From My Seat: Man Utd (H)

It's a day to give thanks but it wasn't a fitting tribute.

Lukaku played well... like he was on a mission to get a big money move.

I wonder if Roberto had too much time to think about this game? I think that if this game were last weekend while the film of what Arsenal did to them was fresh that the lineup and game would have been radically different.

Somehow it seems Roberto convinced himself with all the time off that yes tika taka can work and possession and slow build-up will work. I wonder if he drinks when he makes his decisions because at least that would be an excuse.

Sadly I expect more of the same next week.

Hopefully just a bad day all round!

We have won just 5 league games at Goodison Park since last December, that's an appalling return considering our home form was always the bedrock of our stability.

It's something Martinez needs to quickly sort out because we now have home games on the horizon that we need to be winning but too often last season we failed in.

Our last 7 games at Goodison reads won 1, drew 2 and lost 4. That needs sorting out very very quickly.

"we offer little support to whoever is the loan striker"

You've been an Everton fan too long sir!

Even when there were signs of disquiet in the crowd last season, the folks kept turning up and, at one point, got credit for influencing the manager to water down the 'tippy tappy' stuff.

But it's said that those who travel away make more noise than those of us whose viewing is restricted to Goodison Park. So are we the ones to blame? Or is the abysmal home record due to the manager's failure to inspire or just his players' incompetence?

Very observant for Sunday morning..

Well let's be honest we may have a loan striker in January so I could be right eh?

Lukaku's improved form and commitment was the only real plus I could take out of the game.

Man Utd so often overloaded the wide spaces and moved the ball fast to those areas. Effectively bypassing Barry and McCarthy, and with Naismith also drawn inside to try to do two men's jobs by covering for Barkley. By the time our DMs are moving wide to chase the game there, Man Utd's fast and accurate passing had brought the game back into the middle with Barry and Macca now in no-man's land.

Barkley is a great talent when on song but a defensive liability. When off-song he's a total liability as he was giving nothing going forward yesterday as well as nothing defensively. Why not just leave him further forward closer to Rom and feeding to / off Rom, and occupying the attention of one of their men instead of Ross trying (hopelessly) to chase down one of their men?

He should also look at how Man Utd, who were not overly impressive, move more off the ball than we do when in possession. We seem to stagnate passing from one stationary player to another. And for the life of me, I cannot see what McCarthy (what were his possession stats?) brings to the team. And the number of times players left the opposition players they had been marking only to see them run into space and take a pass. Oh for a Colin Harvey or Peter Reid in that midfield.

And Lukaku most certainly was our MotM.

It was a collective shambles yesterday with no work ethic, no attacking cohesion, defensive instability and a pure lack of voices and leadership.

With Arsenal away next weekend followed by a very important League Cup match at what is becoming a new bogey ground, our own Goodison Park, then we must be working immensely over the next week on our apparent weaknesses and make certain that we are near faultless by next Saturday in North London.

Every now and then we do batter someone at home e.g. the Chelsea game, but overall we are slow and predictable and totally uninspiring. I feel for the supporters we deserve a lot better.

We have found ourselves behind so many times already this season, despite this defensive strategy, that you would think that Martinez would have learnt his lesson by now.

The selection of Coleman was a mistake, and it is not just because of his poor play yesterday, but his poor play before his injury. The lad is not just rusty, he is defensively poor and has gone backwards under the current set-up.

I have never seen Naismith quite that bad, and Barkley should be told to pass the ball early, instead of waiting... running... waiting... and passing backwards having run out of options.

I could go on, but it is too depressing... except to say that watching Leicester, with the wonderful Vardy, and West Ham with Payet, reminds me that teams can play with verve, accuracy and pace.

Arsenal away is the perfect place to play on the counter. Will we go there to hit them on the break with Geri and Kev on the wings?No; we will go there with Kone in for Naismith (perhaps) and start with Lennon. We will go two down by the break, bring on Naismith for Kone (or vice-versa), wait until we are 3 down to bring on Geri/Kev for Lennon.

Bless you, Wayne, for that sign of respect to an earlier great Evertonian.

If the press are to be believed, we have some of the most sought-after players, so why are we playing such awful football with an array of talented players?

Yesterday, United were quicker, passed the ball better, and more importantly seemed to know what style they were playing.To often when we eventually get in and around our opponents box, we seem to have little or no idea what to do next.

We don't seem to encourage too many players to make runs into the box and for most of the game yesterday Lukaku was isolated. We didn't have anybody within 15 yards of him when he got the ball.
I think we could have dropped out of the top 10 when we next play at Goodison then the pressure will really be on RM.

Martinez will be the author of his own misfortune with these team selections and insipid meek attacking plans, just not good enough and if he isn't told by someone in the club that if he doesn't change his tactics then he will have to be changed himself.

Personally I think he is incapable of change, and we, the supporters, are the ones who are suffering. There are decent players in the squad, they are just not being utilised in the proper way.

Respect everyone's opinions on here but all I saw from Rom was him getting shackled by Chris Smalling and diving around once realising that was the case. Galloway the only one who showed anything from that lot yesterday. Depressing.

On the great man himself, there is a great video of Howard singing My Way on the Echo live stream. Brought a tear to my eye I'm happy to admit. What a man, a true legend.

United worked far harder throughout the game. Too many of our players were strolling around and looked to be suffering from swollen heads following their international appearances.

One of the hallmarks of Howard Kendall's great team of the eighties was their ability to get hold of the game from the very first minute. Our current squad too often allow the early minutes to drift by. Little wonder we are subsequently having to chase games. These slow starts contribute to the generally subdued atmosphere at home games.

After that truly abysmal performance, if Mirallas does not get a start at The Emirates, I think it is safe to assume he has no future at our club and will be sold in January. Given our lack of attacking flair yesterday and in the previous game, his continued exclusion is inexplicable.

A similar finish to last season is on the cards and at the end of the season Martinez should also be relieved of his duties.

He's a fantastic prospect and we need to find a way of getting him forward much more, rather than leaving him exposed in acres of space and constantly worrying about the threat behind him.

What I can't understand is why we have such poor first halves in every game which the manager is aware of and yet seems unwilling or incapable of doing something about it.

With hindsight we can criticise the team selection but the starting 11 was what many of us would have picked.

I think it is unfair to critcise Barkley as everyone around him was poor and he had no outlet.

He does seem to play better with Kone and Deulofeu and like others I can't understand how Mirallas is left out of this team.

What is most concerning is that, when we do get on top and push forward, we rarely create chances. We seem to pressurise the opposition and hope something will give. The second half against Liverpool, when we were well on top, is an example. We actually created better chances in the first half when they were in the ascendancy.

Other areas of concern: Howard is giving up the ghost in some situations, like Rooney's goal where he went to ground before he shot. Also Ings's header. Barry seems to go slower every week and his passing game is deteriorating. None of our wingers seems to be the right fit. Lennon wants to concentrate on covering and Deulofeu gives the ball away far too easily. Mirallas is out of favour.

We are more desperate than ever for the No 10 we were promised in the summer.

One 'pattern' that appears to be emerging is the total lack of any pattern.

And the lack of any consistent form (pattern) means before each game (no matter who the opposition) my thoughts are 'well fuck knows how this is going to go'.

Last season we did so much wrong that you had an idea how games/results would go, the season before we got a lot right and again it gave you an idea of what to expect.

This season, it's like watching a side that has it's collective memory wiped after each game (same with the manager).

One thing I believe (maybe because I remember football before Sky) is that you only drop players if they are playing badly.

This policy of 'yeah he's played well but the senior pro is fit again so..' is a flawed model (imo) for two reasons.

1) If you drop players who are playing well, there's a very good chance they'll think 'fuck this!' and become (quickly) disillusioned.

2) Where is the incentive for players to work hard and impress if they're going to get back into the side no matter what?

It's quite ironic that some people on here (not you, Jay) keep going on about Martinez being a weak manager, then criticise him for not playing one that does all the above. Before anyone starts, I think the Stones and Lukaku situations are different as they both consistently perform.

I'm pretty sure that Martinez would like to see the back of Mirallas, as soon as a 'suitable' club for his talents comes in.

If we could find a way of getting rid of deadwood like Mirallas, McGeady, Pienaar, and Gibson, perhaps we could buy some attacking players who are fit, willing and consistent.

One of the things that frustrated me about the previous manager was his fondness for players who could fit in many roles without excelling in any of them. Martinez is little different up to now. This must change.

If Martinez truly wants to create a new "Barcelona mini-me" with all this tippy tappy stuff then he should focus on the one main strength that is often overlooked on what made that fantastic Barcelona team so successful..

It's relentless work ethic when the team did NOT have possession. They worked so so hard and pressed really high up the pitch, not just one man but they hunted down the opponents defence in packs like hungry wolves as if to say "How dare you have our ball, we are taking it back".

Guardiola made his Barcelona team super fit men that could play 90 minutes of endless tempo, and as much as I hate to admit, Jurgen Klopp was a master of it at Dortmund.

Can we, hand on heart say Martinez has worked effortlessly on getting this team super fit?

Do we look as fit as clubs like Leicester, who always seem to play the game so pumped up at 100 mph?

Mirallas, despite what some may think of him, is still our most attack-minded midfielder next to Barkley. He's proven himself every season that he'll create and score goals if given a chance and his omission from the side is very odd. If there's been a falling-out with the manager, why offer him a new (improved) contract and then keep him?

We can go on about players and team selections but as long as Martinez is in charge, nothing is really going to change. Players are not picked on merit but on seniority and/or favouritism. As soon as Baines is fit, he'll walk into the team regardless how good Galloway is playing. Just like Coleman and Stones. Howard, Barry, McCarthy etc seem to be undroppable.

Fact is an attacking midfield three of Naismith, Barkley and Lennon puts far too much responsibility on Barkley to create something. Then we have the usual issues with the Barry/McCarthy axis and then half the defence walking back into the team fresh from injuries. Schoolboy errors and tactics pretty much all over the park from our esteemed manager.

The Southampton and Chelsea results are beginning to look more like freak results. Granted people will point to the tough start and the fact we've only lost 2 out of the first 9 (likely to be 3 out of the first 10). But we'll plod along and finish somewhere between 8th and 12th, playing turgid stuff most of the time. I can't see us getting anywhere near 6th this season tbh. We're just not good enough at home and only seem to be able to play when we can play on the break – ie, won't be good at home.

Before people come out with the usual money issues, explain to me how the likes of West Ham, Palace and Leicester manage to play the game with pace and crisp passing?

Good post.
Although I think we will be lower than you estimate. There's a tough time coming up imo.

I understand and agree with what you say about Mirallas but if you have someone with his talent and penchant for scoring you manage it rather than take the easy option and get rid. If I was Mirallas I would be pissed off.

The manager persuades you to sign a new contract telling you you are one of his most important players then totally ignores you.

As we saw yesterday with Stones and Coleman who were both off the pace, players need regular game time to stay at their best

He's some player on his day; just doesn't have his day very often. Martinez prefers Lennon, who tracks back better and I'm afraid that sums our manager up for me.

Mirallas should have started. We are so weak down the left side now it is untrue. Whenever Galloway got it there was literally no-one in front of him. Shocking. As soon as I saw the line-up yesterday I feared the worst. Reeked of fear, similar to Moyes at his worst.

Comparisons to the likes of Leicester and even West Ham are wide of the mark, they have some exceptionally quick players and don't continually faff about with the ball. Quick, direct and exciting, hardly often on display at Goodison. I made a point of watching Lukaku closely yesterday and he looked furious for the most part and I don't blame him.

Why must Roberto tamper and tinker with a winning side when rotation isn't required? Say goodbye to Stones and Ross in January and who can blame them with this clown in charge. Naismith and Lennon ahead of Mirallas and Deulofeu??? Do me a favour.

At times the manager talks about settling into the game. No, this gives the opposition confidence and a chance to take the lead. Everton are near the top of the league for coming from behind. If we started as we finished games we might go in at half time leading!

I fear that the manager does not believe in winning the battle in football games. Successful teams, Man Utd, Bayern, Barcelona, and Juventus fight for the ball and play their own game. No team wins with pure football!

After watching the game yesterday, Man Utd were far better in every department but we've got to work harder to stop that. Unless the manager starts reflecting on this aspect and selecting players that aid this then mid table is all we can expect.

The big worry is that the rot will set in around November and December as it did last season, when we went on a disastrous run of 3 wins, 7 draws and 9 losses, against largely inferior opposition, very similar to the situation in this season's fixtures.

We only managed to pull out of the downtrend in March and April when we won 5 out of 6 games, and avoid a relegation scrap.... Hopefully history isn't about to repeat itself?

While the fans packed Goodison to the rafters in their thousands in Howard's memory, expecting our players to show their own respect, they instead got a repeat of last season's dire events, which we hoped were over.

Far from the return of Stones and Coleman reinforcing a hitherto impregnable defence, the opposite was the case with Barkley being a main culprit showing why he was criticised by a certain ex-coach last week. However he was far from alone, with most of the team having nightmare games, including 'Mr Reliabilty' Jagielka.

United they were; united we weren't... awful passing, criminal defending, little communication and even less effort, except when it was too late after gifting United all three goals.

A really sad day all round, even for us Evertonian Expats who won't be able see off our beloved Howie, God Bless Him.

I'm not sure where we go now, as we've got mid-table painted all over us. Despite having some of the best players we've ever had for years and a great result every now and then, we never go on a great run under Martinez. Is fitness an issue and the amount of players we have who are only able to put in 50 mins or so per game?

Sometimes there seems to be an unassailable gulf between us and the top four, sometimes it seems we are a hair's width away. Very frustrating.

As a side note, I was also under the impression Rooney was looking to the sky in appreciation and respect to of Howard Kendall. Didn't he convince Wayne not to pack the whole football thing in back when he was still in our youth teams?

We have known for years that Everton don't cope great when expectations are high.

Whilst that should be good enough to secure RM's job, it falls a long way short of what this group of players should achieve. But no doubt we will be told that's the best we can expect 'given the circumstances'.

To give that Wijnaldum his due, he looks a better player than being stuck at Newcastle and he would have been a good signing, he's scored the type of goals today that I want to see Barkley score more.

What I saw on our side was a defensive midfield pairing that can't and never will be able to compete against this class of opposition. Either Barry or McCarthy could probably manage with a far better partner but, as a pairing, their limitations were exposed as they always are against the best in the Premier League.

Lennon is a great lad but not a top-tier player and very limited in what he has to offer. Seamus Coleman is totally out of his depth at Premier League level at the moment. Naismith on his day is exceptional but he doesn't have many days now and seems to offer poor value as a starting player. Stones and Coleman should have been blooded in gradually and Funes Mori and Browning given at least a bit of respect for their excellent work in their absence.

Lukaku was magnificent in massive adversity and I can see him being of massive interest to Man Utd for whom his genuine talent could give 25 goals a season. I agree that he was our MotM yesterday.

I'm very sorry to see that Kone, who had made a great comeback from injury and who was adding real value as a link between a weak midfield and Lukaku seems to have been dropped and that our one quality midfielder, Gibson, wasn't even in the squad (injured?); both would add some much needed class to the journeymen we have in place.

There's the chance that it was just a bad day at the office and, once 2-0 down, we did start to play well but only because they eased off; we can't just go down 2-0 before we start playing and I believe that it shows an inherent weakness in the team and tactics. So, perhaps another false dawn and a display of what is an unbalanced side with defensive frailty even with 2 unashamedly defensive MFs. I won't jump on the "Kick Howard" nor the "Martinez Out" bandwagons; these are early days yet and we have done reasonably well out of the start from hell.

What I'll say is that my positivity pendulum has swung back into more realistic territory and I see at best 7th or 8th. Liverpool under Klopp are likely to improve, Chelsea will stabilise and we'll have a lot of competition for the 6th, 7th and 8th positions by end of season. We can't take finishing ahead of even Palace or Stoke for granted now and our club motto can't change that when faced with reality.

I'm serious about Lukaku btw, he was exceptional yesterday... and if I was a top 4 manager, I'd pay whatever it took to get him. £28M was a snip. He needs Kone to play though to get the best from him in an otherwise fairly brittle Everton side.

Man Utd at present are only an average side as was shown at Arsenal last weekend. Martinez handed this game on a plate with his ultra lame team selection. Our manager thinks we can go toe to toe with Man Utd playing with both Lennon and Naismith in the side thus rendering us to 9 men. Both these players are truly woeful.

Don't look at how good Man Utd were, rather than how shit our manager is. Martinez is slowly becoming a turnip of coarse coach just like Moyes was. Once Roberto feared no sides we played; now, he shits himself. The derby game was a carbon copy of yesterday.

Of course, it's OK to want for more but I, for one, will consider RM as doing a good job if he gets us back to 'Moyes Level'.

Given the amount of financial backing Martinez has had, we should be far more ambitious than to get to "Moyes" level and I for one will only be happy when we get into the top 4 on a regular basis.

I honestly cannot see this happening under Martinez because of the manager's tactical limitations and philosophy on fitness.

Maybe, just maybe, RM will surprise us!

Everton Aspirations 2016 - CL football
United Aspirations 2016 - Title winners.

Let there be no doubt that a CL place is the highest we can aim for, or should be aiming for, but what the performances against Liverpool and Manchester United have showed us, is that even European football could be out of our reach – unless we happen to lift the FA or League Cup.

That is not what I expected this season, because we at least on paper have a decent squad of players and some would argue the best squad of players Everton have had since the Premier League began.

The problem is, we don't seem to be able to mould a team of eleven players out of that squad, that can perform consistently well; we can't even seem to find a pattern of play that is recognisable from one game to the next. I don't know what RM thinks but it frustrates the life out of me, and possibly the manager should take responsibility for some of that with his own search for the best fit and finding the players to fit that pattern.

If someone who hadn't seen us play, were to ask me what style do Everton play, I would struggle to answer; sometimes it's passing for passing's sake; sometimes it's a big lump up to an isolated forward; and generally it's becoming bogged down in a forest of defenders with experienced players looking lost and confused on too many occasions.

Yesterday was the first time we have been punished this season, for the way we play, but it wasn't the first time we have played that way, and unfortunately I suspect it won't be the last time either. Over to you, Roberto, it's time to find a solution to Everton's identity crisis.

Our financial limitations are irrelevant unless we are achieving the best with what we've got. If our coach is innovative with a discernible plan, if there is urgency and belief about our play, then, we can lament our financial situation. In my view, what we have is a coach intent on safety. A coach with the ulimate brief to retain our status.

United were at their best yesterday, we were nowhere near it. We cannot be on top form every game but there should never be any drop in attitude and effort. There seems to me to be a lack of motivation and that is unacceptable. We now fail to turn up too often.

As for the hand gesture towards the skies, he's been doing that since his nan died and not for any other "holy trinity".

Have to agree with Tony Marsh, regarding our manager. Tactics, and formations have got to change quickly; why don't we go for it anymore?

Why have wingers if you don't want to play them? And why isolate your centre-forward if you are going to keep playing it long?

You have got the players, Roberto, so it's time you got them playing. Otherwise, it's no use you remaining in charge.

Happy to give RM to Xmas but if he cannot get us playing with more spirit, togetherness and dynamism then I'd be quite up for discussing some new candidates.

We have no European football, whereas the Red Shite and Spurs do and like Sam says, we have a strong team with a lot of talent, so anything less than top 6 is a failure for Martinez this season. I'd also love us to win a trophy, the League Cup being our best chance, so I will be extremely disappointed if we bottle it against Norwich next week.

Top 6 minimum. Anything below is a failure and a sign that Martinez isn't taking us any further forward than Moyes. 

Lennon has never convinced in the big games, and anyone else from Gerry, Kone, or Mirallas had to be a better option. Lennon offers endeavour, but his final ball is poor and you can see why Spurs were happy to let him go.

Naismith is a willing runner who deserved his chance after that hat-trick, but he has been poor in games since. Martinez got this one wrong for me by playing it too conservative – again. Both would have been hooked at half-time by me, as the second half wasn't much better than the first. The only highlight being that the United Number 1 is a keeper of top class. Little to do, but keeps them out when it matters.

Individual errors cost us again, which followed a lot of last season. Howard beaten very easily for the third, following Jags giving the ball away. Failure to clear the lines for the first, whilst the second was caused by Stones covering a clearly under pressure/not fully fit Coleman – with Galloway failing to offer the cover.

Another big concern was Ross. He's a tank of a player, but is so reluctant to get stuck in, it is costing us a lot of goals. He's a special player, but we can't carry him with his refusal to engage on anything physical – be it attacking crosses, or giving Naismith a hand for the first, ditto WBA. Keeping him away from our penalty box seems the only option.

To answer your question over Barkley.

Yes mate you are entitled to expect more. He's got the skills has Ross but I just feel he has too many matches on the peripheral.

I said earlier in this thread that the goals Wijnaldum scored today are the type I would love to see Barkley get more of, or at least get in the positions to score... but he never does. He had the chance yesterday at 0-2 early in the second half to go in with his head but he just doesn't seem to enjoy the physical side enough. He goes in to every challenge both in the air and on the ground at only 10 percent in my opinion.

Don't get me wrong here, he'll score some gorgeous strikes all the way but for me there's so much more that we could get from this guy if only he had a tad more aggression and fire in his belly, much in the Tim Cahill mould.

I know you don't like Mirallas but haven't you twisted some of your facts? Mirallas said once he wanted to play CL football in the future. How is that frequently? He signed a new contract and said he was happy.

Also, if your are right that he has said he wants to leave frequently, why are you not slagging off Naismith, who said he might have to leave to keep his place for the Scotland team?. Same for Stones who actually put in a transfer request? Just curious why Martinez should be rightfully upset at Mirallas but not bench the other two also?

True, Eddie. Barkley, one of my favourite players, is slowly starting to get on my nerves. Too many times he brings everything to a dead stop by hovering and trying to dribble instead of moving things quickly.

Usually I'm quite happy with our security force of Barry and McCarthy but Schweinsteiger and Schneiderlin made them look stagnant and out of date. Schweinsteiger especially impressed. His number 31 seemed to be everywhere. Heading, tackling, creative passing, leadership. The type of player we are missing.

Finally, as pointed out by Eugene. We have no pattern of play. Never mind a Plan B. Where's the Plan A? Passing the ball endlessly across the back as if to say, "What do we do next?"

Arsenal on the horizon and they'll hit us for six if we give them the ball. We can also hit them if we close down quick and go full blast. Scoring the first goal will be vital.

I didn't see the game but it sounds like we weren't prepared properly. Standards have to be set higher if we are to go anywhere.

Barry and McCarthy have faded from the force they were during Martinez's first season here, they are no longer good at protecting the defence nor controlling matches like they did two years ago.

In front of them it's a toss up between Naismith or Barkley as to who plays behind Lukaku but yet again, neither of these two offer enough in the way of creation, or consistently getting close to the striker. If you asked me, I'd say Naismith is the better goal getter; even though Barkley is smoother, he doesn't do enough to regularly hurt opponents in various ways.

The wide players can only be of use if they are crossing the ball to some blue shirts in the box, if there's nobody willing to commit then it's pointless having wide players putting crosses over anyway!

All-in-all, we look like a team that will frequently frustrate this season due to an overall lack of cohesion going forward coupled with a disjointed lack of unity and leadership when defending as a team.

Everton looked off right from the start and some sloppy passing by Barkley seemed to be indicative of what was to come. Everton do not pass the ball well and will be vulnerable in the next game against the resurgent Gunners so Martinez needs to change things fast if they want something out of that game.

This spell of games against Liverpool, Man Utd and Arsenal was always going to be a big test and so far, with two of them home games, they have been a big disappointment.

One hopes the Man Utd game was a blip but winning at Goodison seems to be a big problem these days.

Where were the goals supposed to come from? I did not want Lennon to return and his display on Saturday showed how poor he is against any half-decent opposition. He's never had any end product and his best days in an Everton shirt are already behind him; waste of money.

I didn't really care about the match on Saturday that much anyway; I was just so sad that HK had gone. Back in the mix next week please, COYB!

I share your opinion of Martinez, I rate him as an incompetent chancer but live in hope of him showing me up which, every now and again, happens, such as Chelsea and Southampton.

I agree completely that his selection and tactics against United were incompetent and naive. As you say, Lennon and Naismith have no place in a team to compete against United and I believe that we will always be limited as long as we play the two we do in defensive midfield. One is a great player but tragically too slow and one has energy and little else and that isn't enough to get into a Champions League position.

Arsenal have a great midfield/defence and are held back by not having a world class striker who could see them win the Champions League. I cannot understand why they don't test us with a bid for Lukaku but my bet is that one will come soon.

I see Man Utd as possibly slightly better than you do. Even allowing for the Arsenal result, they are improving and are only a defender and a good striker away from being a top side again. Their midfield on Saturday was very good; Smalling has become a very good player and it may be that a resurgent Jones will be the defender that they need whereas Danny Blind will never be. On another day, we would have been closer and we may do better than them at Arsenal (whilst going down).

I despair after Saturday as my hometown, Northwich, is almost South Manchester now and Man United territory. Our result against them is more important for me than against Liverpool. That performance on Saturday was not good enough, even allowing for the 𧵎 million-a-year gap in spending power, they humiliated us.

We lacked the creativity to break them down in the first half and the task in the second half was too big. In retrospect, starting Naismith and Lennon was a mistake as it gave us little flexibility.

I think Kone was a better option (than either one) as he can provide more attacking options while still helping out defensively. Later on, we can bring on Deulofeu (Mirallas in the future).

The way we blatantly refuse to commit men into the penalty area means our style just doesn't help wingers anyway, so you cross the ball well, well who's on the end of them?

We generally have Lukaku and maybe if we are lucky one other, either Kone or Naismith in there, but you always have Barkley 20-25 yards too far out and, well, McCarthy and Barry barely see past the halfway line.

I'd told him to watch Naismith's constant movement (he wanted a Naismith shirt after the Chelsea hat-trick) but unfortunately it wasn't one of Steven's better days. Or Barkley's. Or Barry's. And so on. Kind of gutting really!

And next time we'll do the family enclosure — I'll say no more except 99.99% of the crowd didn't freak my son out the way one particular dickhead did.

My lads are older now and on a different issue I was disappointed at paying out 䀊 for me and one of them to watch that dire display.

Players gave their all for their countries, but forget about playing one of the most important games of the season against United. And this was not the first time this has happened when players came back to Goodison from playing for their countries, but forget how important the next Premier League match is.

And the results always prove that players were not at their best. Martinez has to speak to these players, especially, to McCarthy, Coleman, Gibson and Besic, who will be shortly playing in two legged play-offs for a place in next year's European finals.

I was doubly disappointed as I thought the sad news about Kendall might have inspired the players to put in a performance to remember.

At no time was I thinking "this United side are pretty tasty" either. We were just so flat, and made silly errors.

I think the relationship between Martinez and Mirallas has gone. On that basis I don't think he has a future with us. So I'd rather the budget went on someone who has one.

Like Deufelou, Mirallas gets more popular on here when he doesn't play. When he does, we remember why he frustrates us.

I see they didn't have a go at Deulofeu who came on and did the vanishing trick.