From My Seat: WBA (H)

Impossible to make your mark in such circumstance - the Martinez era starts proper after Sept 2nd.

We need to get something out of the next 2 games, 2 wins would be nice, then we can press on after 2nd Sept with everybody's mind on the job in hand, not on the speculation on the back of tomorrow's fish and chip wrapping.

Why do I get the feeling that it will go all ' tits up ' as the midnight hour looms and we will find ourselves 2 players down and no time to get top class ( or any for that matter ) replacements.

I think, maybe Roberto is making a case against Moyes that Kenwood has to respond to by holding firm and not selling. I wish Roberto had criticised Moyes and given him a piece of his mind, like my sister.

"The Manchester United manager has failed to buy his first, second and third choice players because they have no confidence in him as a manager. He has become desperate to get someone in and so bid for two Everton players. He says he knows Everton VERY WELL as so makes a derisory bid for said players, thinking we need the money and will fold. The Man Utd manager has made a mistake in undervaluing these players. He famously said 'Everton do not sell cheap.' His miserable bid shows how little he really values these players.

He also remarked that 'Everton were holding the players back in their professional careers by not allowing them to move.' This statement is contradicted by his refusal to allow Rooney to move to another club to forward his career. Mr. Rooney wants to go to a club that he thinks has a better chance of gaining honors now that Moyes has become manager of MU.

I have spoken with the board and they are completely behind me as we move into the new season without selling our best assets.

Mr. Moyes has misjudged the mood of Everton Football Club, who have no interest in dealing with him in this transfer window. "

If only..............................COYB.

I think Barry is right in a way, but I also think that the club should cash in on Fella and give the manager the funds to get a couple of his own players in

I will say what I said a few weeks ago, we are going to need to be really patient with what Roberto Martinez is trying to do. The thing where my patience is seriously tried is with our board and its lack of activity yet again this summer. Martinez is basically having to make more of Moyes's players and try to turn some of the failings and weaknesses shown last season into successes..That is not going to easy.

For a start, I think yesterday we saw the same familiar lack of cutting edge in front of goal – something we saw all last season – was still very evident for me yesterday. We had no real stand-out performers. The back four played well, Fellaini for me stopped committing to tackles in that second half, Pienaar played ok in bits but as ever frustrates with the final ball too often.

Jelavic did some nice things but still never looks like scoring. Mirallas is so talented but needs to start showing up week-in & week-out, something he hasn't done yet. Barkley is promising but will have games where he will struggle.

I really don't see how we can sell Baines though, and as much as Oviedo may be a half-decent player (squad player probably at best), you simply can't sell the most productive left full-back in European football and replace him with someone who can 'just do a job'. If that is the case then it really will sum up the lack of ambition from Everton's board.

If Baines and Fellaini are sold off this coming week, then we MUST replace both players with top top quality footballers and not just also-rans like Naismith, Gueye etc. Come on, Bill start showing Martinez some financial support if you want him to drive the team forward.

At present it looks like 'Moyes Boys' on valium.

I say that in the belief that whilst the more local clubs will be out of sight by Christmas,we shall be scrapping with the Baggies,Saints and Potters to keep out of trouble.

My worry is that the press have been speculating for weeks that if we sell Fellaini we will buy McCarthy from Wigan, well if this guy is so good with all the money being spent so far in the Prem how come nobody has put a bid in if he is that highly rated. I would hope that we would spend every penny on a striker because our failure to score enough goals has been our downfall.

Osman in the team for starters was one of those things. Then there was the timing and baffling timing, choice and use of subs. Others in Moyes style were his 'what we have, we hold' attitude including some time-wasting. This was demonstrated when, late in the game, he sent only 4 players into WBA's penalty area for corners.

We also ran out of ideas in the final third just as we did under the old regime.. It was classic Moyes when, with a goal desperately needed, he replaced one striker with another, not having two strikers. In one completely different aspect, it now takes at least a dozen passes before we run out of ideas.

Jelavic is simply shite and contributes zero goal threat and little else.
The only silver lining was Kone looked sharp. If the lad Gerard isn't better than Naismith, then what the hell is he doing here?!

Early days I know but the enevitable last minute deals for felli and baines to manure with no time for replacements has me a tad worried

Hope I am wrong but BK is still in charge

Whatever anyone's opinions of Moyes we're bound to resemble his approach because they're 'his' players. I'm giving Martinez two seasons before a judgement is made. This doesn't mean he shouldn't be criticised, but lets give him time to do his stuff. The problem of course is that we have few funds, and selling our best two players, as Ian says, without having an opportunity to replace them would be idiotic. We're also unlikely to bring in similar quality. Again, not good.

-------------Robles

Coleman-Jagielka-Distin-Baines

--------------Fellaini

Deulofeu-Barkley-Pienaar

---------------Kone

Maybe Stones instead of Coleman or Distin. It's a game we need to win though so I wouldn't like to see too many changes.

Gosh... Martinez seems super loyal to Osman and Naismith. I know Mirallas didn't play well... but the chance of him scoring out of nothing certainly is higher than recent substitutes (minus Kone... who looks good.) And why can't we play two strikers at home?

That has become apparent with the likes of Van Persie and (I hate to say it) Sturridge winning games their club had no right to win.

Come on Kenwright the back of that sofa must be overflowing now with the 25 million windfall from Sky.

We had a glimpse of it when Jelavic first arrived. I felt certain we had signed a striker who would cakewalk the 20-goal mark but something has happened with Jelavic; I am not sure whether he will ever get back to where he was when he first signed.

We have to ask ourselves how long can we give Jelavic to start scoring goals? He just doesn't look like scoring anymore, one goal since last December is a woeful return for any striker. I feel the last chance for Jelly is depending on Martinez being brave and linking Kone together with him. It could just work.

Kone looked very lively when he came on, has the pace, his touch looked relatively assured also. I just think leaving Jelavic up front alone is going to be like a repeat broken record of last season, gradually a player whose confidence will ebb away and he will become a liability again.

Sadly we cannot (yes Bill and the board muppets cannot) go out and sign a Sturridge or Van Persie, Soldado ect.

At times against WBA, Everton could have had 9 players on the pitch with both Osman and Jelavic appearing anonymous.

It's going to be a 'bumpy' and difficult season after playing 2 very ordinary teams and 2 very unimpressive performances with just 2 points to show.

If we end up loosing Fellaini and/or Baines to MU then perhaps we could get Hernandez and Kagawa coming the other way... Fat chance of that though!

Long season ahead.