Roberto Martínez interview in El País

And I love his development of the young lads - which is an excuse to link to John Stones John Stones one of nine from the EPL having been nominated for the 2014 European Golden Boy award. Past winners include Lionel Messi, Wayne Rooney, Sergio Aguero, Cesc Fabregas and Mario Goetze!

Are you a Spain-based blue? IÂ’m over in Madrid quite frequently for work if so...

The only thing IÂ’d say is RM is either being disingenuous or is not aware of his burgeoning reputation in Spain. Every time I go over there and get to talking football with taxi drivers, colleagues etc, he is well-known and respected. LetÂ’s just hope that doesnÂ’t mean heÂ’s on the radar of the big fish over there as a potential new boss just yet...

Spain is most probably where Bobbie will finish up but I hope it is a long time in the future.

I live in Valencia. It's OK, but not too many blues though: if I go to the pub to watch the derby, I run into far too many Liverpool fans for my liking.

As for Martinez's reputation, I agree it's on the up over here. At the end of last season, one of the main pundits on Canal+, Julio Maldonado, said that he thinks he'll end up at Real or Barça eventually. Maybe Marti­nez hasn't realized that the perception of him is changing. Until a couple of years ago he really was unknown, but signing for us and doing things like loaning Deulofeu has brought him into greater focus.

Comments please.

Since I'm deluded to the point where I think Everton is the biggest club (not team) in Britain, it pains me to see him entertain the possibility of leaving is for a bigger/better job - but that's just realism, I guess. It would be great if he turned round and said "I'll stay here for life if I could." But, of course, again, unrealistic on my part.

I think what he says about the history of the club is spot on, of course.

I really like the bloke, his intelligence, humour and his humility are wonderful to see at a time when most managers canÂ’t string a sensible sentence together. He seems to have weathered the earlier storm and got us grinding out great results again and that is the sign of a good manager.

You can see that he has assembled a great squad despite our few resources and persuading EtoÂ’o to join us was a master stroke. What a player even in the twilight of his career. In short I think RM has given us hope when there was very little and DM has perhaps shown himself to be no loss.

I think it's certainly a much bigger problem abroad, but there certainly is deliberate cheating that goes on a lot in our own league.

There are teams like our own where cheating is generally frowned upon or at least not encouraged, but you look at the top 4 and I think they are so desperate to maintain their stranglehold that they will attempt to deliberately con the ref to gain any advantage.

But then I double-checked it in the RAE dictionary and it can't really be used with that sense (according to the dictionary, which is not infallible by any means). I asked my wife and she was puzzled, but that might be because I was asking here to read an article about football. The only way to be sure would be to ask the man himself...

Hello? Roberto? Are you there?

If he'd described our honours list as 'un lastre' ('burden') in reference to the weight of history on any Everton manager's shoulders and the handicap of our present financial situation, it would have made perfect sense to me; especially as someone who started following the Blues in the late sixties when our name was synonymous with style, skill and trophies.

The great thing about our manager, though, is that he is undaunted by the challenge of returning the glory days to us. Add this to his long-term vision and planning and I just can't help getting excited.

Great work, Greg, and if you've ever up in Barcelona, the place to meet up with fellow Blues is the Loch Inn.

Basically he is saying that success is in the club's DNA and not every club in the country can lay claim to that sort of history.

"When you want to go from 250 to 600 passes with a team, there's a lot to change and a lot of work"

I'm not at all convinced that is a good metric when I see our CB's faffing around at the back, but it is an interesting insight into modern football coaching, along the lines of, 'If we can do 600 passes a game, that normally means 60% possession and that gives you a 70% chance of winning or drawing the game, so how can we coach the team to pass it 600 times and who should we get to make the passes and to where?'.

Interesting thought. Is there a nominated team counter of passes? Is someone carrying a 'pass-ometer' like a pedometer?

As for RM moving elsewhere, eventually he will, one way or another, but the only two clubs demonstrably bigger than us in Spain are Real Madrid and Barça and to get a job at either of those, he will need to win trophies here first. Not easy for him but great for us if he can.

I also have a hunch that OFM has queered the pitch for 'over-achieving' managers at allegedly 'smaller' clubs to manage a 'big' club, so unless some magic is produced then his only reasonable bet is managing a second-tier club like Valencia and unless he is homesick or is sacked, I can't see that would be a progressive career move.

I think people will take note of Moyes's failure at Man Utd. The step up was too big for him. He had won nothing with us, experienced very little top level European football, and was not used to the massive transfer budgets and huge egos that go along with it. I can't see Barcelona or Real Madrid making the same error in judgement.

I hope Martinez does one day manage one of those illustrious teams as it will mean he has achieved his goal of bringing glory back to Everton and he will leave behind a lasting legacy that his successors can build on, much as his successors at Swansea have done.

I think Martinez has learned to be more patient since the time he left Swansea for Wigan. Sure he got to manage in the Premier League much sooner, but it was with a club I would consider smaller than the Swans and one whose financial limitations meant he was unable to really ever progress.

At Everton he has the good fortune to have a Chairman who shares his long term vision and I think they are good for each other. I know Kenwright is not universally popular on this forum, but his lack of dollar does mean he isn't as likely to sack his manager at the first sign of trouble.

Fair enough, his resolve hasn't really been tested (our recent poor run wasn't really a crisis), but a lot of managers would have felt the pressure growing as their chairman looked on disapprovingly and I'm sure that tension radiates to the players, compounding the problem.

A very interesting article. Thanks for the translation, Greg!

I wonder sometimes if we've got said revered chairman all wrong but then I think of King's Dock etc, etc, etc... and question if this bloke at Leeds wouldn't do a better job!!!

Champions League football is the primary mission as it will give us the financial boost we need to clear our debts and get into a modern stadium. The youth set-up will provide us with a steady flow of talent which Martinez is not afraid to utilize. If we can establish ourselves in the top four for a few seasons the whole outlook will be radically changed. Everton will be an attractive investment and hopefully if the right kind of investment comes along Kenwright will do what is best for the club (and sell for a handsome profit to boot), Martinez will get his recognition with a move to Barça or Real and everyone will be happy. That's the idea anyway.

I think Martinez telling a player he's a little disappointed about his late night drinking would be more crushing than a thousand Scottish hair dryers.

Imagine having to listen to Brendan or that ego in a suit, Mourinho all the time.

We would invite sides to attack us and we would respond by taking off forwards and bringing on defenders. Our slender margin (KITAP1) would be tested and IÂ’ve lost count how many times teams would get one back but I reckon over a certain 11-season reign it would be in double figures.

Our 136-year history had been blighted by 11 years of anti-football. Martinez is restoring our traditions, paying homage to our great players from all eras and instilling our sense of purpose while rebuilding the foundations of our club from its 136 years as a founding member.