Barry only facing one-match ban

Besic/McCarthy surely a better midfield duo ?

Next game I am desperately hoping for Lennon and Mirallas on either wing. We have two good wingers for the first time in a while. Let's take advantage of it.

I keep pinching myself thinking it’s a dream that Walter Smith’s Everton has returned, pedestrian dire attempts at attacking with a midfield that has no goals in it.

Barry, Besic, McCarthy, not one has scored a goal all season and Barkley just one.

We have maybe three guys who score goals, Mirallas, Lukaku and Naismith and even they can hardly be described as prolific.

I think this has to be as bad as any season under Walter Smith, how many games have we failed to score in now? How many goals have we scored since the end of October? Our attacking problems are being overshadowed by Aston Villa being the pits, but in reality our goalscoring since Autumn has been pathetic!

What the media don’t pick up on is Villa haven’t spent £28 million pound on a striker like Martinez.

I’m sorry but it’s just the sane discussion that we have had for years with various managers... Negative football, no attacking threat, manager playing favourites, no impact away to to top sides even when they are there for the taking as Chelsea were last night at times.

Nothing has changed under Martinez, it’s different players since a few years ago under Moyes but the same dire shit.

So watch out for new signing 'Barry Gary' making good his debut next game.

His experience is invaluable beside either Besic or McCarthy and we need him.

I agree with you, to an extent, about taking one for the team and his experience but in such a vital position it's sometimes painful to watch him struggle so badly.

Now is the time to play Besic and McCarthy together so that they can gel before season end and be our engine room for years.

Barry has given his all for us, I don't ever doubt that but in the modern era you need players who can move and players who are mobile, box-to-box men. Barry's first booking last night, it was like watching a hippo chasing a cheetah, he just flung himself in front if their man.

I don't blame Barry. I blame Martinez for not backing up all the big words of "no fear" and "we want the players to be arrogant and express themselves." It's all shit, Roberto.

I'm not criticising last night so much, I'm judging the woeful dross that we have been subjected to all season. The clueless attacking football played at a snail's pace, the amount of defence minded players in the team at home to crap like Hull or West Brom.

Last night buys them plaudits for losing narrowly but it's again the result of not sticking away a glorious opportunity, a chance that a striker should dream about, regardless of the fee paid for him.

I'm sorry but whatever is being coached into these guys by Martinez and his staff, it clearly ain't working.

Anyone thinking the Leicester game will be a gimmee is in for a shock I'm afraid, they have not got the results that their play has deserved lately but if they play like they did at Anfield or Spurs in the Cup, they will fancy their chances of a point at Goodison at least.

We are 5 points ahead of 18th with away to Arsenal following the visit of Leicester, you get the feeling there will be more twists and turns yet in the relegation battle.

He must have something on Martinez or a clause in his contract requiring him to play all 90 minutes regardless of performance.

Barkley is still lacking confidence but should be the link between defence and attack and play alongside McCarthy and Besic.I understand what Barry brings to Everton's game but he surely needs a rest which will do himself and Everton some good.

When he does get the next (single) yellow (a dead cert), he will miss two more games for accumulating 10 yellows.

Total punishment will then have been three matches missed, instead of two.

Also, if Barry's yellow was because of lack of pace, he can always play the guy off. But many of his yellows are like McCarthy's, taking one for the team to stop a break. Besic, on the other hand according to the experts on here can run like the wind so his yellows are poor judgment. So again, you leave the veteran on who knows his role and does it very well versus the reckless young player who doesn't know how to play that role.

I find myself agreeing with you in a strange way.

I like Besic but I have stated many times that he only stops the opposition from playing, much in the same way Barry did fantastically well last season.

Besic offers truly nothing going forward, same as Barry and same as McCarthy.

Most teams have a central midfielder capable of creativity and playing telling passes aswell as scoring some goals, most teams have a central midfielder capable of 8-10 goals a season.

Who can do that for us?

Oh and, by the way, I was exaggerating about putting 3 or 4 past Leicester. We don’t look like we’ll score 3 or 4 from now until the end of the season

Besic doesn't have Barry's experience and nous, that's going to be obvious, but you don't necessarily need it. Football is about having a balance of different qualities and each player has their strengths and weaknesses, but at the moment, Barry looks done, and Besic looks like he'll develop into a hell of a player. For one thing, he receives the ball on the half turn and looks to go forward, that in itself is so much more encouraging than watching Barry.

I can't wait to a see a team with neither Naismith nor Barry in it. Not that I've got anything against Naismith, I like him, but it seems like these two players are guaranteed to play every minute they're available for, and neither should actually be in our starting XI. Naismith often looks knackered around 60-65 mins and you can see him visibly slumping more and more and his lags drag as he tries to move.

I'm looking forward to seeing Besic, McCarthy and Barkley in midfield, with two from Mirallas, Pienaar, Lennon, Atsu or even McGeady on the wing. At the moment, we seem to be handicapped by at least one and often two of the most limited players in our squad at all times.

I know the jokers on here wanted him on a three-game ban but that ignores the logical mechanics by which two yellows in a game are no longer two yellows but instead are converted to a single red.

The point you seem to be failing to grasp is that the two yellows no longer exist. You saw them brandished but they are no more. In a moment of transmogrification, they became one red.

This is the bit I think you are struggling with. No supposition involved here: He's still sitting on nine yellows for the domestic season.... even though he's seen eleven. But the last two were magically wiped from the record the moment that the ref produced the red card.

Is this making any sense at all...?

I like I think a lot of fans was expecting it to be three games.

13 games left to this crap season. Instead of allowing us to enjoy the Europa games all we can think about is the 6 pointer we have got on Sunday the 22nd. I agree with those that say that we are stuck with Bobby for 1 more season for financial reasons.

Our only hope is that it usually takes him 3 seasons to get a bad team relegated so hopefully we will see a new manager in the summer of 16 because he probably needs 4 seasons to destroy our club. Till then we can enjoy the worst football Goodison has seen for a long time and hope we maintain our prem status.

The players I would least like to lose are probably Stones, McCarthy, Coleman and possibly even Besic. Barkley and Lukaku have both been pretty dire this season and their value will plummet unless that 'potential' begins turning into consistent performances. I'm not saying that I would try to actively sell but if we received stellar offers then I don't think i'd be too devastated to see them go.

Of course it would be hugely galling to see them, Barkley in particular, hit the heights elsewhere but I'm not totally convinced that either of them necessarily will. They've certainly gone backwards this season but maybe that's just because the team has been below par in general.

Like many Evertonians, perhaps, I would like to see Barry, on the basis of most his performances this season, banned from Everton’s first team for the remainder of his contract. He’s Phil Neville transmogrified.

Hand’s up who knew that was coming?