.....,and Martinez turned us down!

[PeterWithesShin]

Need Everton to beat QPR . Looking at it from a neutral, Everton were a better prospect than Villa at the time.

There was also 2 years between our interest and Everton's.

[Dave]

Never rated Martinez as a player or manager.

I don't think anybody has ever rated him a player. Unless you were watching Division 3 in the mid-nineties.

[Damo70]

Never rated Martinez as a player or manager. Or his dress sense and sensible interviews. Over rated

Definitely over rated as a manager and I have always said that. I would be interested to see his Wigan record in the PL compared to Bruce and Jewell. I reckon poorer than Bruce and on a par with Jewell. To be fair he did well at Everton last season which surprised me but Moyes left a steady ship that is now rocking. He has spent a few quid too.

[silhillvilla]

Never rated Martinez as a player or manager. Or his dress sense and sensible interviews. Over rated

Definitely over rated as a manager and I have always said that. I would be interested to see his Wigan record in the PL compared to Bruce and Jewell. I reckon poorer than Bruce and on a par with Jewell. To be fair he did well at Everton last season which surprised me but Moyes left a steady ship that is now rocking. He has spent a few quid too.

He's a chancer with an exotic accent and tailor made suit.

[ciggiesnbeer]

As much as I am enjoying seeing another club and manager fail I am not sure it is true Martinez turned us down. The only source I know of that rumour is Dave Wheelan.....

Surely he would know?

Oh he would. But he is also a liar who happily would invent things to make his manager look good. For example after he publicly said Villa were interviewing him, but then Villa rejected him, it makes perfect sense he would make up a story inverting the truth.

All speculation of course but I have no reason to regard Dave Whelans word as credible. Particularly as Martinez and Villa stayed very silent about the whole matter.

[Gareth]

Think Everton are seeing the other side of the loan market, after last year they had to spend an utter fortune to stand still in making Barry & Lukaku permanent.

Defensively they look suspect with full backs who want to get forward but centre halves who are either garbage:Alcaraz over the hill:Distin or developing:Stones & Jagielka always has an error in him.

Can't see them being dragged in though, they have way too much quality surely?

[supertom]

He can get a side playing good football. What he's always failed to do is organise and build a good defence. Last season it was alright, mainly by virtue of inheriting a very organised group from Moyes. Baines and Jagielka played very well and Distin still had something left in the tank.
This season has been different. Baines has been woeful and so has Jagielka. Distin's legs have gone. Martinez's defensive signings have been poor. They were poor at Wigan too and it's been no different at Everton.

That will always be his achilles heel. If he signs a couple of good players in the summer, for the backline, then I wouldn't envision more struggle.

They're not going down this season.

[Sexual Ealing]

As much as I am enjoying seeing another club and manager fail I am not sure it is true Martinez turned us down. The only source I know of that rumour is Dave Wheelan.....

Surely he would know?

Oh he would. But he is also a liar who happily would invent things to make his manager look good. For example after he publicly said Villa were interviewing him, but then Villa rejected him, it makes perfect sense he would make up a story inverting the truth.

All speculation of course but I have no reason to regard Dave Whelans word as credible. Particularly as Martinez and Villa stayed very silent about the whole matter.

I thought we asked for permission to speak to him but Martinez wasn't interested? Not that I know much about it, but it'd be a silly lie to tell given how easily Villa could have set the record straight. He's (Whelan) obviously a gobshite though.

[pauliewalnuts]

I thought it was pretty much accepted that we asked permission to speak to him, were given it, but he said he didn't want to talk to us.

[adrenachrome]

I thought it was pretty much accepted that we asked permission to speak to him, were given it, but he said he didn't want to talk to us.

Yes. So he did in fact turn us down in one sense, but not in the sense that he had been offered the job. Semantics, if we are honest.

The rationale to save our face at the time was that he was in a comfort zone and we were a a zone of great distress.

[dave.woodhall]

I thought it was pretty much accepted that we asked permission to speak to him, were given it, but he said he didn't want to talk to us.

Yes. So he did in fact turn us down in one sense, but not in the sense that he had been offered the job. Semantics, if we are honest.

The rationale to save our face at the time was that he was in a comfort zone and we were a a zone of great distress.

We'd just finished ninth and were playing well.

[ciggiesnbeer]

I thought it was pretty much accepted that we asked permission to speak to him, were given it, but he said he didn't want to talk to us.

Honestly I do not know. The only person who spoke publicly about it was Whelan (as far as I know). So I have always questioned the generally accepted view.

Perhaps some folks here have heard more from within the club? But until I hear otherwise I put the issue in the "I don't know, but I just assume Whelan is lying" bucket.

[adrenachrome]

I thought it was pretty much accepted that we asked permission to speak to him, were given it, but he said he didn't want to talk to us.

Yes. So he did in fact turn us down in one sense, but not in the sense that he had been offered the job. Semantics, if we are honest.

The rationale to save our face at the time was that he was in a comfort zone and we were a a zone of great distress.

We'd just finished ninth and were playing well.

I see what you mean in that we rallied at the end of the season, but from my viewpoint this was the first of of 5 years of not unexpected relegation struggle.   

[PeterWithesShin]

I doubt anyone expected us to struggle in 2010/11.

[dave.woodhall]

The Houllier season has been done to death but the truth is that after an early period of upheaval we did well after January and there was a lot there for a new manager to work with. There was very little at the time for any potential appointment to be distressed about.