Season › 2014-15 › News Blues not thinking about relegation , 21 January, 37comments | Jump to most recent John Stones insists that Everton are not yet looking nervously over their shoulders at the proximity of the bottom three, saying that their focus is squarely on the next game. The Blues' failure to beat West Bromwich Albion at Goodison on Monday evening leaves them just four points above the relegation zone. But the young defender says that the players never focus on League position and that they are looking at building on four successive draws when they return from warm-weather training camp in Qatar. Stones, whose return to the side has coincided with a noticeable improvement at the back, was asked if the players are contemplating the "R" word. "Definitely not," he insisted. “We are just focused on the next game and the game after that. We are just taking each game as it comes. We never look at the table or focus on that. We are always talking between ourselves on how we are playing and how we can improve, we have just got to keep going in the same direction and keep playing with the passion we showed tonight and in the last few games. “We're all gutted and everyone who was here [that night] will be as well,”he added. “We dominated the game and I thought we should've taken the three points. Instead of looking down the table, Stones is focusing on the positives that came out of the goalless draw against Tony Pulis' Baggies, among them a first clean sheet of the New Year. “The last few games have been really encouraging and I thought we took that into the game today and, as I say, I thought we should've got the three points," he continued Article continues below video content “You have got to take the positives out of this: we got a clean sheet and created a lot of chances but didn't take them. The final ball and lack of patience in trying to score and that bit of spark in the final third, was missing. We kept it quite well around their box and created chances but we need to do better in those areas.” Quotes sourced from Liverpool Daily Post Reader Comments (37) Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer Keith Meakin 1 Posted 21/01/2015 at 16:49:25 That explains why were in such a bad position, the team not looking at the league position obviously think we are in the top six. Kevin Rowlands 2 Posted 21/01/2015 at 16:53:03 DonÂ’t get me wrong I like Stones a lot and see him as a potential superstar, but can anyone please enlighten me on these lotÂ’s of chances that we created and didnÂ’t take? I watched the whole game and can barely remember any chances or Foster even having a significant save to make, must be me I suppose. Jeff Hughes 3 Posted 21/01/2015 at 16:54:39 John is a lovely lad but there are done disturbing Â’RobertoismsÂ’in his response - "keep going in the same direction" - what? Down the table?; "the last few games have been encouraging" - sorry John , making an effort is a given or should be - playing possession football for the sake of it is not working. We need a faster, more direct approach. " we have got to take the positives out if this" Pure Martinez! Stop flannelling, stop glossing over a dreadful season and start taking the poor points and put them right. Brian Waring 4 Posted 21/01/2015 at 17:25:49 DonÂ’t know if it has been posted or mentioned on here, seems Besic was injured and asked to come off: Denis Richardson 5 Posted 21/01/2015 at 17:16:55 Haha Kevin - I was going to post the same thing. I must have had my eyes shut whilst praying for divine intervention when these supposed Â’many chancesÂ’ we created happened....On a side note, IÂ’ve just spent the last few minutes looking at the league table on bbc sport. It really is unbelievable. Only Everton and Sunderland, in the entire league, have not managed more than one league win out of their last 10 league games......WeÂ’ve taken a pitiful 6 points from the last 30 available - how the fuck is the manager still in the job? My main worry with the WBA game was that weÂ’d draw, thereby allowing BK to keep sitting on the fence and not do anything. Had we lost on Monday I believe RM would already be gone, now we trudge onto the next game with the manager basically on death row....The only turn around would be like that which happened with Pardew at the barcodes where, although the fans wanted him gone, the players showed that they still believed in him. Would it be dreaming too much to think that our players could do the same after the Â’bonding in the sunÂ’ over the next few days?I keep thinking Â’next bad result and heÂ’s goneÂ’ and then we get a draw and the death by a thousand slices continues.....we need an end to this soon, one way or another. Unfortunately nothingÂ’s going to happen for 10 days. John Keating 6 Posted 21/01/2015 at 17:34:47 They should be looking over their shoulder, might shake them up a bit.They should all be banned from speaking to the press especially if theyÂ’re going to speak crap like "created a lot of chances " Bill Gall 7 Posted 21/01/2015 at 17:40:01 Funny that Stones talks about keeping a clean sheet as the manager only commented about a couple of weeks ago that keeping a clean sheet was not really a priority.I doubt if any team in the premier or the championship could not have kept a clean sheet against a team that did not want to cross the half way line. Lee Boylan 8 Posted 21/01/2015 at 17:58:16 If we played with Robles, Coleman, Jagielka, Baines, Besic, McCarthy, Oviedo, Mirallas, Barkley/Naismith and Lukaku for a run of games, we must surely have enough quality to climb the table. If Mirallas had scored the penalty, we would have won easily the other night. It’s not the season we all expected but we wonÂ’t go down. Colin Glassar 9 Posted 21/01/2015 at 18:26:43 I'm with John Keating, there should be a total ban on manager/players talking to the media for the next month or so. Get some PR hack to do that and let the others concentrate on getting some results. Paul Ellam 10 Posted 21/01/2015 at 18:15:39 "Blues not thinking about relegation"WELL THEY BLOODY SHOULD BE!Vast improvement required or the majority of the squad will be sold if we go down and the stadium move will be off.We are in a very serious position and this pretence that we are doing okay is laughable. Wake up and smell the coffee boys, us fans are not as daft as you may think we are! Paul Andrews 11 Posted 21/01/2015 at 18:38:56 Spot on, Colin.Rather than the nicey, nicey media friendly approach,we should be looking to develop a siege mentality, us against the rest. Mick Wrende 12 Posted 21/01/2015 at 18:59:11 Those are typical footballers comment. 95% of players are as thick as 2 short planks and Stones is right up there with the thickest. Does he really think that a single Evertonian believes the players don't look at the table. Unbelievable Colin Grierson 13 Posted 21/01/2015 at 19:50:28 It's all down to media training these days. Martinez runs a phenomenal course when he's in the moment. Any players who missed the first session can pick up the next session which begins in the second half of the season. Any time now apparently. Brian Keenan 14 Posted 21/01/2015 at 21:02:07 The record speaks for itself? John Stones playing this year has been the season so far. As with him in the team before and after he was injured Everton have been brilliant. Everton are four without defeat and I can not see any more heavy defeats if he plays the way he has been playing. If Everton could score more than there chances, then Everton would challenge for the league. Des Farren 15 Posted 21/01/2015 at 21:10:35 #4 Brian.Sure I read couple comments here to effect that the player had a go at Martinez for being taken off.Lost in translation maybe. Brian Waring 16 Posted 21/01/2015 at 22:49:02 Des, to be honest I was one of those who thought Besic looked like he was having a dig at Martinez as he was going off, glad to be wrong. James Power 17 Posted 21/01/2015 at 22:52:04 Stones spent as much time on the right wing on Monday as he did at CB. That's the highest up the field I've seen a centre back since Paul Warhurst was converted to striker for Sheffield Weds in the 90's. But if RM is not bothered about clean sheets then why should he be bothered about the positional awareness of his defenders. I hope Stones keeps his confidence up and his errors to a minimum as I think he is sailing very close to the wind. We shouldn't have to rely on such a young lad as our best defender as he will make mistakes and at this stage if the season they will be crucial. Phil Sammon 18 Posted 21/01/2015 at 23:16:31 Do people not understand that players and managers are contractually obligated to do interviews? Fergie was fined every week for his refusal to speak to the BBC. Stones is a thoroughly decent lad and certainly not 'thick' like Mick Wrende suggests. Victor Jones 19 Posted 22/01/2015 at 00:58:45 I like John Stones. This lad can play. Of course he makes the odd mistake, but so do a number of other players. ThatÂ’s how he will learn. HereÂ’s hoping that Martinez keeps playing him and does not revert to tinkering with the team when Distin and (god forbid) Alcatraz are fit. Also, thank fuck we did keep a clean sheet against WBA, because we were never going to score two goals to beat them. In fact, we would have struggled to get one goal. Goals change games, and Pulls and WBA really would have parked the bus had they went a goal up. ThatÂ’s my problem with this rumour that Martinez does not believe in defending. If true, then that is bloody unbelievable. Is he really that naïve. Anyone who has ever played the game knows that it is important to defend and to keep a clean sheet. Means that you at least donÂ’t lose. I honestly find that incredulous if true about Martinez. Anyhow hereÂ’s hoping that Stones keeps fit for the remainder of the season. Everton need him. Harold Matthews 20 Posted 22/01/2015 at 02:37:15 Brian. My impression was the opposite. He seemed to be offering an apology. John Maxwell 21 Posted 22/01/2015 at 02:38:42 I'm looking forward to the end of season DVD.The Phenomenal 15th with 62% possession.Comes with free copy of the Magnificent 7th. Brent Stephens 23 Posted 22/01/2015 at 03:57:46 Mike #12 do you really believe everything a player says to the press etc?! Not believable! Peter Barry 24 Posted 22/01/2015 at 04:35:44 Well they should be and if they keep on playing as they have been doing all season its not just a possibility its a certainty. Andy Meighan 25 Posted 22/01/2015 at 09:58:02 Well, we are – and have been since before Xmas. Don't these morons look at current form? A little word in your shell-like, John: look at the league table. Brian Waring 26 Posted 22/01/2015 at 12:49:07 You're probably right, Harold. I think because I was fuming that much I was seeing something that wasn't actually there. Mick Wrende 27 Posted 22/01/2015 at 14:10:02 Brent@12 not sure whether you mean Stones didn't make those comments or I shouldn't believe what he says. Either way the fans are being treated as idiots because no-one on this planet could possibly believe that players don't look at the table. He may be a nice lad but that doesn't mean he isn't totally thick. James Marshall 28 Posted 22/01/2015 at 14:10:10 We had 17 shots, 4 on target v WBAThey had 5 shots, 0 on target.It's stats like these that really blow Roberto's pubes back. These are also the stats Stones is referring to, one would imagine. Scott Oliver 29 Posted 22/01/2015 at 16:04:59 Christ, what happened to the team of last season? Typical – a high is always followed by a low. Paul Smith 30 Posted 22/01/2015 at 16:16:33 Bring back - Abel Xavier. Glen Garrett 31 Posted 22/01/2015 at 17:30:35 They need to start thinking about it because if they lose to Palace then I think they could be in the bottom 3 after the next 2 games after that. Do they realise who they got after the Palace game? Liverpool and Chelsea – can't see Everton winning any of those too. I hate to say it but I really do think that Everton will be in the bottom 3 comes the UEFA game against BSC Young Boys. What has happened at Everton FC? Why haven't they performed like the team they were last season?It's fucking madness. Bob Heyward 32 Posted 22/01/2015 at 20:23:52 Brian: "I was seeing something that wasnÂ’t there." – sounds like the story of your comments on Martinez this season! ;-) Brian Waring 33 Posted 23/01/2015 at 13:30:45 Seen plenty last season, Bob, to see that Martinez is a good manager, he just needs to see that he needs to change the way we're playing. Ian Riley 34 Posted 23/01/2015 at 19:02:07 Not thinking about going down!That worries me more! Phil Walling 35 Posted 24/01/2015 at 11:38:44 Brian, how can he be a good manager so long as he is so myopic and believes his tica-taki is the ONLY way to play the game?We were all delighted by last season but by it's end we had been well and truly sussed. A new approach was called for and your man has proved very reluctant to change anything.A locally based journo tells me that Martinez's charm and co-operation 'with the boys' has saved him from a 'going over' so far... but pencils are being sharpened for the Palace game. Not a minute too soon, to my mind! Lee Boylan 36 Posted 24/01/2015 at 15:42:37 It's OK people saying get rid of Martinez but nobody as come up with an alternative; who realistically could we get? We need reinforcements to the squad and we all need to get behind the blues. Steve Carse 37 Posted 25/01/2015 at 16:15:24 Brian (33), that's the most perverse post I've ever read on here. Basically you're saying he's got to change everything that he's spent 20 months building up because it's failing – but he's still a good manager... Peter Barry 38 Posted 28/01/2015 at 04:46:24 "Blues not thinking about relegation" and that's just the problem. We are sleepwalking into it... and, when we do eventually wake up, it will be too late. Add Your Comments In order to post a comment, you need to be logged in as a registered user of the site. » Log in now Or Sign up as a ToffeeWeb Member — it's free, takes just a few minutes and will allow you to post your comments on articles and Talking Points submissions across the site. About these ads © ToffeeWeb