Statistics, Damn Statistics

I don't think we have the personnel to play with 3 Centre Backs though - if they are expected to pass the ball to each other (as opposed to someone like Gibson or Osman). But trust that Robbie will make adjustments to reflect the players we have at the moment.

I am hoping that just as Moyes may not work out too well with a more talented group of players at Man U that Martinez will turn out to be a better manager of Everton than of Wigan because our lads have a better technical ability to play his style - and he will weed out the exceptions over-time.

He took a low end team into a flirtation with relegation and then got them relegated. There is no argument — that is a cold hard fact.

The good thing is that we are not Wigan (although he is buying his past team members) and we will not be flirting with the lower regions of the league; we haven't for years now.

I am excited too about the new season, as I was last season but ultimately I will not be getting all giddy and starry eyed until we have seen the team perform in the league. It will be a learning curve at first but the players we have shouldn't take as long as Wigan to get on top of their instructions (fingers crossed).

I was watching Man Utd's draw with that Japanese team today, RVP is already playing the flank just like Jelly did all last season, looks good. :p

Those who want to (for their own reasons) will ignore the Wigan circumstance to cast doubts upon Martinez; they will lurk slyly sniping about losing three in a row and judging players because they played for Wigan – shameful.

The less blinkered will say, "How on earth did his team beat the living daylights out of us en route to beating the Champs at Wembley, weighed down by such disadvantage???"

I'm with you Jim Potter and those not should at least be giving the lad a chance – he is Everton's new manager for god's sake.

One small point, you say that most of our signings were ex-wigan players. Thats only partly true. Robles was an Atletico Madrid player, but was on loan at Wigan. From what I saw of him in his first couple of games, I'm happier to have him in goal rather than Howard.

Kone is undoubtedly an improvement on our current strikers given his scoring record at wigan and Alcaraz looks a good defender who unlike our current centre backs is comfortable on the ball....and in any case he was free.

In short I've been very impressed with him so far in what he's said and done; I'm particularly happy that he has a willingness to use and improve our academy players, unlike the last dinosaur.

What guff.

Couldn't resist - just found the answer.

What d'ya reckon Phil?

http://www.statto.com/football/stats/england/premier-league/2012-2013/table/2012-12-26

Good managers make a difference of course they do, but without quality players their goosed, Wigan had to sell their best players each year, they had a policy if the player wanted to leave for a bigger club and the price was right they went.
The manager had to keep pulling rabbits out of hat each year as replacements, it was bound to fail in the end, it was a miracle they lasted so long!

As Ive said in another thread If this guy doesnt make a great manager Ill eat both my caps.

Apparently he's available and been banging them in for the Estonian champions.

The signings, with the exception if the spaniard, don't excite me in the least. I'm more interested in what he can do with the squad, however he plays, to keep/make us a real threat to the money clubs. In particular can he get our best players performing and raising the levels of those around them - he'll have made the perfect start just by keeping hold of them.

I hope he proves to be the miserable git sulking in the corner, someone we can poke with a stick and laugh at just how silly he was.

If they are good for one they are good for the other.

Fuck the statistics right off.
Use your eyes to get your own picture

I'll now prepare for all the abusive messages I'll get about not supporting the club, being a Moysette etc etc.

Sad truth is that just because I'm more balanced than most people on here and am not declaring Martinez a genius because he's made early transfers or comes across as a nice man I'm gonna get abuse! I was the same with Moyes, good manager but had his faults, Martinez, well I worry about my team being managed by this man who through not being flexible in his tactics whatsoever got his team relegated, but of course I want him to do well he's the Everton manager!!

Under Moyes, 4-5-1 too often meant 1 guy up front with 30 yards distance between him and the next blue. It meant too few people being committed into and around the danger area on many occasions.

I think there are many variations of 4-5-1 and it appears that RM's version of it is much more open to players supporting the 1, whether its the defenders or midfielders. This is undoubtedly going to lead to more goals scored. I think and hope it will also lead to more wins and happier better performing players.

I said straight off that the buck stopped with him for the relegation. We're not Wigan and I can see mitigating circumstances that maybe you are less forgiving about. No worries (for me).

The article was really that I don't give a monkey's about statistics and what they are meant to "prove". To me, they don't really mean anything so significant.

It is merely that I am very pleasantly upbeat - and following that footballing win against Blackburn even more so now.

He deserves our backing, as I'm sure he'll get.

I watched Wigan a number of times under RM, they looked clueless in defence and, rather than playing beautiful football that some on here would have us believe, I think they played schoolboy all-out attack football without any real tactical nouse and RM made no attempt to adjust these "tactics" to Wigan's situation. For me this is not good management.

Of course he is now Everton manager and so I obviously want him to succeed and prove me wrong but I just fear for us under him and feel we will slip down the league, so I'm not optimistic, and his signings have done absolutely nothing to allay this, be they early or not.