Martinez: Stones's response to transfer saga demonstrates captain potential

If he didn't mean to do it, then what happened? Was it when he was walking past your office, did he trip and fall and accidentally put it in your hand Roberto?

Perhaps this is Roberto confirming that the transfer request was not something the lad really wanted to do. Sounds odd, I agree, but if he's still here on Tuesday night...

Pipe dream of course. These days their earning power can sustain a medium sized company of hangers on... I mean £60k a year just to do Jermaine Defoe and his families laundry...

A simple, "Does anyone watching Everton, get the feeling that John Stones, doesn’t want to be here?" would have sounded much better to most of us though.

Talking of Captains, is there still enough time left in this window to go and get the squad a real leader? It’s what we badly need, right now.

John is made to look like an innocent, caught up in the whirlwind and the chaos of every dirty trick Chelsea unveiled and every despicable media lie that was printed or presented on television. It’s kind of clever because it takes a lot of heat off John and maybe helps him to be universally received by Everton fans.

When will this man just shut his fucking mouth and get on with it.....

The spin doctors will praise Roberto for hanging on to the future captain of England. Let’s just see what comes at the end of the transfer deadline.

Absolutely.

One thing I find interesting is that we are trying to build a team rather than sell to build. I can’t help but think that Moyes would have sold Stones a month ago, the same mentality he had when he couldn’t understand why we didn’t sell Baines.

I’m not saying Moyes was wrong; I just prefer our current stance.

Thing is, with the increased TV money, maybe this was the plan all along, and that was the strategy RM pitched to the Board. Incremental growth, occasional big signing, no forced sales. The sales of Jelavic, Anichebe and Fellaini was just clearing out players he didn't want/need for the longer term, to raise funds to bring in the players he did want.

Even since it's been made clear we won't sell him at any price it's still in the local and national news four times a day, flippin end it now eh!!

We have just over 24 hours to make 3 signings in my opinion and get this Mori thing concluded.

Failure to do this and then we are a handful of injuries away from a total crisis.

As others have posted, we will loose more games than win if we keep playing the way we did on Saturday.

Just saying like.....

Beyond the media and external hype, fans were saying how this was playing out in the same way as Rooney and Lescott deals (plus other less high profile ones).

Players can get advised about handing in transfer requests because the club then don't have to pay the remaining contract out - so ~£4-7M in Stones's case. Is it then a surprise that players feel compelled to do their part? Other players mentioned did by all accounts, perhaps he felt it was expected... I don't know. I don't think it's time to vilify or reprimand him, certainly publicly.

Personally, I know it sounds a bit conspiracy-like, but it was Martinez who maneuvered the situation by saying (to paraphrase) that Kenwright is an Everton fan and will always do what's best for the club so we won't be selling Stones. This forced Kenwright to make a statement and not sell - even for £50 million, for real this time.

It’s not a case of Martinez gathering the press as he has a proclamation. As Everton manager, he gets interviewed and they ask him questions. He can’t just sit there in silence with his arms folded and a pout on.

Best to just skip past articles where he expresses his opinions. Bob’s a "glass half-full" kind of guy and it seems most people on ToffeeWeb are "glass half-empty" types. When we did have a "40 points and we will see" manager, people weren’t happy with that either!

Although, if by any small chance Stones is transfered and we signed a couple of nobodies, I can see a mutiny!

We are leaving any business really late now and it does demonstrate desperation? Lack of funds? Lack of planning? I just hope we can pull a rabbit from the hat tomorrow!

I don’t know what to make of that. It doesn’t really add up. Our manager has a history of talking absolute drivel... this could quite easily slot into that category.

The lad has been under immense pressure both on and off the field, mainly from the Chelsea media machine and (no doubt) his grasping agent, and it might be an idea to get right behind the lad, especially in our next match, to show him how much he’s wanted and liked here.

The failure 'to make a killing ' with this deal is a Kenwright decision that ranks with the one he made over King's Dock !

Let's concentrate on going hell for leather on bringing in at least two or three substantial signings before 6pm tomorrow.

It seems that since the request has been turned down, the toys have stayed in the cot and he has shown himself to be a model professional.

Hopefully, someone has told him that a world class English defender will always be in demand at the rich clubs and that he will get his chance in time.

Yesterday, on Sunday Supplement, two of the pack leaders (Burt and Bates) were a wonderful example of journos who have neither ethics nor shame. Both of them were applauding Everton for rejecting Chelsea's bids when for weeks they've been saying the lad would, and should, go and Everton had no right to deny him his dream move. In the same breadth they spoke of the discontent and disarray in the Chelsea squad. Great place for Stonesy to learn eh? Fucking divs!!

OK, he may be free and easy with the superlatives, but when asked on MotD after the Tottenham game whether John Stones was for sale, he said ’ Not now’ which could have had a double meaning in my opinion.

The Kiev owner said that the Everton bid came in too late for Yarmolenko and I think the same happened here.

No doubt it was the agent who told him to put in the request and probably typed it out for him to sign. I think this is what Roberto is getting at and more power to him!!

As for the Stones matter, I am still of the mind that he may go to Chelsea with a "Fellaini-style" last-minute deal if the bid is upped to around £44 million whereby Everton will realize a full £40 million profit allowing for the sell-on clause.

I would prefer to keep JS of course, but his stock is very high right now and if his sale meant we brought in 2 or 3 high quality signings, including a centre half, to re-balance the aging squad, then it would soften the blow?

I concur with other comments on Martinez, he has spoken a lot of shite in his time, but he’s handled himself and represented EFC immaculately on the Stones saga so far.

Unless of course he really does think the fans will buy that tripe and hadn't you know, actually seen any matches this season. Stones has played just about ok, a shadow of his true ability and pretty sure we can say he was a tad distracted.

But overall, yeah, would be good to stop going on about this now. Stones will get over it, the season will unfold and we will or won't have something to cheer at the end of it.

As for the transfers. Why all the panic? Why all the surprise? Months ago, on the Everton site, Martinez promised "Some early, some very late".

I repeat for the umpteenth time. After much probing here and there during December and January, Martinez sat round a big table with the senior recruitment boss, the accountants and the money men. A list possible signings was drawn up, three of which were probably Henen, Cleverley and Deulofeu. He wanted players who would strengthen and support the ones already here, whether they cost £2M or £20m. Players who would fit seamlessly into the group and not likely to cause unrest in the dressing room and on the training pitch.

Whether or not Ayew, Van Dijk, Scott Dann, Jonny Evans, Austin, Funez Mori, Lennon, Ben Gibson, Yarmalenko, Bernard and others were on this wish list, we’ll never know but Martinez seemed delighted with the outcome and said that we had "obtained" our targets. Sounded like they were well and truly boxed off with some coming "very late".

So that’s were we are right now and, like many TWs, I am completely in the dark. Cheers.

For example, Martinez’s comments that John Stones was not for sale has forced Kenwright not to sell him. Really? Hadn’t the club sent 2 letters, saying "Not for sale", to Chelsea prior to last week? And Mourinho had said this is what they required to stop bidding, by the way. At this point, Everton do not feel it necessary to do anymore. And I agree.

So what follows next? His transfer request comes in & Chelsea have another bid because of it. RM then has to say "Not for sale" live on the main media outlet pushing the story. This is then closely followed up by BK saying the same.

I believe the club have been very professional on this matter. They have chosen to respond only when necessary. So not feeding the media frenzy, which we are all critical and bored of.

Now they need to apply some of that same professionalism into future plans. With the stadium as a priority. We will be playing to two sides of GP if they don’t get their act together.

1. A story claiming Everton agreed to sell Stones to Chelsea for £34m but them backed out when Barnsley wouldn’t take £2.5m instead of 15%.

2. In an article about the transfer window under Chelsea it says that they should end the Stones saga to signal the end of John Terry.

3. In the same article under Everton it states that the worry is that Ross Barkley will follow Stones out of Goodison Park.

It is as if they are determined to make the Stones move happen so that they can say that they were right all along and that Martinez/Kenwright haven’t recently pointed out that he isn’t actually for sale.

Well done, Billy Boy, you have proved us all wrong for once and done our club proud.

The Premier League is being filled with big, physical, fast moving athletes. To make matters worse, in order to keep things flowing, refs are turning a blind eye to many fouls and the rougher, tougher sides are reaping the benefits.

We had a taste of it against City and Spurs. United were steamrollered by Swansea. Palace and West Ham are taking no prisoners. It's the same all over. Big, fast, tough athletes who can actually play football but are getting away with murder. Let's face it, Eric Dier committed enough fouls to have been sent off three times. Little wonder Martinez requested a look at the ref's notebook. Little wonder Mirallis did a disappearing trick. Doesn't like the rough stuff Our Kev.

Anyway, it doesn't augur well for our quiet, non-violent, slightly built, peace loving squad. There are mighty battles ahead and we'll need suitable reinforcements before the window closes.

He didn’t mean to hand in a transfer request? Oh didn’t he Roberto..........well he did!

I’d like to think that behind the scenes someone at the club has told JS that Jose and Chelsea are a bunch of wankers and he’s better off where he is – for at least another season anyway.

Basically if our lot where well drilled and had a playable plan to work from, the other teams would be playing in fear of us. As it stands, no fucker fears us because Martinez sets up so other teams dictate the game to their strengths.

Prove me wrong, Bob; I will buy you a San Miguel or a nice bottle of Spanish red.

As for the Stones saga, he will be off in January, the only reason he is still here is because the board had no intention of backing Robbie with his transfer requests. A club for midtable has-beens is all we are now.

He’s told us he wants to leave, so he should leave, but at a time to suit the club, unless he publicly announces a retraction (an apology wouldn’t go amiss but I won’t hold my breath!): but the important thing is he performs to his best ability whilst he is with us, so that we can get payback for his contract and the right transfer fee, and we are given the right time to blood or source a replacement. That’s only a fair return that the club is due to giving him a lucrative 5-year contract on what remains a player who is yet to prove he can perform consistently at the highest level.

I share the antipathy about these tabloid journalists. They spend their time sucking up to the likes of Mourinho (who seems to have replaced the lovingly dubbed SAF, now it’s the ’Special One’, in their affections). In all of the post weekend press, ALL of their attention has been focused on what Chelsea and Man United should be doing with their cheque-books to restore sanity to the world, rather than celebrating that both of these spoilt and privileged clubs were fantastically put to the sword by clubs with paltry finances, who have to take great risk on young and untried players in order to compete. Morally corrupt to the core, the whole lot of them.

I mean why would you want to leave Everton with all the players we have coming in before tomorrow’s deadline!

Stones will have been mulling this over for some time, and was most likely aware of their interest before the story got out.

Naismith said to fans at the service station something like "It’s not his fault", this implies his advisers had concluded that this was the right course of action. If your agent tells you this is the best option, then what do you do?

Now he is probably wishing they had asked earlier or waited till we had some cover at centre-half.

Would it be paranoid of me to suggest that Martinez got rid of Distin and Alcaraz and didn’t get replacements in, as he had wind of the possibility of this occurring? He therefore made it hugely difficult for the board to take the offer. They would have robbed us of a key player, just when we were so short in that position.

I wonder if Bobby is more devious than any of us dared to think?

What Bobby has said is a bit nuts really.

We’ve ended up at a point of black and white – no grey at all. If he stays we’re a strong club who stick to our guns. If he goes, for any price, we’re a shambles.

Understood he has to address the media, but he at the very least he needs to engage his brain first... This nonsense about Stones regretting it - though he hasn't spoken to him about it - FFS, you're the manager, he's the player why haven't you spoken to him about it? and if you haven't; then shut up, quash all talk until you have spoken to him...or better; it simply disappears.

As for 'glass half full' RM's glass is overflowing and dripping down his leg, someone better remind him or he will slip over on it soon.