Monday morning and again I feel like crap, yea thanks Everton. We are heading into one of the most important weeks of the past few years and we start it with the most impotent performance in many years.

If any of you have read anything I’ve written before I am not Mr Bitter Blue (as the Reds call some of us). I feel I am quite positive, and quite circumspect when it comes to talking about our Club. When we play well I see it for what it is, when we are unlucky the same. When we play badly, and it seems like a blip I am upset but don’t get too downhearted. Today however I feel like I have not felt in a long long time. I had times like this  under Mike Walker and also Walter Smith, I never believed it would happen with Martinez.

The Squad

Many articles from the BBC right down to us here at ToffeeTV have lauded this squad as the best we have had in years, and rightly so. We have a back five of regular internationals including the prodigious John Stones and ‘the best pair of full backs in European football’. Our central midfield has both guile and creativity and the wings are filled with exciting direct players with pace. Up front we have Lukaku who until this weekend led the Premier League scoring charts.

The problem seem to be that not many of the players mentioned above are playing to their full potential.

The Defence

Coleman and Baines have been out with injuries but Coleman has seemed stunted this year, maybe due to having to defend more to cover for Deulofeu. Baines has been growing back into his old self but that will take time. It’s the other three defensive positions that concern me most though. Our current most consistent performer in central defence is a player that won a talent show to play in the MLS! Now I love Mori but let’s face it everyone was shocked when we paid £9m for him. Jagielka has also been injured but showed his rustiness in a big way at Chelsea.

John Stones

John gets his own section. Not because he’s ‘the best English ball playing centre back since Rio’ but because he’s been shite for weeks, maybe months if I can bare to look back that far. This all culminated in him telling the Park End to ‘calm down’ a few weeks back. He has since given away a needless (if wrong) penalty against Stoke, made a carbon copy lunge at City (that was wrongly not awarded) and made a horrendous pass back to Howard that led to a penalty yesterday (more on that soon). At this moment Stones is costing us more points than he is saving. I for one would partner Mori with Jagielka on Wednesday (he won’t, more on that later too).

It’s almost like we might be getting a delayed sulk from the lack of summer move, although God knows when when the team he would have moved to was Chelsea!

Tim Howard

Tim also gets his own section. Not cos he’s the ‘secretary of Defence’ in the U, S of A but because he’s also shite. Not matter how much ‘experience’ and phenomenal know how this fella brings, I would rather have the points in the league that he’s cost us back!

Poor Joel Robles must have thought he would be in by now. I heard a stat, that I haven’t qualified by the way, that we are unbeaten in 12 games (not inc. penalty shootouts) that Robles has played for us. His last run in the team in the league we got 3 clean sheets on the bounce. It’s time for him to be number one. Tim must move on. End of.

The Rest of the Team

It’s so easy to say that the defence and ‘keeper are to blame for everything but defending starts from the front. At times it’s like our attacking four are told not to press the ball when the opposition defenders have it. Rom won’t do it, Barkley the same. Gerard will but then has to have a five minute sit down.

We need more intensity in the midfield areas, it’s all well and good scoring beautiful goals but if you then let the opposition walk through you you may as well not bother.

The Manager

Any other club other than Everton and the managers job would be under threat, indeed I would suggest that a defeat on Wednesday would be the final nail – at almost any other club, particularly taking into consideration ‘the best team in decades’. We are Wigan 2.0, losing and drawing playing ‘phenomenal’ football. It’s only the fact that his starting base of defenders is better than what he had at Wigan that we are not lower. In his first season he had the benefit of the defensive solidarity that Moyes brought, as this has worn off the form has worsened too.

The lack of decision making and a stubbornness about key positions is what will eventually either cost him his job or us our place in the Premier League however. See the points about Stones and Tim Howard above.

At times you wonder what the team work on in defensive sessions at Finch Farm, or if they even have them. The same with set pieces. The manage needs to go back to basics, quickly or he will be back to the Job Centre.

Conclusion

Bloody hell another 1000 words gone. Sorry about that. Hopefully on Thursday I will be waxing lyrical about us again and how we can look forward  to a Capital One Cup final.

Would love to know your thoughts. Is Martinez on borrowed time? Will I ever be a positive Blue again?