Late Equaliser Rescues Bungling Howard

• I wonder if we might actually play better away than at home right now. The team clearly feels the frustration of the fans and thatÂ’s turning into nervousness on the pitch. I probably shouldnÂ’t tempt fate but perhaps Stoke away will be played in a more carefree manner than Stoke at home.
• I thought Gibson made a huge difference. However, weÂ’ve been there before. Players have had a great game only to be dire the following match. What we lack is consistency - I donÂ’t think IÂ’ve seen a single player play two good games on the trot (Stones the exception).
• ItÂ’s funny how Robles seems to get better in our minds with every bad performance from Howard! That said, Robles is probably the safer option of the two right now. Worrying, but true.

Gibson changed the game completely when he came on. There were a few groans in the Gwladys around me when he was introduced, but he proved the doubters wrong with some probing forward passes.

Howard was all at sea for both goals and when Leicester had that run of corners in second half injury time you could smell the terror that another blunder was about to happen. Even if Robles was re-introduced to the team now it might not improve things. He was dropped for no good reason and then would be expected to go back in and keep clean sheets again - excessive pressure, and actually unnecessary, he should have just stayed in the team and Howard should have had to fight his way back in

Was disappointed Garbutt didnÂ’t get a run out. Baines looked half fit, the game slowed down when he got the ball. If Garbutt canÂ’t get picked for Leicester at home then...well, no wonder heÂ’s probably off in the Summer

On the walk out of the ground I overheard "well, at least thatÂ’s one point closer to safety" - it was said in jest, but just shows how low our sights have dropped

LetÂ’s bank these 12 points ASAP and then push on in the Europa. COYB

As for Howard, well IÂ’ve never been a fan of his so I can offer nothing in mitigation for yet another example of his detriment to the team and its confidence.

A few games with Pienaar and Osman involved would have seen us playing to better effect, and hopefully that may still happen, but I donÂ’t believe either Lennon or Atsu will stay beyond the summer.

As for the manager, assuming there is no relegation, then he should be given a 3rd season to get the team back on track, but without his hands tied either by BK, or indeed by his own obstinacy.

Robles may end up not being the answer long-term but he clearly looked a much much better Â’keeper while Howard was out and deserved to keep his place on form. ThatÂ’s just good management and Howard coming back on less than a weekÂ’s training smacked to me of deference to a veteran player on MartinezÂ’s part.

And if Robles isnÂ’t the answer either... well, that reflects on Martinez as well, I suppose, because he bought him as a known quantity from Wigan.

ThatÂ’s deserving of another article for another day but, in a nutshell, IÂ’m at the point where I think sacking him now would be premature (I said "massively" premature on Twitter yesterday but thatÂ’s a bit hyperbolic) but that now he has to prove himself to us all over again.

1. Barkley had a decent game yesterday, weÂ’ve got to help the lad relax, heÂ’s an awesome talent.
2. If we have the money and heÂ’s available, Atsu might be worth acquiring.
3. Lennon is too lightweight and too limited to consider even on a free; we need another Pienaar, not this.
4. The evidence is stacking up against RM. The Howard thing in particular. A gift management opportunity to signal to his senior and junior keepers that youÂ’re only as good as your last performance. An open goal if you like. He treads on it and the ball flies the length of the pitch into our own net.
5. That said, it looks like Mirallas is being taught a lesson; whether he stays or goes, I canÂ’t say itÂ’s undeserved.

However, Martinez does not seem to believe in form, which is why I think Howard and Barry will keep their spots and Gibson will be dropped.

Martinez seems to care more about team consistency and Â’leadersÂ’ than he does form. Last year that approach was hugely successful, so I can see why he is sticking with it. The problem now is that all the players are low on confidence, and nervousness begets nervousness. ThatÂ’s the perfect opportunity to make a change in the hope of injecting energy and optimism. I am mystified as to why this isnÂ’t being done.

My own view is that we overachieved last year, we will underachieve this year and Martinez will right the ship in the summer. However, we desperately need a player who has that creative spark (Lennon out, Deulofeu in) who help take pressure off BarkleyÂ’s shoulders, and when we need that energy and optimism to lift the team.

We need a bad second season because we need to weed out the excess fat and dead meat.

Nobody gets it right the first time in this game. Not anymore, at least. Even Howard Kendall took three seasons to bloom (if memories serve me right).

Let’s hope Gibson can stay fit and contribute, because he completely changed our direction of play on Sunday.

And then there’s Barkley. Quite honestly, he’s looking a bit thick. He may have great physical attributes but repeatedly looks to be short of guile at the highest level. I hope I’m wrong and that both he and Lukaku blossom...but it won’t be for another season.

We differ when it comes to Martinez a manager who has been almost criminal in the he has destroyed our club. Earlier poster Chris Gould correctly summed it up with, Martinez can’t see what everyone else can. Or worse, he can see it, but arrogantly or stubbornly refuses to accept it.

What we really need is a chairman in the John Moores mould. He sacked Johnny Carey a popular manager whose team produced some of the finest but losing football in the clubs history. I was a very appreciative of Johnnies footballing philosophy and was dismayed to see him leave.

His replacement was Harry Catterick to whom results were more important than the manner they were earned. Harry is arguably our most successful manager.

I can see similarities with our current predicament. Unfortunately Bill Kenwright is no John Moores so I guess the club will be allowed to meander along its downward path.

We lost it in 2 key positions – a goalkeeper responsible for 2 (nearly 3) goals and a centre forward who missed 3 clear chances.

No defence can play with confidence in front of an error-prone goalkeeper. You can only imagine what Robles must have been thinking watching that shambles from the bench. His situation is mystifying. Is there something going on behind the scenes or do the coaches see something that we donÂ’t?

As for Lukaku, maybe MartinezÂ’s "margins" comes into play here.On another night he could have left the pitch with 4 goals to his name.

3 more games in a week coming up.Drop 6 points away to Arsenal and Stoke and we are in very serious trouble.

I want Martinez to succeed but he is making it very hard to support him with every league match, roll on the end of the season, I have not really enjoyed any of the league games and because of our position in the league I couldn’t give a toss about the Europa Cup.

The Robles Howard goalkeeping issues is no longer an issue, Robles has to play as he is the short term solution!

I agree so much about Baines, because not only is he the most isolated player in our team, but by having no-one playing on the left, it gives the opposition an out ball every time.

Most good managers would change the personnel to suit the system, but Martinez seems to be doing the complete opposite, and you have to question, WHY?

HeÂ’s a student of the game, but is he strong enough, to upset players? Because that would be the only reason Howard should walk right back in the team.

Agree that we could have won by a decent margin especially once the subs came on, but why do so many of our home games make you feel like your watching a game of chess?

Gibson just showed why he was such an important player for us under Moyes. If only he can stay fit!

I think some of the reaction to Sunday’s game has been over the top. If Howard hadn’t ballsed up a couple of routine crosses it would have been a straight forward home win (and if Lukaku had been on form it would have been a big win!) Then it all seems different - not exactly rosy in the garden but two back to back wins with a bit of confidence flowing through the team.

My concern is that Martinez is just too stubborn to drop Howard; especially now everyone is legitimately clamouring for Robles to take his place.. If he doesn’t drop him and Howard continues to lose us points and he still stubbornly persists with him that should be reason enough to get him the sack!

As they are, they just hang back and all the passing in our own half frustrates the crowd, who then donÂ’t cheer the team on.

I am not going to apologise for moaning at GP. I spend hundreds of pounds on my season ticket and I donÂ’t think itÂ’s unreasonable to expect these millionaires to entertain me - with a win, or exciting football, or preferably both.

I donÂ’t think RM will leave any time soon but I hope he shows the cojones to change his approach, psychologically and man-mangement wise as well as tactically. A squad with that talent shouldnÂ’t be scuffling round hoping for an undeserved point against the bottom club.

RM likes his players to be unpredictable but this has been one of our many problems this season. All of our fit attacking players seem to be lacking in the brains department and the decision making is pretty much always wrong, itÂ’s always so blooming erractic. Ossie and SP have got proper footballing brains and generally make the right call, not always the greatest of executions but the idea is usually the right one.

I thought that bringing on Gibson was completely the right call and it was so refreshing seeing him hitting passes with purpose and pace. Great vision too, please please let him have a bit of luck with his fitness, he can offer so much.

I like Besic and there is plenty of ability there but he takes far too many touches. No doubt that this will improve though as heÂ’s still learning this new position.

Less said about Howard the better, heÂ’s been nothing short of abysmal this season.

His signings have been quite simply appalling, made even worse by the cowardly way he deploys them. I donÂ’t remember three midfielders carrying as little threat going forward as Besic, Barry and Macca they creat nothing and score even less.

Somebody needs to teach him that the purpose of the game is to score goals and to do that you have to take the occasional risk.

Absolutely no way am I renewing my season ticket next season if this guy is still around. HeÂ’s scared of his own shadow. . . .He makes TGT look like look like Richard the fucking Lion Heart

IMO he has lost the plot and is beyond recovery both in his relationship with the players and a vast number of the supporters.

Only the most optimistic among us believe that we will win the EL and for half of them it is something to hang some hope on rather than real belief..

It has become glaringly obvious that every facet of Martinez management is not up to the job.

His man management and motivation.

His tactics.

His judgement of players.

His preparation and training of the squad

His stubborn beliefs

His use of substitutes and squad rotation

His stupid statements to the press.

Other than he "appears" to be a nice guy I cannot find one redeeming feature I hate to say.

If Martinez was a practical student of the game, maybe he'd play a balanced team, with individuals in the right position, he'd play a keeper in form, he'd play the players he's bought and praised, he'd notice the impact Gibson made with his forward passing and the movement up front it gave us?

The interesting thing is that he did most of these things last season, yet he's ignored them this season. Hopefully he'll 'study' last season and this season and notice the differences, which have been self-inflicted. And while he's at it, he'll study what some of us said last summer, that we're in urgent need of a decent goalkeeper, centre half and dominant, ball-playing midfielder.

He had a young keeper playing well and he dropped him. He inherited the best young footballing center half the country has seen in decades . .He also inherited a supremely talented ball playing midfielder, but he has set about destroying his confidence by playing him here there and everywhere. how far has that kid fallen under Senior Bob's tuition ?

The brand of football he has us playing is utterly brainless. I knew Besic and Macca contributed little going forward, but (until I just checked) I didnt realize they had only scored only one goal between
them.

Barry, Besic and Macca have scored a grand total of four between them having played a combined total of over 150 games and I'm really struggling to remember when any of them created a goal.

Despite missing large parts of this season and last through injury, the much maligned "not good enough" Osman has scored more than the three of them put together. . . he's also scored more than Mcgeady and Kone Put together.

You can analyze and hide behind the "individual error" excuse all you want, but many of Moyes's hand-me -downs are ageing and these five signings have carried all the menace of a trick or treat party.

My patience is exhausted

But yeah, I am essentially with you on the patience front.

I'm no master tactician and we can argue for and against his team layout until the cows come home, but one thing is blatantly obvious: picking TH over Joel was a schoolboy mistake.

I'm also a 3rd year student at Bath Uni, doesn't mean I'll amount to fuck all in my field though.

As predictable as Martinez is he'll bury his head in the sand and leave Howard to balls it up again in our next league game and nailed on the slow Barry will return at the cost to Besic/Gibson and remain on the pitch as usual no matter how poorly he is performing for another full game. Can't see where any points are going to come from for at least the next two league games.

Sorry, that was a little of track. The draw against Leicester was very disappointing. And as well as blaming TH. I also blame Lukaku. He needs to start making more of his chances. He needs to start scoring meaningful goals. He might end up with close to 20 goals this season, but they need to win football matches. They need to earn 3 points. Not 2-2 draws. Or 3-2 defeats. This Everton team and Martinez need to learn how to maximize LukakuÂ’s goals. And close out matches. Not much point scoring say 2 against Arsenal(hopefully), but then conceding 4.( hopefully that doesnÂ’t happen). And Martinez telling us how wonderful it was to see Lukaku score 2 goals. Remember the 6-3 against Chelsea.

I expect that Martinez will play a strong team against YBs. To secure a place in the next round. I would then like to see Garbutt, Oviedo, Robles and Gibson play against the gunners. In place of Howard, Baines( rested for a few games), Barry and Barkley(also taken out of the firing line, and rested). The rest of the team picks its self, barring injuries. I am in consent with most ToffeeWebbers, and believe that players should be picked on form. But we know that that wonÂ’t happen.

And my biggest fear is that most of our form players will not be at Everton next season. Just read somewhere that Oviedo is being checked out my Moyes. That would be a disgrace, should Martinez let him go.

Darren, I’m not sure Stones, was a Moyes type of centre-back, especially when you listen to Rio Ferdinand. I would even suggest that Martinez, sent him to Everton because he knew he was going there too.