Season › 2013-14 › News Martinez building on history Lyndon Lloyd , 30 May, 0comments | Jump to most recent “School of Science is in the DNA of our club” Roberto Martinez may have led Everton to a fifth-placed finish and qualification for Europe after a five-year absence at the first time of asking but the Catalan had long since ingratiated himself with the Blue faithful by embracing the club's illustrious history and traditions. And it is that rich past, both recent and more distant, that Martinez is determined to acknowledge and build upon as he seeks to return Everton to the pinnacle of the English game. Almost immediately after arriving at Goodison Park following his departure from Wigan Athletic last summer, Martinez began to immerse himself in Everton's history — knowledge and passion that has become evident in everything from his frequent references in the media to the framed prints of famous moments from Toffees' history that adorn the walls of Finch Farm as inspiration to the players. “When I started to find out about the history and heritage of the Club, it was fascinating because we are so fortunate to have that,” Martinez tells evertontv. “I use it at times for inspiration. People who were at the Club many years ago who were incredible ambassadors and affected the DNA of our football club have been a real inspiration. Our history gives us great direction for our future.” Article continues below video content We are Everton. We're not just any one manager's team. We're the culmination of all the good work that's been done in the past and I want to believe that next year we'll be even better for it. Roberto Martinez Tapping into that DNA of the club, so much of which aligns with the 40 year-old's own footballing philosophy, Martinez has quickly built a team that plays attractive, attacking and — importantly, of course — winning football and he is pleased to see that success reflected in adoration of his team from the terraces, not least in the new chant celebrating the fact that ”the School of Science is on the way back.” ”It's fascinating to have fans seeing signs of that,” Martinez continues, ”and it's encouraging for us to keep improving and keep evolving and to always be considered by the outside world as a very good football team. The School of Science goes back to the DNA of our club. “It was intriguing to find out where the term and concepts started and the adored midfielders we had a the club and the way the players who faced Everton found it so difficult to cope with that side.” The platform handed to him by his predecessor, David Moyes, is not lost on the manager, however. Nor is the hard work, maturity and acceptance shown by the players who rapidly adapted to the new man's methods and made the succession a relatively seamless one in terms of results on the pitch. “I was always aware of that transition and how it had to be gradually imposed, bringing the players along,” Martinez says in the Liverpool Echo. It's been fascinating seeing how they adapted. But we haven't lost anything which was put in place in the past. “I was fortunate to arrive at a dressing room which has done a lot of good work in the past. It was important we didn't lose that. They key to success has been the application. As a dressing room we have a strong group dynamic. Senior players set our standards and ways of working, and I was so impressed at how open minded and experimental our senior players were. That allowed the youngsters to come in and have big roles.” He also makes sure to point out that role played by supporters who gave the new regime the time to bed in and establish new ways of playing after a decade of stability under Moyes. “It didn't happen overnight,” Martinez explains. “We had to work a lot on many aspects, but at the start of the season when we had three draws, it would have been easy for the fans to lose patience and not show any understanding of what we were trying to do, but it was the opposite. “We feed from that support and understanding, allowing the players to have a bit of time to perform well and that was very much significant. With a nod once more to the foundations laid in Everton's past, though, Martinez acknowledges that he is merely the latest stepping stone in the club's march through history. “We are Everton,” he continues. ”We're not just any one manager's team. We're the culmination of all the good work that's been done in the past and I want to believe that next year we'll be even better for it.” Quotes sourced from evertontv About these ads © ToffeeWeb