Defensive trio face late fitness tests

As for Stones I don't give a flying one about him – he's a liability and the despicable way he went off the other night knocked me sick. Could you imagine the likes of Cahill, Lyons, Weir etc going off with stomach cramps? No, thought not.

One thing I will say is no matter weather Jags is 100% or not, he would put his hand up to play, that's why we have staff in place to take these decisions out of the players hands. If Jags says yes and plays awful, or goes off after 10 mins, what then?

The man's fuckin crazy, might aswel have sacked him before the weekend and told the players to manage themselves!

Coleman definitely out he said.

Stones has only got the trots hasn't he?

It's purely a language problem - it's not always RM talking shite.

He clearly means they're going to see how Jags feels - ie, let the player declare himself fit rather than look at the injury directly.

Yes, I'm defending Martinez. Shocking I know.

What happened on Wednesday was so predictable, it was worse than the 5-0 drubbing in the 80s and I never thought I would say that. I would've sacked Martinez after the game and put the tea lady in before letting soft lad loose again.

I just hate the way so many of us rip into our supremely talented youngsters and send 'em down the banks.

Although I'd still bank on some of the youngsters to shit themselves less than Stones...

PS. Not a Martínez supporter, I want him gone, but for his phenomenally bad management of our team, not the way he speaks!

Yet I have this feeling that, if a few young players were thrust into the action, they could surprise us all and show Martinez what he should've done earlier in the season – what he teased us with what he was going to do in his first season.

What the fuck am I saying.

That four nil capitualtion at Anfield will take a long time to get over regardless of the FA cup result but 'if' we lose the semi the amount of bad feeling and negativity which will be surrounding the club will multiply and can only mean one thing!

The manager has lost the player's and the fan's his whole regime is based on belief and that belief is gone!

By all means give youth a chance, we shouldn't be making excuses for them when they are at fault, they need to be told otherwise they won't learn.

I know Stones is a talent but John and others have had the manager blowing smoke up their arse for too long. Martinez even called Stones something like the best centre back in Europe.

Talk about setting him up for a fall! If there was any doubt about illness then he shouldn't have played.

I agree we slag off our own players way too much and it is hardly surprising they then lose confidence and regress.

That said I cannot believe what I am seeing at the moment and if they can't do better then it must be time to drop some of them and give the kids a chance on the grounds that they must surely be better able to last 90 minutes.

I have just done a 550 mile round trip for my dads funeral and will do another 400 miles tomorrow up to Wembley and back- is it too much to ask that the players put some real fight in for 90 minutes??

Turn Duncan loose on them before the game to see if he can instil some guts and desire but please don't play Jags if he isn't fit- we can't waste a sub like that.

Personally I find it a bit strange Stones played if he was that bad to the point he was a liability in defence, the last place you need passengers is the Derby.

Then again what do I know. Just speaking my mind Andrew if you have a different view your welcome to it, personally I'm fed up of all the excuses coming out of the club lately.

Agree with you about statements/excuses coming out of the club - and I'm also fed up. I just think that the players - particularly the younger players - shouldn't be written off or berated too much. The dressing room must be a toxic place right now; nobody is anywhere near the sort of levels they have shown themselves to be capable of.

He's a gifted footballer no doubt but he needs a good grounding in defensive duties first and foremost, once he has that in his locker, then he will be some player.

As we all know by now Martinez doesn't do defence and that is why Stones is struggling, with the right manager schooling him the skies the limit.

Martinez has done him and others no favours with his hyperbolic (word chosen deliberately), comments of how good he is and will be in the future – Barkley has suffered from this too imo.

Stones has found the kitchen a lot warmer than he is used too and not just on the pitch. The January transfer window fiasco put him all over the back pages. All EFC needed to do was tell Chelsea he was not for sale at any price and that he would be looked after financially by EFC as he progressed.

The slip against the Netherlands was blown up out of all proportions by the Southern press.

He has not had a permanent partner at the centre of defence due to injuries to Jagielka. Funes Mori is still coming to terms with playing a different style of football and living in a different continent – though he has been a lot better than we all expected,

My final point is that he has been told to play the high risk football in his own half that Martinez wants – a lump up the field or into Row Z is not the RM way and never will be – hence all those points dropped from winning positions, which have now come back to bite Martinez big time, as not only has Stones's confidence been shot but also that of the whole squad when they step onto the pitch.

Senior players have downed tools on Martinez – what must that be like for young players like Stones, who will never have been in that situation before? Being told one thing by Roberto and his staff and another by senior pros.

The kid needs a break from all the negativity that surrounds him. He should not go to the Euros but should take a long summer break and get away from football completely.

A refreshed and fully focused John Stones under a new manager will be a real asset to EFC next season; if he is sold, EFC and us, the fans, will regret it for the remainder of his career.