I believe this is a team that can get to 4th place. True, depth is a problem... for next year and a full slate of CL games. Even a 5th place finish and Europa League would force upper management into bringing people in.

If in the winter transfer period you cannot get who you want at the price you want, and if you are not in threat of relegation, hold fast, play your team, let players heal, and fight until the end. (With CL and the Reds and Mancs in the rear view mirror.) COYB....

Half watched the match on TV in a whiskey bar in KL, was being distracted by a mate who was a Villa fan sat next to me and a bottle of 12 year old scotch. From what I saw of the first half it was pretty dull. Thought Barkley was a bit casual for the challenge that led to the goal, but everyone has their lapses

Please keep up the great reports.

I cant disagree with anything, its absolutely spot on.

I am not too sure what went wrong in the first half yesterday, we looked nervous and lacked cohesion. I have to admit I thought we would have started with a lot more gusto after losing the derby in such a fashion but fair enough, Martinez must have got stuck in at HT and the substitutions he made, swung the match in our favour.

I don't think playing Mirallas as the central striker is going to work after seeing that yesterday though. We have been calling for it, but the game improved when we brought Naismith on for me too; we then had a guy who CAN actually play down the middle. It is Naismith's natural position, something which I said last year; people were judging him on his performances as a right-sided midfielder, something he will never be.

Play Naismith down the middle and you will see something similar to what Tim Cahill was... Maybe not quite as dynamic as Timmy or athletic but what you get is endless workrate and a uncanny knack of making a nuisance of himself. Yes, he should have stuck that header away but fair play to him for actually being in the middle to miss the chance. He took his goal well and I am chuffed for him, even if he comes off the bench to have a similar impact more often, then great.

A few other points:
John Stones will be a superb, excellent composed central defender but a right back he is most certainly not. He looked like a fish out of water again there yesterday and does look far more suited to the centre of defence given his build.

I am hoping that if Coleman is still not ready next week (think he will be) then Roberto starts with Hibbert right back ahead of Stonesy. I know Martinez wants to give the young lads of the future game time but it has to be at the right time in the correct position.

All-in-all, it was a great second half, and a very very much needed three points but more of the same will be needed at Spurs next weekend.

Common factor here: all honest players who would run through walls for the club and not Fancy Dan types who only played when they felt like it. Naismith is in similar vein – constantly played out of position and never moaned about it and works his socks off every game. Besides his goal yesterday his movement around the box was top drawer and the comparison with Cahill is a good one. Tim was never going to make a top class midfielder but taken as the type of player he was he was a superb player for the club. Nais can be very useful to us played as a striker or just behind the main one and a bit of encouragement from the crowd will help someone who judged by his charity work over Christmas also happens to be a very decent bloke.

As for Leon what game were some people watching? He had a fine game and I can't see any reason for criticism. Players must be judged based on the type of player they are – he will never barge his way past a player like Ross does because he is too small; he will never be a natural finisher because he is a creative midfielder not a striker. What he does do is pass well; he can wriggle past a man, plays a good short passing game at pace when required, and can dictate the tempo. Like Nais, he won't be a first choice in a CL side but they are both very useful players to bring on.

If only we encouraged all of our players, they might play even better?

That's right! Exactly spot on.

For whatever reason we will never work out but I always thought a player that tried was always given the support of the crowd. I believe in football its a case of first impressions and as we know, and I point out Naismith was wasted out wide when he joined us.

I can never really understand why Moyes signed him on the promise of linking up the previous partnership with Jelavic because we never got to see it.

All I can say is that if when we play Osman out wide you don't see the same player that when he plays in the middle, like Naismith not a world class player but I always believe in playing to the strengths of each and every individual.

As I say Tim Cahill was a hero of mine, I loved him but I knew he was never cut out with bundles of ability to play as a genuine midfielder, he found his role in the team as basically being what Tim Howard once referred to him as 'annoying little Gnat' which we didnt mind because the opposition never knew where he would turn up in the box and you got the sense that even when they did, mysteriously they still couldnt stop him scoring.
But if we had continually played Cahill as a right midfielder would he ever have developed that 'cult status' with the Evertonians?

I wont begin to class Steven Naismith in Cahill's bracket at all yet, just merely say that he is along the same lines with nuisance factor, workrate and popping up with goals.
Its also worth remembering that Naismith came here as a free signing with a bad knee injury in the not too distant past, just think the lad needs to be given a chance from time to time.

When the Chelsea and Tottenham games are out the way, we have a run of winnable fixtures. Think of our front line options when fit, Lukaku, Traore, McGeady, Mirallas, Pienaar, Naismith, Deulofeu, Barkley. I think Roberto has us in great shape for the home run.

COYB! May we win our clash with the Spurs and our top-4 finishing season will start to materialize!

I smile at those who say 'when we've got a full team out' because at no club does this really ever happen. As one player recovers from injury another two are afflicted and signing serial sicknotes and loanees who arrive injured hardly does anything to help the problem!

Because of the constraints so obvious in the recently published accounts, Everton will continue to live from hand to mouth and whomsoever is our manager will be required to work miracles to keep us in the higher echelons of the Prem.

We are indeed fortunate that the two Ms have proved up to the challenge !

Alcarez was 'out of action' when signed and Kone too knackered by fasting to take a significant part in pre-season friendlies.These two alone will probably account for £10M in transfer fees, signing fees in lieu and wages. Everton simply can't afford that kind of proglificacy.

I would say that I thought the ref let the Aston Villa players get away with a lot yesterday. Barkley was pushed and kicked at and the Villa player who fouled Jags twice in the second half should have been booked, it was a lot worse than the one Baines was booked for. I thought Baines was almost back to his old self yesterday and Pienaar was great.

As for Kone, you can't legislate for knee injuries; he'll be back next season and I hope for great things off him as one of our strikers. According to the press, Barkley is going to commit his long-term future to the club with a long contract. Good News.

The injured cavalry will be returning to provide reinforcements next week. Good News.

The RS dropped 2 expected points today. Even better news.

My gut response was that we'll win six games, draw four and lose four, garnering 22 points. That will put us on 67 - enough to beat Moyes' best but a few short of ECL places.

But a good start for all that!

I'm a toffee girl, not a forecaster, but if we made the 70 target of Roberto that would mean we need 25 out of the 42. Leaves 17 to drop so I expect us to make the 70 barring a major disaster!

Yesterday the team showed grit, I thought the way Mirralis ran to Martinez was good.

They are a team at ease with themselves now and they have got over Tuesday.

It will be good seeing how he and Coleman will play together and hopefully as international team mates it will be a success. He will be a solid player for us, I think.

Obviously his match fitness, and getting familiar with the speed of the league is not all there just yet but I seem to recall when Deulofeu came in he looked a little bit mystified at the raw frantic speed of things but before he got injured he looked like he had finally said 'right, I am going to get this league by the arse now and take it apart'.

McGeady looks very quick, pacy, and I was pleased at his willingness to run at his man and try to make something happen.

Over time I think he will prove good value for money.
A few years ago the wide are's always used to be our weakness, often having to fill in the round holes where square pegs..I no longer think that is likely to be the case at Everton..

You do talk some crap, are you on some kind of crusade to become the misery of the 2013-14 season or what, or maybe the whind -up champion of the same.

I had some hope for you a few weeks ago, as you seemed to be climbing on board, but you've reverted back to the old killjoy.

Roberto managed Kone and Alcaraz for 1
or 2 seasons so do you think he would buy them knowing them to be a bad buy and spoil his big chance, ask the Wigan supporters what their opinions were on these 2, I remember reading at the time they really rated both.
Kone for 1 played forty games or more last
season including World Cup Qualifiers!

So you expect an Everton manager to be able to see into the future now, that would be a handy attribute to have, lottery numbers/grand national winner etc.

So they have cost us money, what about, you cant win them all and luck playing a part.

Give over.

I doubt either the big guy or Delboy will be starting but just looking at the bench and seeing those two lads there is going to give me a big boost.

The starting 11 will probably be something like this.

Howard
Coleman
Jagielka
Distin
Baines
McCarthy
Barry
Barkley
McGeady
Mirallas
Naismith

That to me is what I can see Martinez going for.
I think Coleman will be fit next week otherwise he wouldnt have been on the bench yesterday.

The only positions up for debate in my opinion are whether Pienaar could start ahead of McGeady, could be better bringing McGeady on as an impact sub but then again Pienaar played that role perfectly yesterday.

The other one in question is Naismith down the middle with Mirallas back out wide but coming inside to offer support,and get shots away..I just feel that Mirallas best football and threat comes from running outside the box, he is not so much a goal poacher who will stand around in the penalty area.

Alcaraz, Kone and Traore were all unfit when signed, the first two costing the club millions for no return. Nobody knows what's going on with the beanpole but he ain't too healthy, for sure.

My point is when money is as stretched, as it is here, the guy has a duty to spend it wisely.

We bought Kone because Martinez abviously trusted the guy to deliver the goods.
He scored 13 goals last season for Wigan, a decent tally in my eyes for a player rated at a mere 6 million pounds.
Kone ripped us apart in all three matches last season, I should know because I was at all of them, the only game he was quiet in out the three was the Boxing Day Goodison clash..even then he scored Wigan's goal.

Its hardly Martinez's or Kone's fault that he got a season ending injury.
Kone had a slow start but just maybe given time, like with most players, we would have started to reap the rewards.

As for Alcaraz..he was merely a cheap stop gap for the main centre halves who was probably never expected to play 30 games this season.

Barry, McCarthy and Lukaku have all proved their worth this season as has Deulofeu...Or would you have rather had Phil Neville partnering Johnny Heitinga in midfield with Leon Osman playing as the flying right winger?? Thats what Moyes had us doing on many occassion.
Didnt even want to play Barkley in an advanced attacking role, seem to recall at Spurs last April Barkley was fuckin wide right

You're a TW legend.

Three of the stars you mention are on loan deals, hardly building for the future,is it ? But, at least we can enjoy the moment and pray that BK will find some 'summer money' to support Roberto to make proper signings.....even if they do come from Wigan !