23 Mar 2015 09:32:51
I can not believe the rubbish some fans write Roberto out are you boys having a laugh I used to enjoy coming on this page but lately its really embarrassing are you old enough to remember us under Mike Walker and Walter Smith do you remember Moyes's second season when we finished 17th without being in Europe as a Evertonion one season does not make Roberto a poor Manager yes we have had a poor season but we had an exceptional one last season some would say over achieved next season will be the defining season for Roberto it will be a interesting summer who comes in who goes but by shouting Roberto out just embarrasses this great club and makes our fans a laughing stock we stick with our team, club and manager through thick and thin have faith and if we are in the same position this time next season then start questioning Roberto as manager not after 2 seasons
23 Mar 2015 11:32:56
could not disagree more, the mans a bloodey joke, a bad one at that, he is a walking liability, if allowed more time, he will take us the way of Wigan.
23 Mar 2015 13:02:39
Completely disagree with the OP. Roberto has been poor this season and needs to go. Here's why:
1. Tactics- Roberto's tactics have been one dimensional, and teams have figured out that if they press high up the pitch, our defence makes mistakes. Roberto has refused to rectify this, and has even said he will not compromise the passing game, which as stats have shown, is often leaving us camped in our own half, with 60% possession but like 5 shots on goal. His team selection also leaves a lot to be desired. He picks his favourite 11 instead of his best team, leaving us with 3 defensive midfielders and 1 winger in some weeks, or 3 no.10s another. He often plays players out of position when they are clearly uncomfortable and not competent in that area (e.g. Barkley, Naismith on the wing). He also has no system for picking players, and plays his favourites no matter what, such as Barry when he has been awful all season, plays every game, or dropping Joel for Howard, or playing Alcaraz instead of Stones on Thursday. His substitutions are also poor, bringing off Besic every game despite often being our best player, or not substituting Alcaraz on Thursday when he was having an awful game and was at fault for several goals.
2. Transfers/Appointments- His transfers have been okay, but he's got a couple of poor ones, Alcaraz, Kone and McGeady. His staff appointments and departures are also a moot point. He has got rid of fitness coaches/physios and replaced with his own, which could be a factor in our injuries, as we have had a lot more injuries than we used to in his reign, particularly hamstrings.
3. Training- Players have said that he doesn't do much fitness training, preferring ball work. Anybody can see that this is a likely contribution to players apparent lack of fitness in matches and the excessive injuries. Also, Martinez doesn't practice corners, as he believes it isn't a proper way to score. This has a twofold effect, firstly, we are really poor at defending corners, which has lead us to concede a lot of goals, and secondly we are missing out on a very effective method of goalscoring, especially when you have Big Rom in the box.
4. Honesty- He lies through his teeth in press conferences, putting a positive spin on everything e.g. "we showed great character" when we have been beaten by a team at the bottom end of the table. I don't want him to rip into the team in public, but he needs to admit when we have played poorly and underachieved, instead of constantly making excuses.
5. Results- See table.
Overall, given the way his first season went, I could probably forgive all of the above if it was his first big job or if he was new to management, but the fact remains that this is the same side as last season, the best team we have had in about 30 years and a team that should be higher up the table. The problem is that he has refused to change, and there is no evidence that he is prepared to change, as most of the problems we have experienced this season were problems his last club had. He has no plan B, and refuses to have one. This unwillingness to adapt is the reason he needs to go. I don't think we should be prepared to risk our future as a top flight club, just to give this charlatan a chance to win a meaningless bit of silverware like a league cup.
23 Mar 2015 13:56:01
Excellent post Tommy, all I would add to that is the OP talks about embarrassment, how embarrassing is it for this great club, when the manager has the nerve to appear on television and tell the world how "phenomenal" we have played and how unlucky we where when the reality is we played abysmal at best?
I would agree with the OP on one point though, and that is one season does not make El Bob a bad manager, but this is his sixth season as a Manager in the PL, his finishing positions being in order 16th, 16th, 15th, 18th, 5th and whatever we manage to achieve this season. Thus I would suggest five poor seasons out of six attempts make him not good enough to be in charge of Everton.
23 Mar 2015 14:12:07
Also, at least under the likes of Walter Smith, we had a poor side and no money to improve it, so our position in the league was realistic. Like I said above, the team we have this year is easily a top 8 side, so there's no real excuse for where we are now.
23 Mar 2015 17:07:49
Sorry OP, but you have to look at the squad,
under RM they are anything from 9 points to maybe 12 points shy of their real potential (currently)this season!
Last season was obviously his zenith, imo because of 2 main factors
#1 He inherited a solid defence in terms of know how and players being familiar with each other.
#2 Opponents were by and large stunned by this new invigorated Everton who suddenly could not only pass teams off the pitch, they could also find ways of scoring goals and winning football matches.
This changed this season when managers multi laterally decided to ask RM ' OK what else do you have in your locker?
The answer has been an emphatic ' nothing, nout, bloody
zilch '
and word has really got around now that 'hey this guy ain't got a plan b '
23 Mar 2015 18:10:20
I agree with johnny we need to back Roberto and judge next season. It's been a terrible season but hopefully lessons have been learned from it. Roberto is a young manager who has made mistakes and always acts dignified I am certain he will tell the players behind closed doors what he thinks. I still believe the players are playing for him. I think next season will be phenomenal (lol) no Thursday games which will make us strong in the league. We should give the likes of ledson, browning etc some games before end of season and hopefully they can add to squad next year with stones, McCarthy, Barkley and Lukaku. All players to have a break in the summer and start the season with some optimism.
23 Mar 2015 19:32:29
Sorry Robbie, but that argument does not stand up. El Bob has been a professional club manager since 2007. If he has not grasped the basics by now then he isn't going to do so. If he was inclined to learn from his mistakes, I would suggest Wigan would still be in the PL.
{Ed025's Note - fair point wedge..
24 Mar 2015 09:05:13
Wedgewood/Ed so if you are a manager for 8 yrs that's it you know everything? It's a ongoing education and all managers make mistakes and learn from them. Ferguson made mistakes with a few signings etc moyes got found out and people try and stop your threat like they tried to block baines and piennar then we put fellaini up top to hold ball up it's all about finding solutions and I have confidence Roberto will. But some are just on the bandwagon and constantly being negative and give no credit at all.
24 Mar 2015 14:24:37
Robbie, First and foremost I am not on any bandwagon, and as for charges of negativity, well that seems to be leveled at anyone who is concerned about the club and does not buy into the "everything will be okay if we ignore it" School of positive thought. The reality is a problem will not go away unless it is identified and fixed.
Obviously no one on the planet knows everything about any given subject and we all carry on learning through life and careers. My point is how long does it take to learn the basics of your trade no matter what it is? The man has been in management for 8 years, how long does it take to learn how to defend? Considering he was professional player for 14 years before that. So after 22 years in the professional game (not including youth level) Is it not reasonable to expect him to be able to understand the basics of how a team should defend?
His time at Wigan is ignored by some because they say Wigan was not an established PL team and credit him with being some kind of genius in keeping them up. Wigan were in the PL for 8 years in the first 2 under Paul Jewel they conceded 52 and 59 goals respectively. In the second 2 years under Steve Bruce they conceded 51 and 45. in the following 4 seasons under El Bob they conceded 79, 61, 62 and 73. The fact is, he took over a team that finished 11th in the PL, had them shipping 15 to 34 more goals a season and toying with relegation until it finally happened.
Now after 2 years with Everton he has turned one of the best defences in the PL into one of the worst. How much time and ongoing learning process does this man need to figure out if you keep shipping goals you are going to be in big trouble?
To learn from a mistake first you have to admit there is one, something that does not seem to have happened. In fact he seems oblivious to the fact that anything is wrong at all. He has given interviews where he holds his time at Wigan up as a shining example, like it was some kind of success story, when the reality is his time there was a total disaster for them (FA Cup win aside.) Those are not the actions of man young or old learning from his mistakes.
If you want to risk the future of Everton FC on this man having a moment of clarity, admitting his mistakes and putting them right fair comment. I personally and I suspect many others who want him out do not. Not based upon dislike of him personally, not based on any bandwagon, but based upon our showing this season and his past record.
24 Mar 2015 18:33:43
''Not based upon dislike of him personally''
Wedgewood: this I believe is a key factor in the 'pro RM faction' stance i.e. their posturing and attitude towards the 'anti RM faction'
Imho there is no issue at all with him as a person outside of a football context .
However there is now genuine worry and concern over his professional aptitude .
I personally do not think for one minute he is a natural leader in the competitive high powered world of the Premier League .
24 Mar 2015 19:40:07
I respect your opinion Wedgwood, I think a lot of the poor defending has been individual mistakes this season. As I say it is up to Roberto to look at at the end of the season and change or find solutions. We are a club that gives managers time and don't want to go down the route of hiring and firing each season. I can only give my thought, opinions and hopes and rightly or wrongly I believe!
{Ed025's Note - roberto is marmite at the moment robbie, i dont like sacking managers willy nilly either mate, but can we afford to have another season like this? i dont think so..
24 Mar 2015 21:06:03
Robbie, I respect your opinion also, to be honest with you I hope for all our sakes your opinion is right, as I do not see the board sacking the man, so in that context I honestly do hope that I am wrong and he does change things around.
That said, like you all I can do is give my opinion as I see it, and on that I am in agreement with blue 24/7 in regards that my opposition to el bob is purely football based, his ability or lack of it to do what is needed and a genuine fear for the future of the club.
{Ed025's Note - im with you wedge..