From My Seat: Tottenham (H)

One query: "Sadly that was our 15th home defeat this season"
Have we really been that bad?!?

Talk about a fitting end to the season. One goal down early on and yet only one shot on target and zero fight on display.

Interesting to compare us to Tottenham, a team that we were ahead of last season. Apart from the managerial difference and enough has filled these pages about Martinez without requiringing me to add I think alot of the difference this season comes down to two players from either team. Lukaku and Barkley vs Kane and Eriksen.

Whereas Kane offers constant movement, enthusiasm and intelligence Lukaku often struggles just to control the ball and does not make the intelligent runs into space that might garner him more opportunities. Likewise and even more markedly not only does Eriksen pass quickly and intelligently embarrassing Barkley in all assist/key pass stats this season but he works extremely hard and also demolishes him in most defensive stats, winning the ball back and covering more ground.

Lukaku has a decent goals return (though 10 goals in 35 Premiership games a few of which were pens is mediocre) and will be our first choice striker next season unless an unmerited enormous bid comes in from somewhere. Barkley on the other hand has had a stinker of a season. He loses the ball frequently and even when he doesn’t provides nowhere near enough in terms of goals and assists or even shots on goal and key passes. He will have to do considerably better next year or should not be in the first team.

As for the game, Besic for Barkley when we were one down ? What was there to protect that needed THREE defensive midfielders ? Or has our man visions of McCarthy making his future in an advanced role? Yet another player the genius will fuck up, surely ?

I suspect most of us will spend the summer dreading the signing of more ’no hopers’ in the mode of Alcaraz, Kone and McGeady although if substantial funds are provided to this clown of a manager, Blue Bill will again demonstrate his appalling judgement. What a state to be in !

Happy holidays to all !

Who us going to buy Baines? Why would we sell him?

Lukaku plays in an isolated role most of the time, and looks a shadow of the player we had on loan.

Martinez displayed a massive error of judgement with Barkley earlier on in the season when the player was crying out to be taken out of the side.

Instead he picked him week after week until the crowd saw him as the scapegoat and gradually destroyed whatever confidence he had left.

He now looks nothing like the player who scored the ’wonder’ goals against Man City and Newcastle Utd a short time ago, instead looking for the ’safe’ pass all the time.

Thanks Roberto.

I do wonder whether Martinez has the awareness to recognise these glaring faults he has, or whether next season will be ’my way or nothing else’.

Creativity is perhaps the biggest issue that needs to be addressed, and we need to look further afield than the Wigan postcodes in bringing the right players in.

I dread the thought of another Kone, Alcaraz et al being our stellar signings of the summer.

We say it every season, but the summer transfer window activity will make or break next season.

Don’t hold your breath!!

Finally a new manager who can kick arses but not fuck about making changes for the sake of it. Finally, finally 5 passes instead of 15 or 10 out of 15 passes going forwards not square or back. Oh, stay at Goodison Park.

"Something is wrong somewhere". I can just imagine you scratching your head, grimacing then sighing – because that’s what I have been doing for most of the season.

The euphoria of how we gave Arsenal a football lesson at the Emirates last season is now just a beautiful memory. Where to from here? I just don’t know.

The club needs a leader, with a vision and a team on and off the field to deliver it.

Perhaps the thing that worries me most about this season is the effect it has had on the fans. A large percentage of us seem to have gone from anger to anxiety to apathy. I certainly have.

One thing I do know, for the good of the club we all have to rediscover our passion during the close season.

On a personal level, that is going to be a huge challenge but no doubt the hope will get the better of me before the season starts.

Thanks again Ken for your reports during the season – from a grateful antipodean Evertonian.

I suspect that finishing on a false high would have papered over the cracks. Maybe – just maybe – this will avoid any delusional feel-good factor and the view that we do not need a completely new strategy, at least two or three key new players, an improved fitness regime, and an improved pre-season, (the latter being the easiest to achieve given last year debacle).

I know some will call for heads to roll i.e. Martinez and / or Kenwright but that’s not going to happen. I am not optimistic but prepared to give our manager another season – at least until Christmas – to see if a new campaign without European distraction, can turn things around.

The only glimmer of hope is that, in regards to Distin, RM did bow to pressure. He obviously listened to someone and changed his mind. Does that mean he is more open than we feared? Let's hope so and here’s to a successful transfer season.

Have a good summer and maybe next season your reports will be full of remarkable victories as we storm up the table, erm, not if Bobby is still in charge.

We are all critical of one thing or another at our club (me included by the way) but I really do take exception to the suggestion that our players lack motivation, passion or desire. It is easy to make these suggestions when we lose. The guys give their best I feel sure every game, but like you I think "there is something wrong" in the culture of the team. I blame individual players when they give the ball away, can’t control an easy pass and so on, but to suggest they don’t care is nonsense ..... in my view.

A poor season for sure. But even so I will miss your weekly words of wisdom for the next 2.5 months. I will visit the room of nonsense one day .... that is my ambition. God, what will I do every Saturday over the summer?

I am resigned to another season of mediocrity as the consensus seems to be that Martinez will stay, and there appears little hope of a huge amount of investment flowing our way anytime soon. What is worrying is looking at the revenue figures for the season, we are on a par this season with the likes of Stoke and Swansea and therefore unless Martinez starts to get the squad playing to its full potential, we are in danger of falling into a spiral. Continued under performance in the league will lead to lower revenue, translates into a lower wage and transfer budget, translates into a reduction in squad quality, translates to lower performance....etc.

I sincerely hope that sometime over the summer, Martinez will wake up from his stupor and rediscover the fast, direct style (mixed with short passing at the right times) which has brought us so much success in the recent past.

Yes, we should have done better but everyone was caught by surprise, including Kane, but the ball whizzed into his path and he said thank you very much. If he had not slipped over in the earlier exchange the goal may never have happened. Everton luck.

That aside, we were pretty dire throughout. A bunch of clueless strangers in blue. Mirallas, of all people, fluffing a simple chance. It was not easy to watch.

Things went from bad to worse when Naismith came on and started tackling people with his fists and mouth. Holy smoke, that’s all we need.

A big plus for Galloway who recovered well after being caught out for not using his right foot. I also liked the look of Besic. This lad could be quite useful.

I don’t know what we’re going to do about Lukaku and Barkley.

Martinez has had 1 good and 1 bad season. He had better pull something out of the hat in the window AND hit the ground running in August.

’Something is wrong’; for me, it’s the pair in the middle of the park. See the difference in our play when Gibson was fit, a player who can see and execute the forward pass.

Over the 90+ minutes, Tottenham looked like a balanced, incisive, footballing team... we didn’t. He did Barkley a favour taking him out since he looked like a kid bereft of confidence... some of his errors in the first half were cringeworthy.

The game passed Lukaku by. Only in my opinion Stones and to a lesser extent Jags performed to anything like standard with an honorable mention to Galloway and Besic for the second half showings. Distin's 10 minutes demonstrated that he is by no means shot and could have played some part in the second half of the season... probably the best balanced back three we could have, in the 3-5-2 we reverted too at the death.

The ease with which Tottenham passed around us even in the second half showed the gulf on this day. The players play, but Martinez owns that performance in the same way Brenda owns the RS defeat.

His words about second half improvement, both of the season and this game, don’t mask, for me, a piss-poor performance by the manager this season... someone needs to tell him his public statements aggravate at least this member of the fanbase, because the reality of the situation we find ourselves in is far different than the rosy picture he paints. Onwards and upwards for next season... here's hoping for a bounce back.

You mentioned Jimmy Husband (1965 FA Youth Cup winner) as breaking into the first team squad, as the only one to progress. I am sure John Hurst also made it, as I think he made his debut at Stamford Bridge when we got tonked about 5-1.

The Chelsea team was a very good side then: Venables, McCreadie, Osgood, Cooke, Chopper Harris etc...

Have a good holiday, Ken. COYB.

You always call things mid way through the season and this season was no different. Our final position, just outside the top 10, was fitting and reflective of the performances put in during the season. The table does not lie over 38 games.

I don’t think there is much reason to believe that our fortunes will improve in the short to medium term. The present Chairman has been given more than enough time to improve things and a club with Everton’s tradition should never go so long without a trophy.

I felt like I was watching a training session that simply involved just Tottenham. It was men against boys. The most damning stat though is that how many times have I sat in the Gwladys Street End this season and witnessed such bog standard dross.
I can accept not winning as long as they look like they want to at least break sweat and show some pride in the blue shirt, but this season has just been a total sick joke!

Apart from the Manchester United home match you can possibly count maybe three at best out of the entire 19 home matches where we actually looked interested and gave a damn.

Way too many visiting teams have had an easy ride at Goodison this season, that was piss easy for Spurs yesterday just like it was for Sunderland a few weeks ago.

I don’t know how on earth anything is going to change with Martinez and his Subbuteo style of play next season. It won’t matter who we sign, the style will be the same, no movement anywhere on the park, just static statues walking, and passing the ball aimlessly at the back conceding numerous self inflicted goals as a result of unnecessary risks.

Nothing is going to change.

2006-07...Portsmouth 3-0
2007-08...Newcastle 3-1
2008-09...West Ham 3-1
2009-10...Portsmouth 1-0
2010-11...Chelsea 1-0
2011-12...Newcastle 3-1
2012-13...West Ham 2-0

I thought I struggled recalling the last time I didn’t stick around for the lap of honour. Yesterday was the first time in years I walked out as soon as the final whistle wen. I didn’t boo, I couldn’t be arsed, I was just glad to get out of there.

Anyone here bother staying for the lap of honour?? What was it like? Many left?

I felt an obligation to remain for the lap of (dis)honour but about half the crowd obviously did not – and who could blame them? It was a thoroughly muted affair. Two things stuck out for me as the players paraded in front of the Park End:

a) Lukaku was in constant conversation with Mirallas and didn’t even look at the crowd, let alone acknowledge it.

b) There was little or no reaction to Martinez as he trailed the players. All seemed reluctant to hurl abuse but none of them felt able to applaud him either.

I left, having renewed, but somewhat apprehensive of what next season has in store.

Have a good summer.

The biggest scandal to me was spending £28 million on a striker which represented most of our pot and he has turned out to be such a lazy lump who hardly ever looks like scoring. 6 Premier League goals from open play in 35 matches is a pathetic return.

My only hope is that I went into this season with such hope and positivity. Next season I fully expect us to be in the bottom 3 so maybe if we can scrape above that I will be happier. I wouldn't hold my breath though!

I know the "fat van" and have queued for hours outside the Blue Dragon. I love you term about where you go for a pre match drink and really feel that you set the scene for your match reports.

I know a certain other person gets flack on here for picking his favourites, rightly so, but I trust that MK and LL include you in the line up for next season. I doubt that there will be much dissent on that one.

Thanks from me Ken and best wishes for the Summer Months. You make me happy when.......

Dave 26.It seems whenever a gang of Blues meet up the room of nonsense is open.

I said earlier in the season that I would judge Martinez on how he handled Barkley. On that score alone, he needs to go.

Martinez said that we dithered on the ball. This is what happens when a team that is used to playing the safe (and boring) option tries to look for something else. If we continue to play 4-2-3-1 (which I like), we need someone like Carrick in the back two and more creativity and pace in the middle three. Then we can also judge Lukaku as to how good he is.