Martinez: Stick Or Twist?

When Martinez took over in 2013 it’s fair to say that it split fan opinion. Whilst hopeful at the type of football he was going to try and bring to Goodison Park, there was caution in how he performed at Wigan. The optimists pointed out how he had won the FA Cup against all odds. The pessimists pointed out how the had just been relegated.

He spoke well, he always has. Charm and charisma wont win you football matches per se, but it does help when you have a fan base that wants their manager to represent their club in the right way, and he clearly charmed Bill Kenwright and sold him his vision of his Champions League dream.

Three draws in three Premier League matches wasn’t the start everyone was hoping for, especially as they were all games we’d of expected to win, but the performances indicated that a philosophy was being brought in which may take time. It’s often said of Moyes that the football we played under him wasn’t very attractive, which I think is unfair. When he saw fit, Moyes’ Everton played some lovely football and scored some great goals. When the going got tough however, or we needed a more direct approach vs the bigger teams, we could play in a lot more pragmatic way to get a result. It worked a lot, but Martinez’ ideas were clearly a contrast, certainly to a player like Jagielka who was now expected to add a passing game to his skillset.

After that start, the next three league games were wins and he was well on his way to winning over the harshest of pessimists. The season went from strength to strength after that, as the players got used to the system and used to winning. A sixth win in a row where we took Arsenal apart at Goodison gave huge hope of a 4th placed finish, we got a record 7th win the game after but it then quickly fell away. It was the closest we’d come for a long while and gave hope for the future.

That hope was completely lost last season. To watch nearly a whole season of wretched result after wretched result made many Everton fans question whether he was the right man. If he was a one season wonder and we’d never repeat that first season under him. The Europa League was the only light in a dark season and when that dream was brutally ended, for many that was the final straw, and there were many calling for his head long before that. In the middle of the season we had two league victories in 16 games. It wasn’t good enough.

This season has saw good performances almost disguised by a run of extremely hard fixtures. The confidence in the players looks like it’s back, players are playing well and the manager looks more relaxed. Is this the start of a repeat of the first season and another challenge for 4th or blind optimism in a manager that has brought a style of football not long seen at Goodison?

It’s fair to say that the jury is still out on Martinez. If a fan got to the point of thinking ‘I want him sacked’ then to completely change that view back will take time. There were many Everton fans who were hoping that. My own personal view was that as we were in no realistic danger of relegation, he should be given to the end of the season. Results did improve slightly and he stayed. There were points last season when it seemed a few more defeats could be the end but a result always came then he needed it to.

Martinez is trying to build something. The style of football we play is one that is hugely entertaining to watch when it’s done right. It seemed at times last season the players were scared to pass the ball forwards, but possession with purpose has created many thrilling goals and it now bringing the most out of Lukaku. Football isn’t just a results business. just ask Stoke fans. Fans would much rather their hard earnt money be spent on a thrilling 6-2 victory rather than a pragmatic 1-0 win.

Another huge positive with Martinez is his working with youth. Somehow Moyes developed a myth that he brought through youth players. Rooney was an unstoppable freak of nature and all other youth players were played out of necessity rather than having belief in their ability. He would rather play an older, more experienced player. Players like Coleman were played on the wing before he was trusted to play right back, where he often chose Phil Neville instead. Moyes may have bought John Stones, but he never used him. Martinez’s faith in youth as led to the likes of Stones. McCarthy, Galloway, Deulofeu, Barkley and Lukaku becoming huge assets for the club.

I’m not ready to a full member of the Martinez fan club again however. I said football isn’t just a results business, but it will always be the primary goal for any football manager. I have hope in this season and hope that Martinez will build us into a side that can compete with the top four on a regular basis.