The Lack of Passion

Duncan should be ripping into these players for lack of effort/spirit but does he? Makes me wonder exactly what goes on behind closed doors at Finch Farm.

Leicester play with intensity, Liverpool are now and Man City did against Chelsea. Southampton played with intensity against us pressing us very high up the field and we returned none of it.

I think it comes when you are one as a team and play hard for each other.

Some Joe Royle Derby related quotes to add to that, "a crisp packet was being blown across the pitch by the wind and 2 of my players tackled it", after his first match at Anfield as manager, a 0-0 draw with Southall making one save all game, Roy Evans complained about Everton's battling performance and tactics which Royle responded to Evans with "the toys were thrown from the pram last night" and my all time favourite after another robust Everton performance in the Derby "i thought it was a typical derby game, people running around and kicking each other, then after 20 minutes the referee threw the ball onto the pitch". He understood what it meant to be a blue and his players knew it too. I bet Parkinson, Horne and Ebbrell would have given Gerrard a few good kickings in the Derby's, we roll over for them too often and too easy and it's incredibly frustrating to watch nowadays.

Loved Big Joe for his feats with Everton (the Kanchelskis double at the Kop End was on my birthday). Loads of heart, effort and players who would bleed for the cause. A team of men with character and the FA Cup win was so sweet that season. He came into a team that won 1 out of 14 games and took us on a magical journey to safety and the FA Cup, then 6th the following season before him and Johnson lost the plot that fateful Thursday afternoon over 2 transfers (Tore Andre-Flo being one).

If this current Everton team had the heart, desire, will to win, passion, we wouldn't fear Wednesday night and Saturday evening. How times change. How we could do with a Joe Royle type of manager right now, a manager who was a blue, knows what it means and has great man management skills to get his teams ready for Derby's and big games.

Martinez will be gone in the summer, but for this week it's get fully behind the manager, the team and then pray we can get 2 good results, otherwise the atmosphere at Goodison for the Bournemouth will be absolutely toxic, rightly so in my eyes.

Koeman for me in the summer, but until then, it's a big week for all of us. Liverpool and Man Utd. Couldn't pick two worse teams to lose to in quick succession. As a blue you know that only too well. Win at all costs in both. Simple as that.

I don't understand. Unless Martinez is that much of a dictator he has told Duncan not to, wouldn't surprise me at all TBH.

We need this over the next two games which, I'm afraid, we will not see. More likely to see disorganisation, unfit players, players out of position and bizarre subs.

Wish I could go to sleep now and wake up 7pm Saturday and a miracle occurred. We win both games.

Tough 5 days ahead to be a blue.

So, where does passion and will to win come from? To me it has to come from the club, fans and mainly the manager. If the players believe in the manager – his philosophy, his vision and his tactics – then the passion and will to win will be there. It is pretty obvious that, for whatever reason, that has been lost and we need a change of manager.

The big problem is we don't have the technical players to play this way. If I look at the best technical teams around europe I always see a player with vision, do we have one? No. I then see players who can control a ball instantly or on a half turn, do we have one? No. Then I look at the front 3, all pacy all unselfish and full of movement, do we have any of that? No.

My point is, this team should be built like Leicester, not because they are top of the league, its because we have counter attacking players, its that simple. We have all pace no brains a lot like Leicester, forget the passing, sit back let them have it, then boom counter, our away record proves my point.

Duncan is no more than a figurehead appointment, a sop to the fans who Martinez thought would help keep us off his back. After all, if Big Dunc is there, things must be hunky dory eh?

I don't think our little dictator ever had a single thought about allowing Ferguson or anyone else interfere with his one-man, one-way system of management. Jones reminds me of Count Dracula's faithful acolyte Renfield in the film comedy, Dracula, Dead and Loving it, following RM around, wringing his hands and repeating "Yes master" over and over again.

In fact, Martinez is pretty much our very own Dracula, ducking the lifeblood out of our club a bit more each week. Nothing will change as long as this bloodsucker is in charge.

MARTINEZ OUT.

I'll tell you why: it's because it's a job and nothing else. The only ones who really care about the club are us.

And Andy, re the derby you mentioned, it was Mark Ward (not Mitch Ward) who scored.

The likes of Deulofeu and Barkley looked really sluggish and frankly overweight on Saturday and the problems with both players is end product. Think back to Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo – at the age of 19 they all had better end product and made better decisions than Deulofeu (who too often is all step-overs with nothing at the end), and Barkley who just shuffles left to right like a line-dancer.

The one thing I am critical of the manager of is the lack of passion and inability to motivate the team either at the start of half time.

Joe Royle had motivation in abundance and it rubbed off on his players, even though we were in the bottom five going into the Cup Final in 1995 you knew we would beat Man Utd, you had that faith in Royle to motivate them beyond imagination.

I have no faith in this manager and set of players..

I also see no self motivator amongst the playing staff either not all just down to the manager. The likes of Parkinson, Horne, Ebbrell, Watson and Southall – would they have really needed a manager to motivate them anyway?

As much as I loathe to admit it even Gerrard across the park, he was the manager on the pitch from the age of 20.

I look at our bunch and I don't see any leadership or self motivators. For this reason, I see no hope for the remainder of the season.

A bit harsh on Joe Royle there. Although under walker we had only taken 8 points from the first 14 matches, under Joe we took 42 from the remaining 28 matches. At that rate, it would equate to 63 from 42 over a whole season, enough that season to get into 7th place. Not bad considering the squad Royle inherited & how they'd been performing for the previous few months since Kendall's departure.

Let's not underestimate the influence of a manager's personality on a team. I don't care WHAT anyone says about Moyes, but who of us can honestly say that steely glare wouldn't come in handy now? At lease with him we could be sure of a top 10 spot, and more importantly, remaining there.

Martinez is weak, too nice and just not strong enough. That's of course besides the fact that he's just utterly NOT fit to be the manager of our beloved club.

Out of interest. Is Joe Royle ever seen at Goodison on match days? I assume he still has this role with the younger players.

Martin, I think passion and intensity are linked, but not the same thing. Intensity is more tactical (and our tactics are woeful), sort of 'pressing higher up the pitch' (Biesla's type of way of playing apparently). Whether playing an intense or patient way, passion/effort should be there, but we lack that too as Martinez has sucked the life out of everyone.

They are a team in the image of the manager. He doesn't identify with the type of character we need in a player and it's been obvious for years. We need a Cahill, Reid, Gray and Ratcliffe, nasty, hard, winners.

There is no intensity whatsoever, the overweight players is a theme and an utter disgrace, and there is absolutely no desperation to win.

I always remember him elbowing Paulo Wanchope in the throat early on against Derby and getting sent off. It was back to the wall stuff then as we were fighting relegation and we got beat 3-1.

Once the axe falls on Roberto he needs to be moved on too as do all the other 1st team coaching staff. He was never in the same class as Latchford, sharp or Gray in my opinion.

The team lacks passion and looks like they have forgotten how to win games. In the past we have always managed to get through bad times by reverting back to hard work and the basics, this manager doesn't believe in either.

I am off to Wembley on Saturday and really cant be arsed with it, I am not bothered about the derby tonight. Is it wrong to be so pessimistic and unenthusiastic about these 2 games?

The manager and the tactics have drained me of any passion I have for the blues. I can only hope he gets the sack and we can start again next season otherwise he will almost certainly get the sack in November when we are in the bottom 3 of the Premier League.

Agree with a lot of the others about Duncan – great when he wanted to play but if that story about him missing a game and asking on the Monday how we got on at the weekend was true then he is no better than what we have got albeit he'd be a must for the next two games.

As a coach he would be risking his job if he tried to take over from his boss by doing things which RM hadn't requested of him and whether given the job he would be the motivator we are looking for is a question only those who see him at close quarters could answer.

We can only hope that we fight like hell tonight and put up a decent showing regardless of the result – not that a defeat won't bother me cos it will!!

One win in the next two might save Roberto's job. A win and a draw or two wins will almost certainly save it. Two defeats should be curtains for him but I wonder what a heavy defeat or a spineless performance tonight would bring – big Joe in charge for Saturday?

Sod the manager – go flat out for two wins – come on!!!

Now the players are not scouse, Gerrard and Carragher felt the passion, perhaps Baines and Osman do. The crowd is mainly local, but Liverpool are well supported in Iceland etc. and even Everton have a fair share of non-English fans. To most non-Liverpool based fans, particularly of the reds, The United game matters more, they see United on their TVs at home.

Passion is for those who care, I'm not sure it matters as much as it did. I want to win more tonight than I do at the week-end, but I'm a scouser of the old school.

Two players who have the right blend of skill and passion have been Baines and Jags. But mysteriously they seem lost and, if not disinterested, at least ... mystified. I have seen this at amateur level. Good players looking around as if to say "What am I supposed to be doing"?

I think we know why.

Even on an 'absolutely shite' contract (let's say £15,000 a week, three year deal) you're talking about £2,340,000 (9 years = £7m, or a lottery win if you prefer)

And remember, this is pauper money - the reality is it's likely to be twice/three times that.

Why do I mention it?

Because the idea that modern players, who are completely boxed-off financially (however they play or whether they play) are going to respond to someone in the 'technical area' leaping around and waving their fists is, imo, nonsense.

'Big Dunc' might mean a lot to a lot of Evertonians, but my guess is he means fuck-all to Lukaku.

I'm not suggesting Joe Royle as a solution (although I'd have him in today as caretaker til the end of the season) but right now, we need someone with Joe's intelligence, guile and light touch.

Someone who understands that a big part of getting success is dependent on the mindset of your players.

If that mentally-shot rabble who embarrassed us all last night are to have even the slimmest chance of competing against Utd on Saturday, it needs someone to make a very quick, brave decision.

Sadly, inertia combined with wishful-thinking has become our m.o and consequently, we should probably brace ourselves for more pain and embarrassment.

Up the Toffees!