People In Glass Houses Shouldn’t Boo Stones

[ijjysmith]

@chicoazul raises the key point in that.

The keeper should be taking control in that sort of situation. But of course he didn't. So Stones had to perform miracles to get out of the position. It could have gone tits up, but it didn't.

 

[Groucho]

Good words @chicoazul

The frustration for me is the loss of momentum since the Villa and Sunderland games.

Could've kicked on but confidence has drained since Bournemouth scored their first. Like when Arsenal equalised at Goodison last year.

 

[mark warner]

That's 2 articles that I wholeheartedly agree with in the last 48 hours (the other being ijjysmith's for the city game preview).

I thought the Stones "incident" was all about the way he is really, a unbelievably confident young man. I think if we were flying with the wins we should have had then the "incident" wouldn't have caused a ripple, or at least not a negative ripple. Everyone would be crowing about how ace he is, instead the Park End were, probably, understandably, expecting a feck up, another late goal and more dropped points. His reaction was telling, calm down, but probably calm down, because the more we get anxious as a crowd the more it will transfer onto the pitch, after all they are human beings, albeit very rich ones.

On another point I thought this was the first game in a while that Martinez deserves some credit, his substitutions worked. It's been a while since I could say that, maybe as long ago as his first season in charge. I think he is a decent manager, he is not the uber failure that some would have us believe but he's not the messiah that we probably all thought he was after his first season.

As the article says, February is pivotal for us Blues, but for Martinez in particular. If it's a good one he gets some of the goodwill back if not it's fume time for that Wigan failure/fraud/beaut etc etc etc.

COYB

 

[Pabbers]

Meh, all well and good. Can you do a nice one for the 3 goals he was at fault for, against Stoke.................

 

[oldblue]

Tar Dougie. I aim to say much without saying too much at all really. That sort of not arsed middle ground is where a lot of Evertonians dwell. Catch that wave.

Really good article on loads points. Imagining what could have happened and constantly trying to work out will what happen is the exact opposite of what football is to me. It's a cliché to say it's escapism but I do worry about fans who are doing too much stuff on computers where if they do a then b will happen. Maybe they think they have nothing to escape from but if you can't lose yourself a little in what's going on at the moment then you never will.
The not arsed middle ground is fine. You can see the grey areas and still have total passion for the team. Just booing your own personal scapegoat because you think we should be in Europe every year is definitely not passion. Most supporters follow clubs knowing they are never going to even see their favourites play in Europe. Try telling the Dagenham fans next week that unless they're angry they don't care. And I've just really had thirty odd years too many of fans who only see black and white, and wait for that one time in ten to say 'told you so".
As for John Stones, again the truth is in the grey areas, and I think he is buying into his own hype a bit. No blame for him as it seems natural for the headlines to go to a young player's head even a really well balanced one. But that's the one moan I'm going to allow myself. Where's the man manager on the pitch who will tell him to stop reading the papers and just play and those being booed for no reason to show those fans what they can do. Besic? Probably not but whoever it is we could do with them.

 

[anton66]

Most fans think he will be gone sooner rather than later so although he has the potential to be a great defender he hasn't been yet.

 

[Eggs]

...I don't think anybody minds Stones doing Cruyf turns and demonstrating his class but that particular incident was bordering on being reckless. My concern is his apparent loss of interest and lapse of concentration in some games this season. I love the fella but there was no sense in what he did on Sunday.

 

[Blue Cheese]

Ok who has hacked Chico's account. I never read 'yer mar' or 'wool' once.