Roberto Martinez discussion

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

There's also Villa winning in 94 and 96, Leicester in 97 and again in 2000 (Beating Aldo's Tranmere)

Heck, go back to 78 with Clough's Forest sticking it to Liverpool

There's also our finals from 77 and 84

Again, these are all off the top of my head

Still, it's an "unimportant" trophy

 

[Bluebonic]

I agree that a cup counts, any player would love to win a trophy at Wembley, and a cup win is often the springboard to improvement and success, as our own history demonstrates. I do not agree that a cup win would keep the likes of Lukaku or Stone with is though! I think Lukaku has made it clear he wants Europe and by that i think we all know he means the Champions league. We will not qualify for that the way we are defending! I think Stones will go simply because he would be a fool not to if Barca or Real coem knocking! That leaves us Barkley and Deulofeu! I think Del would jump ship if Rom and Stonesy left and i think Barkley would then leave rather than become the ultimate whipping boy for the disgruntled fans!

 

[Allezfan]

We win the league cup this is our best season since 1995.

Hell, we could win the double this year.

I don't think we're good enough to on current form but the idea that this season can't be recovered by cup wins is stupid.

 

[matty1878]

There's so many fans now wanting him out.

 

[bluestevon]

2015 was Chelsea
2014 was Man City
2013 was Swansea
2012 was Liverpool
2011 was Birmingham
2010 was Man United

That's literally off the top of my head. I watched every single one of those finals as well

Mikey its a boss day out with blues, a decent memory but it does nothing long term for the club, league positions is what todays game is all about you start finishing constantly mid table or bottom half after years of top 8 finishes then it resonates more with players, agents, the media and in revenue, thats just the way it is

Why cant we win a cup AND finish where this squad should be capable of doing? why does it have to be with the caveat of if we win a cup we will let the team slide on a second massively under performing season in a row?

Decline happens faster than you realise

 

[WA Toffee]

who was the last team to be top at the start of February to not qualify for the CL mate?

You say lots of team so will wait for the list to be put up

No, what I said was top 4. You made up the part about top.
Remember 2 years ago we were top 4 as late as April. Still couldnt hold on

 

[Foot Long Hot Dog]

Not break the glass ceiling. So not qualify for europe through the league.

This isn't a southampton or a west brom who were 4th in november, this is a team 3 points clear in 1st in feb.

They will defo do what we've done only once in 6 years and qualify for europe, they'll probably also do what we've doen only once in 25 years and qualify for the cl.

The idea that they don't prove that the opportunity was there for us is stupid. Chelsea are 14th you know, the opportuntiy was clearly there and we missed it.

Spot on.

The league has been more even this year, as the traditional top clubs have been inconsistent and invested in a lot of mediocre players in the last window or 2.

The extra TV revenue has been better spent by the chasing pack, and therefore the playing field has leveled.

We've massively under performed with the squad that we have and the art of the possible has been amply demonstrated by Leicester.

 

[chazzle_dazzle]

We win the league cup this is our best season since 1995.

Hell, we could win the double this year.

I don't think we're good enough to on current form but the idea that this season can't be recovered by cup wins is stupid.

Best season in terms of silverware. yes.

However, if we did win it - and there is another 2 games left to lift up the cup, it would only paper over what is a fundamental problem in the team, sorry, management of the team.

If you aren't smart enough to fix your inadequacies as a manager in 9 years, then you never will - and i think we all can safely say Martinez isn't in a rush to fix the issues.

But it will be "phenomenal" to win the cup - we need silverware, but its a plaster over the main issues.

 

[Big Fat Sam]

His management and results over the past 18 months has been horrific and, at most other clubs, he'd have been booted out months ago.

Get rid of the fraud. He'll take us down.

 

[WA Toffee]

you do realise their great form isn't from August don't you? this is a continuation from approximately February / March last season.

No, wouldn't have a clue how they finished last season. That certainly makes it more impressive. They are certainly in great form, whether it has been 6 months or 12, and I really wish we were performing to that level.

Remember in the Moyes years though, how often we finished second or third in a "calendar year season". Ultimately we didn't achieve anything though. I believe Leicester will achieve the same

 

[Woolverhampton_Blue]

Why until the end of the season?

People said the same thing last season. It hasn't gotten better. 18 wins in 61 games.

We aren't in danger of relegation so no need for an immediate change. Better choice of candidates in the summer so waiting would be wise. Also gives the club time to draft a potential shortlist before he departs.

IMO he should be sat down and told in no uncertain terms that the situation is not good enough and that he has until the end of the season to rectify it and save his job. Minimum finish of 7th place. If he wins the league cup then top ten would be just about acceptable. Anything less and you're gone.

 

[bluestevon]

No, what I said was top 4. You made up the part about top.
Remember 2 years ago we were top 4 as late as April. Still couldnt hold on

You actually used Leicester as an example of how top 4 teams can fall away, they aren't sitting in 4th mate they are top, so go on what team top at this point has fallen away, if your using it as an example of what will happen you need to be honest

 

[Khalekan]

who was the last team to be top at the start of February to not qualify for the CL mate?

You say lots of team so will wait for the list to be put up

I would take a guess and say with some certainty no team in the era of top four qualifying.

And I would bet a sporting quid it never happened when only two teams went into the CL either.

 

[Lee Smith]

Id be delighted if it happened but at same time id swap it in a second for a top 4 finish.

No one ever remembers who wins the league cup, i literally can't remember who won it last year or the year before that or... well pretty much ever, it's a jarg competition at the end of the day and us being close to the final doesn't suddenly change this fact.

Logically you would think winning a cup would help give this squad a winning mentality but at same time i think certain players would use it as an excuse to have the 'perfect ending' to their time at Everton, aka Stones and Rom.

Better tell them 8000+ Blues travelling to Manchester on Wednesday not to bother then hey

 

[bluestevon]

I would take a guess and say with some certainty no team in the era of top four qualifying.

And I would bet a sporting quid it ever happened when only two teams went into the CL either.

Exactly mate, anyone who is still thinking what Leicester have done this season hasn't blown a lot of myths up and shown up a huge amount of other teams is living in cloud cuckoo land, as are those who keep stating that they are due to crash any time now - same people have been saying it for two months with no sign of it happening like