Roberto Martinez discussion

[riddick]

The thing is, if one of Stones or Lukaku leave, it'll be a new excuse 'adjustment period.... critical component of our play has gone... near to adapt'

Yep. Last year it was 'oh, we're focused on the Euro campaign, the league is secondary'. This year, with no Europe, it's 'oh...well NOW it's a cup year, all our eggs are in this ONE basket' forgetting other teams can handle rubbing their belly and tapping their head at the same time.

It's excuse after excuse.

 

[Ashtonian]

This season alone, but no need to change much lads

he has been to blame yes, part of the problem then of the repeating cycles of goals?

 

[neil999]

This season alone, but no need to change much lads

my favourites are when he jumps out the way of the ball!

 

[GwladysBlue]

Strangely, he hasn't yet lost the plot as much as a lot of our fans have

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

 

[Foot Long Hot Dog]

Again, that was published a year and a half since? No guarantee that we still don't practice them?

Given that our defending is still absolute rot. I know where my money's at mate.

Baines brought it up this season btw when he was in the Sky pundits chair while he was out injured.

 

[Axlswhk]

Taken from Ossies autobiography;

"Another difference between the managers is their approach to set-pieces. With Moyes, we could spend an hour and a half on Fridays going through routines because he was so meticulous in that aspect. If I was a manager, I'd probably do the same because fine lines can determine games. He hated losing goals at set-pieces because it was something he could influence."

"Martinez doesn't really do that. It's rare for us to work on set-pieces. You're given your roles, you're supposed to understand them and if you don't, find out, think for yourself. That was a big changeover for us."

"We questioned why we weren't working on set-pieces and Graeme Jones, the assistant manager, said: "How many do you have to defend in a game? Three? So why would we spend two hours standing around to defend three set-pieces when we could work on moving the ball."

You're welcome

Oh my, it all make sense now, they don't work on defending set pieces because they don't expect to concede more than 3 set pieces per game!!

How do you restrict the team by not conceding more than 3 set pieces???? Restrict the aggresiveness and curb the tackling!!

I've been scratching my head for 2 Seasons as to why we choose to defend with such softness and now it all make sense.

 

[DualityNSNO]

Given that our defending is still absolute rot. I know where my money's at mate.

Baines brought it up this season btw when he was in the Sky pundits chair while he was out injured.

But we've looked much better at them, both attacking and defending them, in the last few months, and I doubt it was just random chance.

 

[bluewally]

But we've looked much better at them, both attacking and defending them, in the last few months, and I doubt it was just random chance.

Really?

 

[Foot Long Hot Dog]

But we've looked much better at them, both attacking and defending them, in the last few months, and I doubt it was just random chance.

Have we?

Can't say I agree with that. I wince when we're defending a set piece.

 

[orly]

Oh my, it all make sense now, they don't work on defending set pieces because they don't expect to concede more than 3 set pieces per game!!

How do you restrict the team by not conceding more than 3 set pieces???? Restrict the aggresiveness and curb the tackling!!

I've been scratching my head for 2 Seasons as to why we choose to defend with such softness and now it all make sense.

Someone should have mentioned this to Cleverley when he kept diving in and fouling on the edge of our area vs City

 

[mankers88]

Strangely, he hasn't yet lost the plot as much as a lot of our fans have

We’ve conceded 110 (all comps) 84 (league) since the start of last season. Only the current bottom 3 are worse off.

We’ve only won 18 out of 61 league games. Again only Newcastle, Villa and Sunderland are worse off. Oh, and Walter Smith was sacked with 18 wins from 67 with a much worse squad of players.

We’ve made 20 defensive errors in the last season and a half. More than any other team.

We’ve conceded 9 goals in the final 15 minutes of games. Only Norwich are worse off.

We haven’t won back to back league games since April.

In recent weeks he’s backed a keeper who clearly isn’t god enough just because he has “experience”

He claimed the squad is too big despite only having one fit right back.

Despite having a £3.7m bid accepted for a backup right back he claims that we didn’t actually need or want him.

He’s insisted that we don’t rely on Lukaku to win games but were would be without his goals?

He’s openly admitted that he’s happy “if they score 3 goals in the right way then you accept it” this is despite realising that we will become statistically the worst team in this league if the current bottom 3 are relegated.

It’s not our fans that have lost the plot. Although some are a bit thick.

 

[orly]

We’ve conceded 110 (all comps) 84 (league) since the start of last season. Only the current bottom 3 are worse off.

We’ve only won 18 out of 61 league games. Again only Newcastle, Villa and Sunderland are worse off. Oh, and Walter Smith was sacked with 18 wins from 67 with a much worse squad of players.

We’ve made 20 defensive errors in the last season and a half. More than any other team.

We’ve conceded 9 goals in the final 15 minutes of games. Only Norwich are worse off.

We haven’t won back to back league games since April.

In recent weeks he’s backed a keeper who clearly isn’t god enough just because he has “experience”

He claimed the squad is too big despite only having one fit right back.

Despite having a £3.7m bid accepted for a backup right back he claims that we didn’t actually need or want him.

He’s insisted that we don’t rely on Lukaku to win games but were would be without his goals?

He’s openly admitted that he’s happy “if they score 3 goals in the right way then you accept it” this is despite realising that we will become statistically the worst team in this league if the current bottom 3 are relegated.

It’s not our fans that have lost the plot. Although some are a bit thick.

Powerful set of stats that are essentially the cornerstone of the argument.

Though I didn't know this one though;

Oh, and Walter Smith was sacked with 18 wins from 67 with a much worse squad of players.

Let's be honest, if he is in Smith territory - and he quite clearly is - he really is a huge, huge fraud

 

[ianefc]

Powerful set of stats that are essentially the cornerstone of the argument.

Though I didn't know this one though;



Let's be honest, if he is in Smith territory - and he quite clearly is - he really is a huge, huge fraud

I do enjoy a new stat.

Thanks.

 

[BigDuncis Blue]

Press conference today....RM says we are not under acheiving......phew, thank goodness, feel a lot happier now

 

[daz4matty]

I don't believe it does. Is that league games?

I think that we've had way too many draws, sometimes down to bad defending (Palace), sometimes down to poor finishing (Norwich) and sometimes bad luck (Chelsea), or a combination of them all.

I think our defeats in that time (vs. top of the league Leicester, vs. in-form Stoke) have been a combination of all three of them as well.

I'll admit that the results haven't been good enough, but I'm willing to stick with him. I'm not trying to sway your opinions, i'm trying to present a balanced argument because, yes, I believe that he is still the right man for the job, and we should re-evaluate in the summer.

It seems that if you don't agree with the crowd, you get crucified.

You are entitled to your opinion my friend and you come across very well with a balanced argument.
But a lot of fans can now see through the manager and are very worried.
It looks like his 1st season was more down to how moyes had instilled the defensive side of the game into the players as much as the tactics.
With a weak useless board and a clueless sinking manager i worry for the future