From My Seat: Swansea (H)

'Howard started to come, stopped (that was fatal) then came again a touch too late and he met Ayew and sort of kicked him up in the air and our ref. Mr Taylor did not hesitate to point to the spot'

I love the 'sort of' and 'our ref' in this. This is writing 'for the masses' at its best. We are so lucky. The description of the incident is modestly perfect; the 'that was fatal' is therefore like an exocet hitting home.

These reports need to be archived.

On yesterday's performance, it was as bad as it gets. Howard is just like Distin last year, just one year to many and the central defence is Jags plus one.

Besic and Mirallas were big losses yesterday and will be missed on Wednesday.

We can't make top 4, we are very unlikely to make a top 7 spot so Wednesday is a massive game.

If we lose on Wednesday and someone comes in with £50 million for Stones before next Monday, let him go! Give the manager until the end of the season to turn things around and if he fails then he should pay the price. However, I have major preference for a new owner to select his replacement if it comes to it. The banner at Southampton got it right "Bill & Co it's time to go".

One of the most disheartening performances I have seen in a long, long time – the players need a rocket up them. There was such little energy shown by the team and I think you've got it spot on where the players believe the hype around them. They will never be top drawer without busting a gut every week a la (dare I say it) Suarez and other top class players who run themselves silly every match.

Now dreading Wednesday...

Thanks for mentioning the young boy George, at least he can take some moments from this game, a lovely couple of minutes for us fans to remember as well. The game will be quickly forgotten except for the anger it generated..., is this the middle part of the end of Martinez's time at Goodison?

We really have learned nothing from last season, nothing from this season and he's unlikely to ever change. The same problems that started showing in the latter part of his first season continued into last and have fostered into this, with the attack being better the time around, largely though down to the form of Lukaku and Deulofeu.

Once Lukaku hits a barren spell or Gerry pulls up with the classic trademark Everton Hamstring Club, that's probably when goals will start drying up.

Once we go out on Wednesday night, it's season over, apart from trying to get 40 points before the end of March to stave off any late relegation worry.

Another season like last, stick with this management it will be another summer like last, nothing worked on, nothing learned, just more of the same, minus the 15-20 goals that Lukaku gave us this season.

I also think its time we stopped giving Stones the benefit of the doubt; he is costing us games. I really hope he matures and becomes the Beckenbauer he thinks he is. I think we should cash in.

It is no secret that Swansea central defenders took Lukaku out of the game, as they did against Watford. So give me some boring central defenders who just clear it instead of cocking it up in our box.

Was yesterday a showcase to sell our players? Why Play Oviedo out of position? Did our super tactical Manager really believe we were just going to roll them over with the power of our forwards? Lukaku needs to learn how to hold a ball up.

I have mixed feelings for Wednesday night. I really think we are closer to the relegation fight than we thought around Christmas. Draws are not enough!!!

In fact the 2007-08 team of Arteta, Cahill and the younger Osman, Pienaar and Howard were much superior. They played as a team making their ability count during the crucial moments of games. It is hardly a coincidence that Lukaku has lost form since Kone was dropped. Romelu needs to stop putting his head in his hands when he misses chances and concentrate on putting his head, or any legitimate part of his anatomy, on the end of crosses.

The lack of collective effort and focus yesterday was quite alarming as was the way two players pulled up with injuries in the first half hour. Bearing in mind they had a full week plus one day to prepare for this game raises serious questions about what they have been doing, or not doing, at Finch Farm.

Wednesday's second leg is now an opportunity for the players to redeem themselves. The atmosphere will be better and whoever is playing I expect they will put in a shift for the 7,292 travelling supporters. Whether or not that will be enough we can only wait and see.

He had decided before the game that Coleman would play 30 minutes in preparation for the City game on Wednesday. Despite the fact we had already used two substitutes, being 2-1 down and having attacking alternatives on the bench he replaced his right back anyway.

He is a classic example of a big picture thinker who doesn't grasp the detail, doesn't want to get his hands dirty in the messy stuff. Ultimately this is why he is doomed to fail.

Brilliant Ken. Good job we have you to put a little sunshine in our lives.

Hopefully we can get a draw on Wednesday, but either way, Martinez has to go.

He is incapable of turning round poor form, this is the second winter on the trot. And worst of all are his excuses, And I expect he is very much the same in training and in his mind,

He will not accept criticism, ergo, he will not change.

We need a new manager, simple as. An interim manager for the short term, maybe from with but personally I'd like we go for experience.

Lukaku plays when Lukaku wants to play, its as simple as that. His performance yesterday was a disgrace. 4 or 5 times, Deulofeu put in world class crosses which split the defence and the keeper and zipped across the 6-yard box.... what was Rom doing? Looking like he was running in quick sand by the penalty spot. It was as deceitful a performance I have seen. At a time when the fans needed a player who can make a difference to put in a shift, he just downed tools.

Alan Shearer would have scored 4 or 5 goals for us yesterday – we can look to blame Martinez as much as we want but frankly we were gutless up front and between Stones and Lukaku, I do not think I have seen two young players whose egos have gotten so out of control. If they don't want to play for us, then they can go.

Peter, re Lukaku, he has not looked good the last 3 games with yesterday's showing his poorest for some time. However, the previous 10 to 15 games he has been excellent... so it's harsh to slag him off too much at this time.

That is not the point I'm making. It is irrelevant what Coleman did. What I am saying is that he went in to the game with a plan to give Coleman a run out and did so regardless of the match situation.

That's how he does things.

If you have an inconsistent manager, you will surely have an inconsistent team. Will he ever get rid of his contradictions??

For me I'm at the stage where I actually think that Martinez may have to go, pride before a fall and all that. He is too reluctant to address the errors of his ways – I don't doubt that he sees them, he is pig headed like Moyes was.

Pity, the bloke could be a great manager, but for me he lacks humility and allows his pride to get the better of his judgement,

Also, Lukaku knows he is going to play every game, no matter how much rest he needs. I imagine he's thinking of 'where next', and why wouldn't he? There is no reason he should be 'loyal' to us. He's Belgian – zero connection to the club, widely regarded as one of the best striking talents around, and languishing in mid-table... heading downwards. I very much imagine he's not too eager to injure himself.

Not that I defend that, but this is what happens with the best players. Their motivation isn't fan's praise and worship; their motivation is silverware and challenging at the top. The reason we are not challenging at the top is not Lukaku's fault, he has 15 goals in 19 games. We are not at the top because of one man: that is Martinez.

Lukaku will likely end the season with 25 goals, this will be enough for him on a personal level to make a move to PSG, Man Utd or Bayern this summer.

Martinez, on the other hand, is destined to work for Sky or BBC.

Our best players were Barry (as always), Deulofeu (on another day he would have had 3 assists for his crosses) and Pienaar (very pleasing performance, showing he has something still to offer).

I thought Deulofeu was poor for long periods but those four crosses really made up for it.

Lukaku has been lazy since he joined, he doesn't close down anyone, but the entire team doesn't close down, we don't really press – even outside our own box.

Come off it. No end product yet again. He's a show pony. Can anyone every remember him completely bossing a game/running the show, whatever you call it?

Could you run a tutorial for our manager? He speaks volumes, but conveys little of practical use. His latest outburst says the team are frightened of playing at Goodison. The guy will say any old nonsense to try to disguise the fact that the team HE COACHES make schoolboy errors. It's not Goodison's fault, not your fault Ken, maybe it's all my fault?

When I watch naturally gifted players looking ponderous on the ball (Barkley and Stones as obvious examples) then I tend to conclude they are being asked to play in a style which is alien to their natural inclinations. Yeah, must be Goodison's fault.

He's a regular in Everton's team and also in the England line up and highly rated by anyone in the country who knows anything about football.

Sorry, but that is simply not acceptable in an Everton shirt.

The reason may be that he knows he will never be given a rest as there is nobody else who can play his position (which is an utterly ridiculous situation in itself), so he feels he needs to conserve energy... but that is taking "lazy fucker" to a whole new level!

I appreciate people are pissed off, Peter Roberts has lots of form slagging off Lukaku and obviously has had not much chance recently so he is filling his boots.

I was tild when suggesting people were wrong about Lukaku that to expect when he has a bad game to get some back. Good insight but I will say what I said at the time. The lad is a top quality striker, calling him lazy ( and I don't hear any other single player accused of the same) is bollocks especially considering he has played every single minute of every single league game and every Capital Cup game.

The fundamental issue to our current results is the manager and the manager alone. No system,no willingness to take tough decisions, no shape, no flexibity ...... no fucking clue.