clue to players' dissatisfaction with his standards.

Personally, I think the team have been lacking fitness, lacking motivation, and our legendary team spirit (under Moyes) has ebbed away this season. Let's hope things are freshened up considerably over the Summer. We may start hearing some unpleasant truths out of Finch Farm after this miserable season has ended.

I thought Atsu might have been ready for a recall up until the Kiev capitulation, but he flopped and he offered the defence no protection. Atsu, like McGeady is weak and his offensive play doesn't make up for his defensive short-comings.

As others have said, this shows that the players have been going through the motions, either believing the hype that they were a team of Champions League contenders, or it could be that Martinez hasn't been tough enough with them. Either way, it's a sad indictment of how this season's gone.

On the case of Martinez not being tough enough, I've got a mate who supports Manure and he was saying that Fellaini was saying Moyes wasn't as tough as Van Gaal. Well, I always thought Moyes was a bit of a disciplinarian, so, if he's soft compared to Van Gaal, it makes you wonder how Martinez is.

Great point about Lennon being in a rare select group that "loves playing football".

That's the exact attitude Cahill had but you looked around when Cahill was here you'd see the likes of Anichebe, Jo, and a few others that just didn't seem to enjoy the game.

You simply just can't coach that attitude in player's, your either born with that fire in your belly or your not and that's what concerns me most about our Ross Barkley, he never seems to want to get dirty or part his hair (has anyone ever seen him even challenge for a header yet?). Whereas the likes of Gerrard across the park has that raw desire and winning mentality.

Lennon is a player that gets a thrill out of football and in a team that hardly does much running around, that's a bloody good trait to have.

We are Evertonians and so God knows, "its the hope that kills us", therefore in line with the logic of the curse for which were were born (not manufactured) to suffer, hope must return – for it cannot be dashed if it is not first returned.

In reality, the opposite is true as Mourhino has proved. You don't gain respect or awe by playing it easy. Off with his head, I say!

Most fans this season have been rightly critical of the team's fitness, looks like Lennon's work rate has underlined our lack of fitness. Will the pre-season be geared to making our team a lot fitter than this season? Or will our coaches revert to type and adopt this casual approach to fitness as they have this season?

Compared to Mirallas and McGeady his stats are the worst of the three. Kevin Mirallas had 19 goals on what I believe is 82 appearances. In fact, over their careers, Mirallas has about 30 fewer appearances in a professional league but twice as many goals. Even McGeady's totals over his career are 43 goals , 86 assists in 288 appearances.

I simply don't think Lennon is going to be the answer or savior for Everton. If energy and tracking back is all we are looking for then put Besic up there since he runs around a whole lot and would be as far away from our box as is possible when he turns it over.

I get the impression that Baines is becoming the unofficial spokesperson for members of the squad who have seen through the management waffle and have grown tired at being restricted by ineffective, inflexible, and negative tactics. For a team that hasn't seen too many win bonuses this season, I'm surprised it has taken this long. He's probably one of the only players that Martinez will feel he can't discipline or drop for his thinly veiled criticisms of the regime, due to his stature as an established England player and generally being a well liked local lad, and as such he's able to cut through Pedro's propaganda and address the issues that most fans are able to see all too clearly in a simple and honest way.

I don't think this will be the last time that Baines does not toe the party line, and if it forces change then all the better. Hopefully he can now start letting his performance speak volumes. First thing should be to sort out his delivery from corners, as it's been woeful for far too long.

For Baines to come out and say that publicly really confirms things are not right behind the scenes. Most of us have assumed that was the case but for the quietest senior pro to say that in public is something else.

For me, the read between the lines is simply that there are players at the club who either don't want Martinez there and/or don't want to be there (the latter may be influenced by the former). It's not quite Chelsea/AVB levels but for Baines of all people to say that means there is a real problem. It also shows that Martinez has a discipline problem and doesn't seem to be able to keep the players in check or on side. Eto'o, Distin, Mirallas, Lukaku, Garbutt, just to name a few examples. Didn't like the guy but I cannot imagine these type of things under Moyes, especially in one season.

To solve it, I can really only see either the manager going or a mass of players leaving... I wonder what BK thinks of all this?

I think some of our first team feel that they are undropable and clearly think that they don't need to try as hard as they should do.

Either the team talk at the interval was wrong, or the players' attitude was poor. But the buck only stops in one place.

I think it was because he knows that, no matter how poorly he plays, he can't possibly be dropped because he's arguably their best player when he does actually try.

I have been pleasantly suprised at Lennon's attitude, and hope that, if he does sign permanently, that his levels don't drop off.

Some players get in their comfort zone, and one reason for this is a lack of competition within the squad. I think this is why Howard got a bit sloppy, but now he is back to his best. I watched him warm-up on Saturday, and was impressed with his professionalism, and as I had been one of his critics, I hold my hand up to his improvement. His save from Gomis was sensational.

I suppose footy has changed too much, with player/agent power weakening a manager's hand. Who knows what clauses are inserted into their contracts, and clubs want to attract good players, so they have to put up with the consequences. Gone are the days when a manager would put a top player in the reserves for two years!

If it is a choice between the carrot and the stick, you have a problem, because what kind of carrot do you dangle in front of a pampered man-child earning upwards of £50k per week? And what size stick would you be allowed to poke them with? A very small one.

Managers have to be very careful choosing who they employ, or big problems arise, and as our man has found, you don't want to criticise in public, as you devalue your commodity.

Mark Hughes seems to have his Stoke players up for it, they usually turn up, and you wouldn't want Sparky in your face.

I truly truly give up. All I can honestly see after this season, after reading every post on ToffeeWeb for the last 18 months, is we as a football club are going backwards and it's only a matter of time before we become another Leeds United.

I think some of Everton's players have also gone through a bit of "I'm sick of doing all the running in this team – when others are ambling about doing nothing" and it has led to dropped points all over the place.

Worst offender: Barry.

Barry has not been the player he was last season; however, he has admitted that he has been overplayed and needs more rest between games than he has done in the past. He should be OK next season, no European games and our traditional early knock-out from the Carling Cup.

Forget any Baines giving Roberto the business or Leighton's comments an "indictment" of the manager. His comments give us a clear look at Roberto Martinez, the Everton Football Club manager.

"I signed Lennon. My veteran LB talked to the Press about my signing's positive influence on results [True], I'm making Everton better."

He signed so many veterans to new or extended contracts that left many of us scratching our heads. His fail-safe? "What did I do wrong? The players I sent out my first season, led us into Europe. Why wouldn't I reward them?" Lennon signed? He's playing well, isn't he? Yes, he is.

Whatever you think about EFC, keep this in the forefront of your thinking; Roberto Martinez is first, foremost, and EVER about Roberto Martinez. I say that neutrally. He's not the first or last to view his managerial career that way. It's served him well. So what's your problem?

It requires a loan signing doing what the players should be doing already, working hard, tracking back, running into space etc, to 'embarrass' them into working harder? Isn't that what the manager is there to do? Motivate them sufficiently, ensure that they give 100% every single week.

Clearly the management aren't getting that message across. Reeks of complacency and Martinez being a soft touch to me.

I'm only guessing obviously, but the figures above are probably in and around what his agent would be looking.

I personally detest the money footballers earn these days, but given that no club has the balls to stand up to a lot of these mercenaries and their agents,will it ever be the same? Is Lennon worth this type of money?

Perhaps, Baines's use of "embarrass people" was aimed at some teammates unmentioned. Who knows?

What's left in the EPL season anyway? For me, if Man City can stop their slide. Can't see anything else.

Here, I choose to see Baines's statement as a declaration that the team keeps fighting to the end. What the fuck is there else to say? Him, you, or me.

The recent squad has worked almost a season behind with the same players eventually coasting because they're not being challenged or reinvigorated as other teams have been. Bringing in a new player should challenge the status quo and push the others.

You may recall the goal where the player blocked our player and it was attributed to being a copy of a goal by Arsenal against us.

Anyway, to the point, the guy in charge asked LB about who was in charge of who stands on the post defending corners and the response of LB was really along the lines of he had no idea.

At the time, I thought LB misunderstood but, the more I thought of it, I thought he has no idea as to who has to do what and that in making the comment he was subtly having a twopennyworth trying to absolve himself from the failure before them.

I wonder what the players think??

Eddie (#49), I agree it isn't apples to apples but Lennon was at Leeds and didn't do any better. If you just look at the goals per season or per number of appearances of the players in the EPL only, Lennon is 4 or less per season. There are holding mids that do better than that. He is still behind Mirallas and McGeady.

Maybe one- or two-year contracts are the answer so everyone is always playing hard and players like RVP couldn't take half a season or more off on the training table.

Maybe Pardew, Sparky, or Sherwood should teach a class on how to get the best from your players. I would sign up just to see if RM is there and paying attention.

I just hope that the senior players have a word with Blue Bill and in turn Billy Boy has the balls to sack his manager. But the realist in me thinks it will be the same shite next season.

I have had Foxtel for the last 8 years, all because I wanted to watch Everton $100 a month was worth it, but not anymore. I can now read Ken Buckley's match report and be more entertained. Then the icing on the cake is reading all the posts, and that's never dull.

As far as him being a "headless chicken" – how can I put this? This is a man who made his debut in the Premier League at the ripe old age of 16 and 12 years later is giving his new team mates a showing up with his energy and commitment. Enough said.

I've got an idea. Why don't we sell two or three players for about £50M, buy Lennon for £6M and buy 4 or 5 more players like him with what's left over for next season.

You know, like in the real world.