Long and Winding Road

I think RM has a vision of building a team good enough to win the EPL without spending billions, or even millions, by developing a side over a period of a few years.

That is why it is of paramount importance to him and to Everton that we retain our "brilliant" young prospects like Stones, Garbutt, Barkley et al and build on that core.

Also, if you look at our transfer dealings, it fits a similar pattern. Initially, RM brought in some older players, who he was familiar with, to fill the gaps. Since then, most of his signings have been younger players.

He has also used the loan system to test out players. So, basically he seems to have a disciplined and methodical approach to transfers.

It is interesting that young players like Deulofeu (could have gone to other clubs), Cleverley (in previous transfer window waited for 3 hours in a motorway layby hoping Man Utd would agree a deal with EFC) and Henen (who has had to go through legal/contract hoops to get to Everton) are all keen to join us.

I hope I'm wrong but I suspect that if RM can't deliver top 6 or a cup this season that Stones and any other top performers will be off. Perhaps they will even if he does. Money talks these days sadly and we are not dining at the top table.

Also, has Martinez got it in him to be direct enough in his style of play or be flexible enough with his tactics. Last season, a lack of directness and flexibility killed us. If we are going to be as bad as we were last season, no player is going to want to stay.

The prospect of any manager being capable of -- or given the time -- to 'build' a team based on home grown talent went out of the window with the birth of the Premier League.

The riches on offer are so vast that no club can afford to paddle around at the nether end of the league whilst every place is worth another ٟ.5M at least. And the prospect of relegation? Just remember the panic amongst our fans when last season's 16-game bad run raised that spectre!

For all I would wish to see more of Tyias Browning, Garbutt and Galloway and have touted the cause of McAleny, I don't admire them so much that I would gamble Everton's future on them. And stats indicate that only one of that four will eventually become a regular top-draw performer, however much action they see.

No, I feel our club will have not much option but to do what they have always done in the modern era. Sell to buy. Thus Stones will go to be replaced by someone just slightly inferior and possibly McCarthy likewise.

Where that policy gets really hairy, of course, is when Lukaku's agent finds 'a more suitable' home for him and we're left with Kone up front.

Who was it begging us not to be pessimistic?

Whether you agree with it or not, I think that RM's philosophy is to give young players plenty of time to develop particularly in that 21-24 age range. That either involves sending them out on loan or introducing them for short spells off the bench rather than throwing them in at the deep end (Stones being an exception). So, I think he uses the likes of Osman and Hibbert as a buffer.

For example, when it was obvious last season that Barkley was struggling, Osman was there to take some of the load and give Ross a break. Besic was used last season more than was expected and, injuries permitting, should get more game time this season. Oviedo is behind Baines because at this stage Baines is a better option.

Of course, there will be huge pressure from other clubs if they sniff out upcoming talent (Stones being the obvious example). So far, we haven't caved in for him or Barkley last year. It will be interesting to see where we stand at the end of the transfer window.

My "glass half-full" attitude looks to Stones and Jags working well together, the two full-backs returning to their marauding style (as evidenced in the last friendly), Barks doing more this year, Geri scaring defences, Cleverley providing defence-splitting passes, with some appearances for Browning, Galloway.

And then, in the next year or so, starting to see first-team appearances by the likes of Liam Walsh, Tom Davies, Michael Donohue.

Oh to be a negative pessimist!

When fit and in form, players like Baines choose themselves, so the likes of Garbutt et al would have to be exceptional to oust them from the first-team.

If Everton under Martinez do manage to bring into the squad upwards of three younger players in the next couple of seasons, it will be a bonus. Losing key players, young or experienced, will always happen far more regularly than we would want but that is a reflection of our current financial standing rather than a deliberate managerial decision.

What Roberto or whoever is in charge of the team have to do in the next few years is to gradually reduce the average age of the squad without impacting too heavily on results. The club should also be looking to reduce the number of players who draw decent salaries but contribute little to the first team; this of course will all take time but it has to be done.

Whether Roberto can see his plans reach fruition will as always depend on the results of the first team, the more points they accrue the more time Roberto will have. I happen to think we are on the right track as regards to the younger squad members but the rough and tumble of the Premier League is an unforgiving arena and if the young players are to succeed they shouldn't be thrown in until they are fully ready to do so,

Now I don't blame the manager for being pragmatic -- in fact, he should be more so -- but all this avowed enthusiasm for youth is just hot air. Just look at the line-up when the proper games start.

However, I think both he and I are confident that, in a season or two's time, the majority of the first team is going to be drawn from the names he has scheduled in his original post.

Every good team needs a blend of experience, will to win and skill as well as a surprisingly good young un or two.

The "young" team that Ferguson put together was not developed under Man Utd Academy. They were mostly bought in or tapped up from other clubs the way Mourhino is trying it on with Stones now.

Even so that was in the early days of the Premier League the game has become much more global now and the clubs with worldwide scouting and reputations are the ones picking up the top players irrespective of age.

It is deluded to think Martinez on a shoestring budget can deliver a top team even given 4 or 5 years.

It depresses me to say this but the only trophy we are likely to win is the Football League Championship under the current regime.

Except Martinez didn't have the intelligence to pull Ross out of the firing line until his confidence was shot to pieces.

It wasn't a case of Osman 'coming to the rescue'.

It's not a confidence thing with Barkley, it's an all-around ability I'm afraid. We all see him, we've all waited patiently. I for one have seen enough.

I don't think the moneybags solution is the answer. For all that they have spent, Man City haven't set the world on fire... and as for the RS, they have squandered enough money to bail out Greece half-a-dozen times and only managed the premature ejaculation of a few seasons ago when they thought they were going to be Champions.

I so badly want our success based on integrity, grit and intelligence, not a damned cheque book. COYB.

Look at the players Arsenal, have lost down the years, because Wenger, had such a policy. Young players grow, and when they get offered more money, and a chance to win things, very few will turn it down.

I think as Martin points out, entertainment has got to be top of the list, for Martinez this season. It's very important to me watching Everton play, anyway.

For me, this is very much a make or break season for Martinez. He, as has been pointed out, had a very good season and a very poor season. Comparisons have been drawn with Moyes's first two seasons but the comparison is just ridiculous. Martinez inherited a very good squad and in my opinion still has a very good squad, regardless of many on this site who lambast players at every opportunity. Moyes inherited a truly awful squad hence the fans had a lot more patience with him.

The arguments as to why we have had such fluctuating fortunes in the last couple of years have been done to death so have no place in this thread, however, what was apparent last season was that the players were obviously not happy with the persistent style of play we were being asked to play and it wasn't working to boot. So if Martinez continues to play this way, the players that are our future will leave for pastures new.

Martinez took over a top 6 club and aside from his remit about planning for the future, his job is keeping them a top 6 side. I understand the short term pain for long term gain point but I don't agree with it. Have we not had enough unintentional pain from Everton without adding to it with intentional pain? Everton FC, my club, our club, is not a plaything for somebody to tinker with for several years, especially now, while we have a very good squad capable of at least challenging for cups or Europa places. By taking care of the here and now, the future will ultimately be much easier to take care of also. This is definitely a make or break season for Martinez because any more of the uninspiring, uncompetetive games we witnessed last season will not only have the young players itching to leave but the fans will not be content with leaving 20 minutes early, they just wont turn up in the end.

He just has to change to a much more fast tempo, a lot of us, fed up with last season's performances have given him the opportunity to realise that they were not good enough; if he doesn't change the system, he won't last the season out.

I remember being in awe one night at Celtic park years ago at what Kaka was doing in a Milan team.

Dude is still awesome... and I'd certainly have him in that No 10 spot we're looking/needing.

It was interesting to see Tottenham line up with our old loan guy Eric Dier in the McCarthy spot in a 4-2-3-1 formation and Kaka did give him problems. Unfortunately, Tottenham they look like they have some nice young talent.

I agree with you that this is the way Martinez is thinking and planning for and the reason is, to me, blindingly obvious: we haven't got, and are not likely to get with the bunch in charge, sufficient funds to stay in the top six.

As things are, Stoke, Crystal Palace, Southampton, and probably Newcastle, are all as likely, if not more so, to challenge for the top six. Unless we are able to match the spending of these clubs, let alone Spurs, Liverpool, Man City, Arsenal and Chelsea, then we are going to find it hard to keep in touch.

Some make the point that we were a top six side under Moyes and, generally we were round about the top six except for a few hiccups. However, one of Moyes's ways of challenging was tying up his trusted players on long-term contracts and supplementing funds by selling to richer clubs. He also spotted some really good talented players in the "Car Boot" end of the transfer market

Yes, Martinez inherited the players that Moyes left him with; and he stated that there was a good team he was left with.

However, the age of the some members of the team meant that, sooner rather than later, they would have to be replaced. The trouble being of course, that the money needed to replace them, wasn't there.

At one stage I thought our theme tune was going to be "Dad's Army" not "Z-Cars".

So we've just seen Distin go, what was he... 37? We've still got to replace Osman, Hibbert, Barry (though I think we may well have with Cleverley), Pienaar and possibly Howard.

Our only way to compete is by developing and introducing our own kids with maybe the introduction of one, maybe two young, class players per season, while keeping hold of most of our best players. I think Martinez has also been adept in the transfer market up to now, with his acquisition of Cleverley and Deulofeu. Plus McCarthy and Lukaku in previous seasons.

We're still going to have the richer clubs come sniffing around the first team players and we might end up selling some... we'll have to wait and see whether we can keep Stones, Coleman (I hope we can) and McCarthy.

As for Martinez, yes he inherited a top-six side, but I never saw Barkley, Stones or Coleman produce under Moyes, what they did under Martinez in his first season. I think there were many reasons why last season went the way it did. I believe it was a combination of injuries that did us most damage by far.

This season, I think we still need to replace Pienaar's ability to bring Baines into such a extremely effective flying full back as he was in Martinez first season.

No, we mustn't lose sight of the present and I want to see improvement on the football we played for a lot of last season.

To me though, it will have to be the "long and winding road" as we haven't got the cash to get on the Motorway.