Would You Swap Him For Anyone?

But, back in the real world, Bobby was the perfect choice. I know that one week we’d be favouring Laudrup, the next Bielsa, but I had no doubt thst we’d do well this season when he was appointed.

The Cup win swung me, but like you I still had a small doubt, but he totally won me over in his first press conference. I have no doubt that we have a future Barcelona manager in our ranks, but hopefully not until he has finished with us.

We needed to move on and move on we have the Chairman needs a Thank you from the support don’t you think.???

If Barca want to send us their best up and coming, I think we’d happily accept Bobby taking on a new challenge in the future. The Everton job could look pretty attractive

I appreciate your sentiment, but I wouldn’t touch Mourinho with a barge pole even if we were guaranteed we’d win the treble every year for the next ten.

I believe Everton, for all its faults, is still a grounded, fans’ and real football club and these are elements I personally value even more than success.

Mourinho’s general attitude and demeanour is poor and his times, while often successful, do not play great football either.

Everton still has class and that man has none.

Then again, the only way we’d ever attract the man is if we got a billionaire on board, but even then I’d keep Bobby if that was to happen. The prospect of new owners(if we ever got one) giving Martinez £50m-£100m would really excite me.

You’re spot on about class and grace because Roberto has it in bundles. I hope we can have him for 10, 11 years because we will achieve something special under him.

But if for another manager with our club in its present state.......nah.

Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves here. He has transformed the way that the team plays, and, as a result, has lifted the gloom that has enveloped many of us over the last few years.

This does not mean that the leading European clubs are falling over themselves to acquire his services.....at least as yet. There is no need to think that we shan’t have another good season come August but he will be judged in two or three seasons as to how big a success he has been.

To bring Mr Dylan into it ( Roberto ) " you ain’t goin’ nowhere"

In terms of managers who have done wonders this year I don’t think you can look past Brendan Rodgers. I hate saying that because I hate the RS but has any team ever gone from 7th to Champions?

Jose Mourinho is a born winner and if he doesn’t win the Champions League this year I’ll be surprised. He’ll win things with Chelsea over the next few years.

Mauricio Pochettino has done some great stuff with Southampton. They will finish in the Top 10 but more importantly they have a young largely British side full of homegrown talent. I hope Bobby Martinez can follow Southampton’s lead and build a team around Everton’s Academy kids.

Tony Pulis has work wonders at Crystal Palace. They have won the last 5 games on the trot including beating Chelsea and us. Their relegation troubles are behind them and they are now chasing a Top 10 finish.

All of these managers have had great seasons and Bobby Martinez is certainly in and amongst them.

Would I swap any of the above for Martinez? Mourinho probably because he’s such a character and will undoubtedly deliver trophies. Maybe Rodgers because Liverpool finished below us last season and they are about to be Champions this season.

But I’m very happy with Bobby Martinez and look forward to seeing how much further he can take us. Can he do a Rodgers next season and take us from 5th to Champions? Wouldn’t that be wonderful.

I’ve thought for years now that the League has got so bad (or exciting Premier League as media tells us each day) that it was wide open for anyone to have a go. Honestly thought we could even have done it till we lost 4-0 to that shower. Really annoying.

But I was chuffed to bits when Bobby was named manager and I just get happier each day.

I prefer to look at the points total, improvements in goal difference and standard of football played on the pitch.

I believe there has been phenomenal progress this year. We could possibly be the team to hold the recordpoints total who did not qualify for the CL by the end of the season

This season we have spent between 5-10 million on loan fees depending on the source you believe, and it looks like we will fall short of the CL by a whisker. We are not going to have 30 million + each season in incoming transfer fees as we did this season, so next season I hope to see more longer term strategy on developing our own youth players instead of loaning expensive ’ready made’ players. I am eager to see his strategy over the close season.

The bandwidth has definitely been widened by Martinez, I have seen some breath taking, exciting football, and also some of the worst I can remember seeing. Nevertheless, his first season has definitely been a success as we are back in Europe, and I for one can’t wait for those away days to start again.

Some say it doesn’t matter if we ’only’ finish 5th. I’ll say no more.

Dan’s watched some of the worst football he’s ever seen!

I won’t be replying, but the desperate are STILL clinging to the side of the boat.

Not sure, but I do know of a team that’s gone from Champions to 7th...

I was waiting for someone to heap praise on Pulis...but I never thought anyone would suggest him as the next Everton manager!

Pulis is basically David Moyes Mk 2. Solid defence but relies on individuals to make anything happen in the final third. Pulis’s tactics stop at the halfway line. Thats fine when you need to grind out results. It’s fine when you have individuals on form (Bolaise, Puncheon) but there is no Plan B.

It’s also worth pointing out that while Palace did play well against us, they did start time-wasting after 25 minutes. That’s what we used to do when we got a goal under David Moyes. Now we look for a second goal and continue trying to play football. I want Everton to get as many points on the board as we can... but now that I’ve seen ’style’ I’m reluctant to trade it for ’functionality’.

Peter (354) is right — this team also has momentum. It isn’t the same as times have moved on, but the excitement is back...

Everton won the Title the season after being promoted from the Second Division - other clubs have too, eg, Alf Ramsey with Ipswich & Brian Clough with Forest.

Also, we finished 7th in ’84 & were champions ’85. Same for Villa in ’80 & ’81. Brian Clough took Derby from 9th in ’71 to champions in ’72. Arsenal finished 12th in ’70 & did the Double the following season.

Manchester City were champions in ’68 after finishing 15th the season before. The title went to Liverpool in ’66 after finishing 7th in ’65 & they were champions in ’64 after finishing 8th in ’63.Chelsea champions in ’55 after finishing 8th in ’54.

Pompey also finished 8th in ’48 before taking the title in’49.

Arsenal went from 13th in ’47 to champions in ’48.

But I have to admit, this one is a pearler: ’closest we’ve ever been to the eventual winners’. I can see all the auld fellas shedding tears at this phenomenal achievement. I hope they make a commemorative scarf to celebrate the occasion, so that you can hang it below your Martinez portrait above the mantle piece.

In time, I feel this will be a great asset to us.

I was at the Palace game and though we lost, the way we played was still better than some dross wins we’ve seen under Moyes (think Watford 2006 or Blackburn away 2011 to name a couple!)

The big challenge is to come. It is one hell of a challenge to keep doing this year’s performance, year after year, let alone improve on this and become regular CL participants.

I still say that goal is impossible without a very different funding position to the one we have now. All the stats suggest so. This if I were able to swap anyone, it would be the owners and board with someone who had the wherewithal to provide the necessary investment but actually cared about the football club.

A smart version of Mike Ashley would fit the bill...

Don’t see how Private Duane Doberman who used to get bossed about by Bilko is going to be of any help?

At the moment we have BK who, even if he fulfils the latter two criteria, is basically skint by EPL owner standards and his fellow shareholders, while somewhat richer, clearly don’t give a toss about the club beyond making a buck from it.

The trouble is that familiarity breeds contempt - as it did with Moyes - and if he stays for any length of time but fails to break into the Top Four, his stock will diminish.

I have a sneaky feeling he will not be long enough with us for that to happen and, in any event, I feel five years at one club is long enough for any manager.

I know. I was just taking the piss out of his likeness (both physical and intellectual) to the

tubby simpleton from the Phil Silvers show.

The likeness with Steve Foulkes is Uncanny>

2013-14 TRANSFER SPEND PER POINT.
Roberto £18M 69 = £0.26M
Brenda £ 44.8 M 80 = £0.56M
Arsen £ 43M 70 = £0.61M
OFM £ 64.6M 57 = £1.13 M
Pello £ 91M 74 = £1.23M
Jose £ 108.5M 75 = £1.45M
Spurs £ 105M 63 = £1.67M

These figures do not include loan costs but BK is certainly getting bang for his buck!

There may be other managers who may have the same tactical knowledge but most of them need finacial support to replace players and have a large squad to fall back on to maintain their image.

The reason not to replace Mr. Martinez is that he is simply transforming the whole club from recognizing its history to implamenting his philosophy how he believes the game should be played and involving everyone in the club and the community that allthough it is a results driven sport it should be done in a enjoyable manner.

Regarding B.K. I think he just got lucky that Wigan got relagated when ofm manager resigned. As I don’t believe a word that comes out of his mouth his statement at the time that he had interviewed a lot of people in the football world but Mr.Martinez was his first choice. As Wigan as far as I can remember was the only club that gave Everton permission to speak to their manager and unless you were brainless (no comments about B.K.please) if he expressed himself and his philosophy,s in the interview with B.K. even the chairman must have realised that he had an exeptional individual and better sign him.

There may be a few who could have matched / exceeded what he has done with the squad this season, but I like everything I have witnessed and it seems a pointless exercise now.

I just hope he can keep it up and even take it further so that he becomes another managerial legend.

An ex-player was discussing Pulis on the radio last week. He says he has such a presence, that right from the very first minute you know he’s the boss. Every player is treated the same. He has no time for prima donnas or superstars. Everyone pulls for the team or else. He also gets his team to always give 100%. Even the previously shot-shy ex-Arsenal striker whose name I cannot spell.

No, I wouldn’t want him as a mate but he’s a better than average manager and if the Palace board give him their full support, they could be a team to be reckoned with next season.

And I wouldn’t because I’ve really enjoyed EVERYTHING that Roberto’s started here
FULL of style, hope & dignity

And oddly, when we were ALL having the debate about who we would/would not like as incoming manager, I did say that (amongst other factors) I wanted someone that I LIKED as our manager

I really do like Roberto
I believe that he really does like Everton FC
I believe

I love ToffeeWeb!!

Credit where credit is due. He hasn't got too much else right !