I don't post on here much and I've been saving up so this is going to be a long post which most of you won't read.
I started supporting Everton in 1996. In hindsight, it was a terrible time to become an Evertonian - our glory days behind us and nothing but years and years of relegation-fighting drudgery on the horizon. In my 20 years as an Everton fan, I've never been as optimistic for the future as I am now.
Here are my reasons:
1) The truth about Roberto Martinez (so far) is that his Everton teams produce inconsistent results. With a few notable exceptions, the performances have been consistently good, the results, however, have not reflected that. We have lost many games this season after absolutely dominating the opposition and then throwing the game away/losing to a bad refereeing decision etc. I believe that in the medium-term, a young team which produces good performances will start to mature and convert them into good results.
2) I don't think Moyes' league finishes should be compared directly with Martinez because they had different jobs and different upsides. Moyes' job was to stabilise the club and produce consistent results on a small budget. He did that: he produced average results using nondescript, boring tactics and did it consistently. Under Moyes we were consistently mediocre and you knew we were never going to progress beyond the 7th place trophy.
RM's job is to rebuild the squad and produce a team capable of going beyond anything Moyes ever achieved. RM has had to phase out ageing Moyes workhorse-type players who could be relied on to consistently produce 6 out of 10 performances every week. He has replaced them with young players who have been given responsibilities and roles to grow into. Ross Barkley and John Stones are prime examples of players with massive roles in the team whose youth-induced inconsistency has sometimes affected team performances and results.
Overall, my view of RM's rebuilding job is that he is doing exceptionally well. Our squad value has increased massively, our average age, particularly of key players, has been reduced and the type of football we play is a pleasure to watch. This has been reflected in ever-growing attendances, which is staggering when you take into account disappointing results at home.
3) With the exception of Arouna Kone, RM's transfer activity has been spectacularly good so far. He brought it several expensive young players (Lukaku, McCarthy, Funes Mori) who have been worth every penny and augmented those signings with several low-cost gems like Barry, Lennon, Gerry etc. Alcaraz and McGeady were notable "misses" but cost very little and are merely the exception that proves the rule.
He is well-placed to make further key additions to the squad in the summer to address problem areas (GK, LW).
4) For the first time in my lifetime, we have the prospect of the Everton manager having significant funds to spend. Given RM's astute transfer policy so far, I believe the future is very bright.
5) I fully understand the disappointment with our home form. In many ways, the disappointment is greater because the quality of our football has been so good and the defeats have come through throwing away leads rather than simply being outplayed by better teams. I see these results as growing pains and believe RM will turn it around.
6) Even if I am wrong, given that RM doesn't waste money, even if he were to be sacked, we would be left with a very strong squad that the next manager can progress with. It's win-win for the club.
