Martinez hints at January exits

Although we could do with more strength in depth, so if we get some quality players in who can put more pressure on the regulars then I'm in.

Why in the hell can we not start with Mirallas on the left and Deulofeu on the right? God forbid we have two wide players on the pitch at one time.

A really big squad, good God.

An admission that we won't be in Europe next season by any route so we can divest now? Or maybe unloading a few for 6 months at least saves on the wage bill, and then re-invest once we know we're in Europe again?

That's not too negative, Gary, is it?!

Osman
Gibson
McGeady
Naismith
Hibbert

So, even if Mirallas stays, the squad is not overly large; perhaps it'll look like the midfield is still a little bloated, but bear in mind, Barry can perhaps go on for another season and a half after this.

So, if we release Gibson and Osman, then we only really have Barry, McCarthy, Besic and Cleverley in midfield.

Kone will be a squad player, which means that we are light in attack. I would have liked to see Naismith given a crack of the whip for the next half a season there, instead of Kone. Or in this case, even Mirallas himself, as he has played up front before.

He didn't say we wouldn't qualify for Europe. He said that the squad is very big as we had assembled a squad for last year's European adventure.

I'd say he's happy for everyone to stay for next year's Europa League but with the Euros coming up, it's unlikely that players will want to stay.

Have we heard any other club say their squad is too big.

Suggests to me that he has been told from upstairs that the promise to get us CL or even Europe is unlikely to happen so start unloading now.

I suppose Gibson, McGeady and Mirallas... Lennon?

So, Naismith, Gibson and McGeady then?

I would suggest we got rid of Howard, Hibbert, Pienaar, Gibson, McGeady and Naismith and sign 3/4 top players in their place. My choices would be a new GK, a CB, a LW and a back up striker.

Easier said than done I realise but we surely have plenty of cash left from last summer (that we didn't spend) and plenty more to come so why not aim high? It's the only way to push this club forward.

Ideal players would be Marshall or Karius in goal, Williams for CB, Bolasie or Yarmolenko for LW and Austin or Dembele as back up forward.

The squad may be large on paper, but in terms of fit and able staff, it is a little short.

Hibbo, Ossie, Pienaar are near the end.
Oviedo, Gibson. often injured.
McGeady, not even considered.
Then we have Barry, Kone, Jagielka, all over 30.
Browning, McCarthy, injured.
Others out on loan.
It doesn't leave an awful lot!

Say weekly earnings-wise (just a guess): Osman £40k, Oviedo £30k, Gibson £30k, Pienaar £50k, Miallas £50k, Naismith £40k, Hibbert £25k.

That leaves £265k/week freed up on the wage bill. With the TV deal next season will leave us plenty of room to manoeuvre in the summer should the squad require an overhaul.

Cheer up mate if this is the first time you feel like this before a ball is kicked you are really lucky or very young. I've supported the blues since 1960 so unfortunately I've had the dreaded feeling before a ball is kicked soooooooooo many times before.

But I'm still a blue and unlike one of our former players I'll always be a blue whatever happens but please God let us get to the final somehow.

So who are these squad players that need to move to enable them to get more game time to be able to feature for their respective countries in the Euro's? McGeady or Gibson possibly but neither are a shoe in for RofI. Certainly not Mirallas as he barely gets much game time for Belgium anyway even when he's played most games in previous seasons.

Roberto stop talking shite and concentrate on getting the balance right with the team selections and winning some games!

I doubt we see a lot spent for players coming in this month.

Does anyone know the last time EFC spent big during the January transfer window?

Can't knock him for that.

I hope this does happen. He would be a great acquisition, and who knows, maybe a future Everton manager, who would actually care about the club.

But Kone, Gibson, McGeady and Pienaar should perhaps be offered elsewhere.

As for the big squad, what happens to our goals if Rom is injured. I dread to think unless of course we are rich in strikers that no one knows about.

And now for a bit of positivity to close. Could Martinez include himself in any clear out?

Yet we are an injury to Lukaku away from crisis.

4 Right wingers
0 left wingers

'A very very unbalanced squad' - I think rings truer.

Even with the so called large squad, we have areas which we are really weak. We really don't have a backup for Coleman. We actually do not have a left winger/attacker. Mirallas, Kone and Pienaar all have played there, but are not a left footed player.

Lastly and probably most importantly is a backup striker for Lukaku. Kone and Naismith would be the two that would probably play in that role, but they aren't up for the job if we want to make a decent run of things. So for his statement on being a large squad, its just more mindless babbling from a delusional clueless man.

£57 million maybe!

In midfield we have Lennon, Deulofeu, McGeady, Osman, Gibson, Pienaar, Oviedo, Cleverley, Barry, Besic, McCarthy, Mirallas, Barkley, Ledson & McAleny. That's 15 players competing for maybe 5 places, which is crazily top heavy.

If you look at the difference in Martinez's first successful season and the very frustrating last 18 months, what stands out is that Pienaar and Osman have hardly played since that first season.

It's players like that with quick feet and who keep the ball and draw fouls that we need.

I just watched Stoke's awful display against the RS, who, by the end, had lost 3 players to hammy problems! The Evertonian from Wallasey had a great chance at the death to equalise, and he flippin' missed!

I was almost as gutted as watching us screw-up the big games, as I could stomach Stoke beating us at Wembley,
but not that shower of shite!

We need a keeper, a #10, a left wing and a backup striker( if Rom goes down, we're screwed). The right players in could make a difference.

That is stoopid.

It's really not large by the standards of teams regularly looking to get into a top four place. It's simply that yes we can let some actually not bad players leave but not without replacing them in a way that improves our ability to cope with injuries and suspensions and loss of form. I'd accept a degree of gamble on younger, even lower league players who are still surprisingly pricey. But if anyone thinks that letting Naismith leave, even for £8m, without replacing him makes sense...well I'm at a loss to understand the thinking. If Rom is unavailable for any length of time we are royally screwed. Kone as our only recognized forward ??? Gerri can in part be covered by Mirallas but the latter should be wide left in the same 11, not bench warming because Marrinez is so blinkered about Kone. Gibson is a prat who at some clubs would have been sacked by now but I honestly think that he has quality tho I guess we do have four decent players when fit for the two defensive midfielder roles the manager insists on playing every game.

I can see that there is cover at left back, less sure about the right tho and as we have seen we are short an experienced Centre Back to help these younger less experienced players stop shipping goals at a rate of knots. And don't get me started again on the bloody goal keeper position !!

So basically it's top four or bust says the mgr if we are to keep at least two of those four superstars. He almost seems to be preparing the ground doesn't he.....we resisted last window....blah blah phenomenal.....but get ready for some serious selling if we don't make top four. He may well be right about this in terms of how those players might respond but given he's responsible for us not competing for top four at present its hard to hear him utter such crap.

In the short term I really think we can overcome City and if we get a couple of key players back like Jags we can reduce the goals conceded and pray for Rom's good health. So maybe Bobby can make fools of some like me and suddenly put together a top four challenge ? I'd be delighted to look very stupid if that happens. But if Martinez really thinks we don't need a couple of additions right now he cannot be remotely serious.

The perverse thing about RM's comments is that if football decided the team selection then the only players who should have played consistently this season are Lukaku, Delboy and... *gulp* Barry.

The other twisted part is Kone is probably getting the nod over Kev due to his willingness to get back and defend (he's better at defending than he is at attacking, anyway) but it is our defense that is the most rubbish.

There is simply no point having McGeady, Gibson, Ossie or Hibbert in the squad if he does not plan to play them. For Oviedo and Pienaar, I think he wants to give them games but knows he has to manage them very carefully.

The more nonsense this man spouts, the more it makes my blood boil.

Mirallas of course is a case in point, he can turn a potential lost cause into a game winner with his eye for an opening, Naismith with his strength enthusiasm and work rate can cause chaos in opposing defences, Why Martinez refuses to employ two of the most talented wing players at the same time in Miralles Lennon and Delboy to provide Lukaku with the crosses he can feed on is a complete mystery,I wouldn't dismiss Kone completely as he does have his moments and it's all been said about Howard.

So much so that I dropped him afterwards and brought back the hapless Kone!

Moyes was good at this and, to be fair, RM has been too to an extent.

Felliani - McCarthy
Anichebe/Jelavic - Lukaku
Distin - Mori

If Naismith does leave we need to replace him with a better quality player.

There are players who can be shipped out without needing to be replaced: McGeady, Osman and Gibson.

Then for the team's evolution we need to replace the following with 'next-level' players: Howard, Kone and Jags. I think you replace these three players with higher quality players and we could be aiming very high....

Like everyone else, I am a bit tired of the spin put on everything. The government should getting Bobby as spokesperson for the floods. Sure he would put a great positive spin on it. "It has provided a wonderful chance for the community to work together, which we would have had if we hadn't seen the floods."