Martinez: Hearts win was a �very positive exercise�

The youngish lad Conor played well for one half against Swindon haven't seen him since that. Does that mean he's been assessed or he hasn't made the grade?

If we need players get them in early and get them playing. Going to leave it to last minute, pay through the roof and not get the players we want. I know it's not as simple as that but god it's frustrating.

i) Every other Premier League manager has sussed out how to combat it.
ii) Every Everton fan realises that playing two defensive midfielders reduces our attacking options.
iii) Everyone watching Barry realises he's coming to the end of his career as a Premier League midfield player and whilst he still has a good eye, his mobility is suspect.

I'm actually relatively positive about the coming season, provided we get in some more attacking creativity in midfield/up front (which I think we will) and can hang onto the players who are being linked away e.g. Stones, Mirallas, McCarthy (which I'm less confident of, but isn't impossible).

While it's tempting to be in for another striker, I'd like to see McAleny being given his chance this season.

"I have my preferred options in how I would play Watford now but the reality is that personnel is down to the application and moments of form of the players and that will go right down to the final game of preparation against Villarreal and every action is going to matter."

..and think yes that all makes perfect sense, until you throw in the distraction of Rooney/Big Dunc.

I'm all for testimonials as they raise money for charity and I have no problem at all with Rooney in a blue shirt, however it will be strong opposition and I just feel the testimonial thing should have been a separate 'fun' event/game (separate from proper friendlies - specially ones a week before we kick off)

It's saying 'we're taking the game very seriously.....but not too seriously like'

Sure they do Bobby! They know that it took 7 months for you to encourage one of them to cross the halfway line last season.

I had a bit of spare time over the weekend and watched the DVD of the 2007-08 Season Review. I tell you what: anyone who thinks Martinez's football was more productive than Moyes's just needs to watch that DVD. We actually did play some phenomenal football that involved passing, movement, getting loads of men in the box and a midfield of Pienaar, Arteta, Cahill and later Fernandes all "feeding the Yak so he will score".

The one biggest noticeable difference though was the pace that we played the games at; none of this mind-numbing passing around the back at a snail's pace. We could play passing football when needed but, in the main, it was productive and exciting. No wonder the atmosphere was rocking the foundations at Goodison Park that night against Fiorentina.

The biggest task Martinez faces is getting the fans more interested and more involved at Goodison this new season. Too many home games last term felt like you were just there to escape going clothes shopping with your missus.

We need to get that enjoyment back from watching Everton FC at Goodison in particular.

I very much hope that McCarthy - Cleverley is going to be our first choice midfield partnership. Who plays AMC is a harder question and will depend largely on the form of young Mr Barkley and who else if anyone we bring in.

I am feeling relatively confident and our loss against Arsenal has been put in some perspective by their thumping of Lyon. They look a very impressive team and one likely to challenge Chelsea this season.

I'm looking forward to Big Dunc, Rooney etc but I think that should have been this weekend with another high class friendly scheduled for first weekend of August. I hope we are not 2-0 v Watford then run out of gas for a 2-2!

Oh,and I think Mirallas will be another gonner... probably after the season starts.

Baines was class.

Good to see Oviedo back; shame Gibson, Pienaar and Del are crocked.

I can't see Stones going anywhere as we can't afford to let him go; Jags would be our only centre back who's played Premier League football there.

Barry was frustrating to watch most of last season but was equally flogged to death. He will surely play once a week maximum this season and be rotated too.

I expect us to sign central defensive cover and to get this Number 10 -- although I have no idea who either will be and both are extremely important.

Sadly I expect our form to mirror that of a youngster being Barkley. If he blows the Premier League away, we will be a force to be reckoned with... but, if not, we will be battling for top 10 like last season.

McCarthy, Stones and Mirallas for Lennon, Januzaj and who? Jonny Evans, I presume? Brilliant!!

Anyway, I'm putting the crystal ball away for now to concentrate on my 'positivity issues!'

I reckon it will happen a few days before the start of the season, typical Everton style...

I don't believe the board are that fussed too as they haven't handed the man any war chest. I fear for the season ahead teammates.

Maybe he should say something really profound that will be quoted for years -- like Shankly's stupid quote about "life and death, football's more important than that". What an absolute load of drivel.

Or maybe we just have to accept that football news and views is a 24-hour "phenomenon" and our voyeuristic society has to be satiated.

Or just maybe we should use our own nous to sift through all the crap and just agree or disagree or believe or disbelieve what we want.

I am only really interested in what happens on the pitch -- all of this is just summer nothingness.

Up The Blues.

After Phillip Lahms's comments a few days ago, don't write of Thomas Muller.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transfers/romelu-lukaku-to-manchester-united-has-memphis-depay-revealed-uniteds-mystery-striker-target-10417977.html

Our squad is too small now, we are carrying too many players who we can't rely on and that is not their fault. Gibson, Pienaar and Hibbert I don't even include as they may appear a few times now and again.

He needs to bite the bullet now, contact Chelsea and tell them they can have Stones, who wants to go, for 㿞 million but they need to do so by end of this month or no deal. This will let him get others in, at least two of which need to be defenders.

Stones is work in progress, and should look at his own development but he wants to go and we can't offer him what Chelsea can and we must accept it. We were lucky that Phil chose to stay with the club when he could have gone to Arsenal for more money and trophies.

This will be a continuing theme I am afraid unless there is some control, proper control over players' contracts. At present they may as well be written on chip paper as they count for nowt!

And finally it's the Star & Goal.Com FFS....The Star & Goal.Com both of which are just short (and only just) of "B52 found on the moon" type of scoops.

Onto the game, I didn't watch it but by all accounts we played well but pre-season is all about fitness so don't read anything into it. Finally, finally -- Nothing set in stone; or should that be nothing set for Stones, get onto that Goal.Com.

Every single player in a Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and Arsenal shirt, is as busy as McCarthy and Cleverley off the ball. No half asleep strolling, waiting for a pass. Lukaku, Mirallis and Barkley would be shoved under their bench. Definitely not on it. Rooney, Tevez, Costa, Iniesta and Oscar will fight to win the ball back all day long. They don't need motivating. They're proper footballers. They love it. Passengers, Mr Martinez, are not allowed on the Royal Blue bus.

I will not attempt to knock Howard and Robles, two very good keepers but watching Courtois and Petr Cech has left me a bit depressed. These guys are almost perfect. Incidentally, David James proved he was an idiot by suggesting that Chelsea came out best in the Cech / Arsenal deal.

Weighing up our prospects is well nigh impossible with all the rumours flying about. If we hang on to our best players we should do okay but it won't be easy. Let's hope there are a few nice surprises in store.

So, providing Martinez has as much nouse -- and money -- it doesn't necessarily matter if a few ship out. That's a big IF, of course.

Yes Dave but that was a few days ago. We've all passed a lot of water since then so it's anybodies guess. If you believe the red tops, he's already gone. I was more interested in whether Sergio Roberto would be coming in. We need a playmaker.

I would have liked to have seen more of McAleny and Galloway but he seems to want to stick with the old pros such as Kone, Barry, Osman and the like that, to be honest, will not change anything from last season.

If he does bring in two more players, we can only hope they will be class acts that are ready to slot right in.

Watford look like they will have a side of mostly new faces so you know they will mean business when the season starts.

If he's available, and fancies a bit of Mersyside "Sur Le Mer", I'd have him.

There will be more transfer activity in the next 5 weeks, we just need to pray the squad is strengthened by it all.

Martinez, has got a good enough philosophy for me, he just hasn't got enough busy footballers to implement it.

Presumably, the real reason for saying this is because RM knows that his hands are tied, as usual and to my immense frustration, until we either sell somebody or until the Sky money rolls in. But waiting until the last moment to get new signings in has been proven in the past to be a foolhardy strategy!

We have already missed out on central defensive targets this Summer due to our customary dithering and the way we're carrying on we will either be left short-handed as usual or signing sub-standard alternatives in desperation. I beg the editors' pardon for shouting, but GET ON WITH IT!!

Why can we not spend against the known commodity of the incoming Sky money?! Other clubs appear to be merrily doing just that.

We need a complete squad in advance of the big kick off, not three weeks after that.

You're right about needing another CB, Distin will be missed and unless one of the young lads can step up efficiently, then we're stuffed if we have any injuries.

Our play last season was embarrassingly slow and we must increase the tempo if we are to improve on our performances.

Again, like Harold points out, we are in danger of over estimating Stones, especially in defence; he might become a top player in time but he's not great in defence yet. If this is our first choice defence we're going to concede plenty of soft goals in the air again!

I don't see after last season how he still thinks this is a good idea. Gibson, Barkley or Cleverley have to be one of the deep lying two to give the team some forward momentum in matches.

So for £13 million we got half the player Fellaini was and this is the problem when letting your top players go.

If you can only play 11 at one time, you need to put out your strongest team. Good tactics and team spirit will only get you so far. Class players make the difference to enable you to break the glass ceiling.

As soon as Hearts got their corner you just new the outcome. They took their time taking it and we had loads of time to sort things out but when you saw the big centre half being picked up by Baines and Osman, you just knew the outcome. If we are not going to practise defending set pieces then it is even more important we get a dominant goalie, sadly Howard is not one.

We definitely caused Hearts more problems when Naismith came on.

Good to see another young lad given a run and he did quite well in the short time he was on.

Baines misses Pienaar big time and it would be interesting to see Oviedo playing wide left in front of Baines.

We really have to sort this Stones, McCarthy shit out asap.

Just enjoy this lad while it lasts because every top European club who needs a centre half in the near future will be knocking on Bill's door. Give the lad a break.

The gap between the English and Scottish Premier Leagues was painfully obvious. After that initial flurry, Hearts barely saw the ball and when they got it they either couldn't control it or didn't know what to do with it. We did but no English Premier League side will give us that amount of time on the ball.

Whist I agree, Fellaini used to link-up play, get in and around the box, as well as contributing his fair share of goals, it's slightly unfair to contrast him with McCarthy as it's not really a like-for-like comparison.

Fellaini usually made that kind of impact when played as a secondary striker or out-and-out target man. When asked to remain disciplined, sit in front of the back four and stifle opposition play, the attacking side of his game obviously suffered as a result. Although, certainly, he still represented a major threat from set-pieces, no matter what his starting position, and that added height and aggression is something sorely missing throughout the side at the moment.

If Fellaini was twice the player McCarthy is, then it's only because he was capable of performing multiple roles.

Liverpool were 1 of the 7 to score more, by only 4 goals after all the money they threw at the team. Okay, Sturridge was crocked all season which affected them.

At the end of the day, it depends I suppose where you expect us to finish, taking into account where we are in the spending league.

Fellaini is a true box-to-box midfield player who we have not replaced.

McCarthy, for all his work rate, seems to do most of his work from side to side. Now whether that is tactical or not is open to debate but I really believe that we need a box-to-box goalscoring midfield player and at this time we don't have one.

I disagree with all the supporters saying we just need a creative midfield; we don't. We have enough creativity with two attacking full backs and two wingers. We just need someone in the middle of the park who can hit the onion bag and not Row Z.

We all know last season was a write-off but it may also be him thinking he only has to turn up for matches without putting a shift in.

A few more goals like the one against Man City will do for me. Come on, Ross!!

We are so ponderous now the biggest threat we offer is sending the opposition's defence to sleep! Maybe this is the master plan.

Class will only get you so far. Bobby Moore, Pele, Maradona, Beckenbauer, Best, Van Basten, Cruyff and Zidane were all as hard as nails. Class up to their eyeballs but tough aggressive fighters with a never-say-die attitude.

Everton don't have people of that calibre but, judging by the mind-boggling signings of our rivals, we'll need fit, fast, wide awake players who will fight tooth and nail for every ball. The Premier League, awash with money, is no longer a walk in the park for a top ten finish. It has become a high level 100-mph tactical battle zone with no room for faint hearts. No room for lazy passengers.

Pleased to have Oviedo, Galloway and Besic on deck, ready for action. Three no-nonsense characters with more than a little skill, waiting their chance to shine. Unfortunately, one or two starters are without competition and that is a risk we should not take.