Disgruntled Distin breaks his silence

In recent times, there have been few if any players who have left Goodison with anything other than best wishes on both sides – it would be a real shame if Distin is unable to say his goodbyes in the usual way and a real shame if he is to reveal something that might embarrass the club or its employees.

There are of course two sides to every story and, not being privy to the truth, we have to give the benefit of the doubt to both parties, but as Distin has said the Â’truth will outÂ’ as it usually does.

I wonder if he confronted him and criticised him for his tactical naivety, and RM dropped him as a result?

Martinez has taken the Moyes structure and organisation that was in place last season and turned it into a shambles in the space of a year. Distin is the senior figure in the dressing room. If anyone in that squad has the bottle to confront the manager about tactics or whatever, itÂ’s him.

Yes, I agree Distin deserves the chance to be applauded and thanked for his time at Everton. It wouldnÂ’t hurt Martinez or Everton if he was given a few minutes against Spurs, and Martinez would gain from it to, showing he was man enough to forget any ill feelings, if indeed there were any.

I hope Distin gets one more game to say farewell and get his deserved recognition from the fans.

I donÂ’t blame the manager one bit for removing Sylvan as unfortunately the playerÂ’s demise was clear and was nothing to do with his ability to carry the ball out. It was sad to see a great servant like Distin playing that way.

I too was hoping Sylvan would get the heroÂ’s welcome he deserves against Spurs but these comments will not aid his cause if there is animosity between the two. IÂ’m sure even SylvanÂ’s biggest supporters can see RobertoÂ’s actions were just on this occasion.

And most of our defensive issues at the beginning of this season originated with MartinezÂ’s obsession with endless passing at the back, with players like Distin who clearly arenÂ’t comfortable with that part of the game. We were easy to play against and any sloppy pass would be punished on the counter leaving us totally exposed.

The thing about that though is why would he have bought into it last season and kept his discomfort at that sort of defensive play quiet for 18 months?

The story I heard at the time was that Distin kicked off (and then stormed off) after the manager laid into him for another defensive howler. If that was the case, then IÂ’ve got to take the managers side on this and only wish heÂ’d done the same with a few others.

What surprises me is why anyone would question this. I seem to remember Fergie doing the same thing at OT with the likes of McGrath and Whiteside.

ItÂ’s not even as though Distin has warranted a place in the side this season. Whenever he played, he looked like heÂ’d lost a yard of pace which was one of best attributes. Yes, the defence was a shambles at the start of the season. But Distin always looked the weakest link to me, even though Jags wasnÂ’t far behind, and the leaking of goals for fun largely stopped once Stones had replaced him.

He always seemed committed to the cause and if he told Martinez that he wasnÂ’t comfortable bringing the ball out then praise to him for being honest and recognising his limitations especially when he had been caught out a few times doing exactly that.

In a nutshell I always felt like he found a home here and deserves a chance to say his goodbyes.

Martinez clearly holds a grudge.

For years I thought he was the best center back on the club but I guess age finally caught up to him. HeÂ’s been a fantastic servant to the club and I hope he gets some playing time against Spurs so we can give him the love and respect he deserves.

A bit harsh maybe, but the best defenders donÂ’t do that in the games that really matter.

He is much better than Alcaraz and that particular player has made many more cock ups in the short time he has been with us than Distin ever has.

He has been frozen out and that has happened to numerous players throughout the league.

IMO he has been a tremendous player for us and that is all that fans should take into consideration.

Everything else is unknown so should not be commented on. Our defence which included him absolutely carried us for season after season.

I just hope he leaves without a big fuss and keeps his dignity. His legacy as a player is excellent.

This guy has played more top level football in the English league than any other foreign player and that is a fantastic feat.

i donÂ’t know where the idea comes from that Distin canÂ’t take criticism.

Ray,

Distin made many a costly error during his time here. However, he usually redeemed himself in the games that followed and, on the whole, did a decent job for us. At the start of this season though, he was all over the shop game after game and never looked like putting a lid on it like Jagielka (who was equally bad early doors) did.

This season he also offered out an Everton fan in the crowd at an away game (canÂ’t remember which one), openly criticised the fans as a whole and proceeded to partake in arguments with them on Twitter. He also allegedly went AWOL from training and was ready to move to West Ham mid season if they offered him a longer deal. HeÂ’s not some wronged club hero here.

So if RM has been strong enough to drop Distin for what were, in my view, weak and unsettling performances earlier this season then he is to be applauded. He might not have managed matters internally with the player as well as he should have done, but we just donÂ’t know about that.

I would not mind in the slightest if Distin were allowed to say a proper farewell before the season ends because he has indeed done well for us, but he has not deserved selection and it is time for him to go.

In my experience there are people who are simply not going to come along with you for the journey, and you canÂ’t wait for them forever. How you handle that says something about you as a leader... and I donÂ’t think RM looks good in this regard.

Given Distin has hardly played, there appears to be only one person to blame.

With the disgraceful preseason and players revelations that he has changed all of MoyesÂ’s training routines, including defending corners and free kicks, is it any surprise the defense is falling apart?

I love the guy but as far as high profile howlers, own goals or conceded penalties go, IÂ’m sorry but Seamie well beats big Distin.

Really? There was me thinking cock-ups became known as Â’howlersÂ’ in honour of Tim Howard.

"If one day I was told that IÂ’m slow, we could put all the central defenders on a line and weÂ’ll see."

Sounds like heÂ’s up for proving thatÂ’s BS.

If I had to, based only on conjecture, I would guess that signing EtoÂ’o played a bit in this poor season.

@13
"But Distin always looked the weakest link to me, even though Jags wasnÂ’t far behind, and the leaking of goals for fun largely stopped once Stones had replaced him." I disagree. Alcaraz looked okay at first but has clearly been exposed as a shocking player, in Europe and at home. I firmly believe that if Sylvain had played against Kyiv we would have WON. John Stones (who I like by the way), makes many errors every game and these are overlooked as he is young (and dare I say English).

Sylvain has been a great player for EFC and I hope he gets a good send off either against Sunderland or Spurs. He deserves that – and it will be another negative mark against the manager if through his spite he disallows it. The ONLY way I would forgive it is if he dropped his favourites and played Galloway or Browning and Garbutt (we should try and keep this boy if he will stay – give him a game), which would at least justify excluded Sylvain and hopefully give optimism for the future.

I have to agree with John Daley, that DistinÂ’s certainly no wronged hero. IÂ’d forgotten about him offering that fan out. The idea of him spitting his dummy out because he was criticised for being unable or unwilling to follow instruction becomes even more believable.

As a senior squad member he hd the right to do that and Martinez has handled the situation very badly. Drop him for a month for insubordination, fine then be mature and real man-manager and give him the chance to redeem himself, instead of blanking him and picking that clown Alcaraz who proceeded to help us lose game after game. I for one would rather keep Distin than Martinez, who is bringing our club to its knees.

He obviously lacks true Â’people skillsÂ’, hence his ridiculous statements over penalty taking and refusal to back Baines from day one as our # 1 penalty taker, his falling out with EtoÂ’o and constant refusal to talk about our poor performances realistically as he doesnÂ’t know how to criticise players without totally alienating them, thus heÂ’s only one small step away from open rebellion in the squad.

I have a feeling Martinez has privately becone aware of his own limitations, but is not man enough to admit them, and in time I believe we will see more fall-ours with experienced players, disgruntled and unhappy with the Martinez way of doing (or undoing) things. Would be nice to say a proper goodbye to Distin, but donÂ’t hold your breath with our clown of a manager who I suspect to be a spiteful little man, in charge.

Distin probably did deserve dropping, but so did Barry and so did Howard. Two of the three received unwavering support from Martinez, even in the wake of able deputies. Distin, meanwhile, was hung out to dry. The decision the use Alcaraz ahead of him certainly suggests a personal problem. No way could anyone see the Paraguayan as the better defender but he got the nod a few times.

Something we can be sure of is that this is one more saga that could have been handled much better by the manager.

Plain and simple, doesnÂ’t erase history, but doesnÂ’t qualify him for the present either and there isnÂ’t a single Evertonian who is complaining that Distin isnÂ’t lacing them up over Stones every week.

IÂ’ve no idea what happened on deadline day, but he hasnÂ’t played since. Martinez turned to other options at the back. That one of those options was Alcaraz, shows how little he thinks of Distin.

CanÂ’t really argue with that. RMÂ’s choice if Distin works weekends.

Obviously it wonÂ’t end well if he comes out and slams the club in the summer, but by then he wonÂ’t be an Everton player and I wonÂ’t care.

Anyway, Distin leaves with nothing but my best wishes and probably that of the players and most of the personnel at Everton. Along with Baines heÂ’s the best trainer at the club, and other than now, we havenÂ’t heard a bad word said about the guy during his time with us...and letÂ’s be fair, Moyes never suffered a fool. I fancy him to make a point next season elsewhere.

Good pro, good servant. Good luck Sylvin.

He, on the other hand, had overseen a defence that had conceded nearly 200 Premier League goals in the same three seasons! If that doesnÂ’t make you smell the coffee, you may want to ask why every single one of our defenders has had possibly the worst season of his career.

Despite going out of both domestic cups early, there is every chance that we may concede going on 70 goals in all competitions by the time the final whistle goes against Spurs... Stats which although totally alien to our defenders, have ALWAYS been par for the course for the manager.

Baines, Coleman and Jagielka have been publicly embarrassed trying to adapt to this guyÂ’s idiotic attempts to complicate what is still a beautiful and simple game. Distin (and everyone else) could see that this much-admired unit was being dragged down to the SpaniardÂ’s level.

John Stones is a find, a proper find, but if he is to reach the levels we all expect him to get to, he either has to distance himself from this clown by moving on, or The Fool has to go... I know which IÂ’d prefer.

As such, there was no way he could remain as a starter ahead of either the classy Stones or experienced Jagielka. However, even on his worst day he was, and is, a more competent and reliable backup option than Alcaraz on his best day.

This to me is another worrying sign that Martinez is incapable of managing strong personalities, or at the very least players who will question his methods. If he canÂ’t convince an experienced professional that what he is trying to do defensively has valuable long term potential, whilst accepting the identification of short term problems and their consequences, then he is obviously not as flexible as he likes to proclaim.

It is easy to manage yes-men. It is easy to manage players who are grateful to be taken along for the ride at a club that they realistically shouldn’t be at as they don’t have the required level of talent. It is easy to manage naïve kids who don’t know any better. It is scandalous though that a decent club servant, regardless of a possible 5 minute run out against Spurs, has been disregarded unceremoniously this season; not because he wasn’t a viable option but because he wasn’t onboard enough with the manager’s philosophy.

IÂ’m sure that Distin wasnÂ’t / isnÂ’t the only dissenting voice in the dressing room, but he was obviously the most expendable. I appreciate that as a manager you canÂ’t please all of the people all of the time. However, if the rumours of Alcaraz getting a contract extension are proved to be true, the manager will have serious and relevant questions to ask regarding his ability to judge talent and which direction he is leading the club towards? IÂ’m sure that everything will be Â’phenomenalÂ’.....

Good luck to the big man, he is a proÂ’s pro. At 37, even if he has lost a yard, he is a credit to himself and can walk away head held high.

Martinez Out!

Good player but all this Twitter nonsense is just demeaning. Anyone who pretends to be a milkman to play away strikes me as not the full shilling and twittering in this way confirms it.

IÂ’ve long gone past regarding Howard as anything other than a circus act, you nowadays EXPECT him to balls up... but Seamus has made some high profile fuck-ups himself over the last few years: own-goals, ridiculous penalties he gives away at times.

I recall one at Reading a few years ago when we got beat 2-1, then he made that brainless reckless foul against the Shite in the 2012 semi-final in a dangerous area which led to their late winner.

As I say, I love his attacking play, but sometimes he does mad things himself.

I heard like a few others that Distin was being singled out for bad performances and didnÂ’t take too kindly to it but when it comes to an argument between player and manager, thereÂ’s only one winner as Distin has found out.

I must admit though, Martinez not allowing him to move and saying he relied on him and then has not involved him hardly since is rather shithouse stuff. I just hope he does the right thing and involves him against Spurs and hopefully gives him some minutes so the fans can show him our appreciation of his efforts he as put in the past 6-7 years!

All this started after that Swansea defeat in the cup, remember that? I’ve never seen such a poor defensive showing in years and Distin was the main culprit. He was also costing us goals each game around this time and rumours he’d been bollocked after that game... then good – isn’t that what we’ve moaned about with Martinez, with him being too nice?

I donÂ’t agree with him being thrown in the wilderness but, if he was part of the Xmas shenanigans rumoured behind closed doors because he got told off, then he should grow a pair.

I’d love to know what happened between Eto’o, Distin and RM – the bust-ups coincide with the start of our slump around November. Hopefully we’ll hear at least one side of what happened in the summer.

As for him being responsible for more mistakes than anyone, Alcaraz made more mistakes in the Kiev game than Distin has in 5½ years. It’s a disgrace that he is ahead of Distin selection-wise. Instead of Alcaraz, I would honestly prefer we held a raffle for fans to play CB.

This has become the problem with the anti-Martinez sentiment, what started as a perfectly reasonable position based on poor performances and results has become a case of letÂ’s just blame him for anything and everything, no-one else could possibly have done anything wrong. ItÂ’s getting to the stage where if he gets out of the boat and walks on water several regulars will come on here and slag him off for not being able to swim.

I wonder if itÂ’s a managerial tactic, take on the biggest, strongest, loudest long-serving player to stamp your authority on the squad.

John Daley, I think it was Swansea away in the cup.

Martinez has shown himself to be petulant, not just over Distin but bombing Baines out of the team after the Hull game and Garbutt after the Newcastle match. Distin is just the worst example of this.

John, as you say, early in the season Distin WAS "all over the place", so were Jags, Stones, Coleman, Baines, and that was all down to the manager. Lack of fitness and a system that was alien to them resulted in as poor a team defensively as weÂ’ve seen for a long time. John "Gaff A Game" Stones is an excellent prospect but he still has it in him to cock up spectacularly once in every game just as much as Distin.

Jags HAS tuned his season around, and so might Distin if heÂ’d been playing. Distin has been an excellent defender for Everton and now, admittedly, his star has begun to fall, but he is still streets ahead of Alcaraz.

Tell me, who would you have sooner had in the team away to Kiev, Alcaraz or Distin? We would have been better off if weÂ’d dug up dear old Brian Labone and put his remains on the pitch. HeÂ’d still be more mobile than Alcaraz.

Darren Hind @41 with his post nails it to a tee with the defensive record of a Martinez team. For that reason alone, we should be saying Adios to Martinez. All great teams start with a great defence. Martinez wouldnÂ’t recognise a great defence if it bit him on the arse.

Using every trick in the book, the Everton interviewer tried to get the big Frenchman to say something positive about the manager and his system but to no avail. The questions were met with silence and a knowing look.

After confessing that the pre-season work was tougher than normal for him, he went on to say he was old enough to be the dad of most of the new squad but the spirit within the dressing room was very high. "With Ossie, Hibbo and Bainsey around it couldnÂ’t be anything else".

I was left with the impression that it was a farewell speech and it seems to have turned out that way. Right or wrong, the Martinez way was not his way and with both men refusing to budge, a move to another club would seem to be the sensible course of action.

I canÂ’t see what Martinez has done wrong here. Maybe when Distin tells us what happened IÂ’ll change my mind but at the moment itÂ’s a non-story.

Player out of form and looking like Bambi on ice every time he gets put under a bit of pressure is dropped. WhatÂ’s the problem?

The comments regarding taking sides with either player or manager are foolish as no-one really knows what happened. The manager must keep control of any situation and so far the club have not commented. Distin has been a great servant of the squad and is still better than some others particularly in respect of pace and heading ability. He should have been on the bench ahead of Alcaraz and I am sure he would be a far better deputy at centre back but he is leaving at the end of this season anyway.

If Bournemouth want him then good luck for his future as he is better than a few other centre backs in the league.I will not criticize Martinez for his decision as he is the manager of the club and I want him to succeed. Neither will I criticize Distin as I do not know the reason for the fall out.

There would be no problem with it if that was the Martinez way but we have seen too many examples of bad form not resulting in being dropped... Barry, Howard and Alcaraz for instance?

Wigan fans would not have him back even in there position and we are stuck with the incompetent fool and that says it all for me.

Distin has served this club with dignity and heart since he came to us, and IÂ’ll be sad to see him shuffled out the back door.

I just read that Bournemouth are interested in his services, so good luck to him. Martinez lacks class and acts like a kid in a playground at times.

I look forward to his end-of-season comments and maybe he will clarify his comments about Osman after his 500th game, when Distin refuted suggestions that Osman was an excellent professional.

Mr Martinez is a fella who will relegate Everton because of his goals-conceded record; forget Wigan, he knows NOTHING about setting a defensive unit up and doesnÂ’t want to learn either. Distin has behaved with great dignity and a touch of class and will be playing in the Premier League next season, just not for us, but it will be our loss ultimately.

I also agree that BainesÂ’s game has suffered since as he had the comfort of knowing Distin is quick and got him out of many a hole.

My best wishes to Sylvain Distin, a classy fella.

Anyone who chooses Alcaraz over Distin needs their fucking marbles looked at. Unfortunately this is what weÂ’re dealing with, with this clown of a manager.

All the best, Big Sylv, and thanks for the service.

I am writing this following the complete abortion of a game against Sunderland. Watching the chosen useless one stand in those fucking annoying orange shoes with his hand on his chin watching our team disintegrate, then groaning with abject misery as his reply to a spirited Sunderland display was to throw on McGeady only makes me hope and pray that the useless twat slings his hook after the final whistle of the final game blows.

It certainly befuzzled me that our manager attempted to convert EtoÂ’o, one of EuropeÂ’s most decorated strikers, into an advanced midfield player and ultimately it never worked, did it?

As for Sylvain Distin, I regard him as one of our very best signings under Moyes, and I would have liked to think his renowned professionalism would have led to him joining out backroom staff; but no, I fear we are stuck with the substandard backroom setup until RM is eventually sacked.

If the big man does have his swansong for the Cherries, I sincerely wish him/them well, and feel a little ashamed at his treatment by our manager. As another contributor said earlier, it is most unlike our club to part with long-serving players on bad terms.

A shame but true nevertheless.

To end his career with a right foot only fit for standing on strikes me as wasteful and more than a little self indulgènt.

RM dropped him before the supposed Jags and Stones partnership finding its form. When has Distin been give a chance to show that he and Jags would have continued their 41 goals conceded average? If RM wanted to go with Stones because he was younger than say so. If it was to punish a player than say so. Distin deserves better from a relegated manager who won't be here for nearly as many games as Distin started for Everton.

Yes, we would provided they had to face backwards and then turn and sprint. You know, like you have to do in a match rather than the DadÂ’s sprint race on your kidÂ’s sports day!

Distin is a model professional and even though he had to give way to Stones he has been Â’frozenÂ’ out of the squad because of a personality problem between himself and Roberto. He should definitely have been on the bench ahead of Alcaraz if it was due to a pure football issue. Bringing Distin on to protect a lead would have been a far better option than bringing on Alcaraz and that cannot be disputed. He is in his last season at Goodison and I rate him as one of our best buys in recent years.

If he does join another Premier League club, I would like to see him welcomed back by the fans if and when he plays at Goodison.

Looks like Messi is in a class of his own then!!

It sounds like Bobbie talked him out of a move to West Ham and the way I see it, Distin had the balls to stand up and question his tippy tappy football, hence being dropped.

Howard and Alcaraz have played time and again after making howlers so dropping Distin for so long and not speaking to the player smacks of his plan a or no way.

If this is the case, is he going to ban 30,000 from Goodison for saying the same thing about tippy tappy playing out from the back?

In essence it is much better if a player has two equally good feet but many of those players are of mediocre natural ability. Just imagine Maradona and Messi with two great feet! It would frighten the life out of every opposition teamÂ’s players and fans for that matter.