Roberto Martinez: Leighton Baines Has Apologised For (Quite Rightly) Pointing Out That Everton Are A Bit Crap

Chris Wright

7th, April 2016

9 Comments

martinez-everton

Everton manager Roberto Martinez has today confirmed that Leighton Baines felt the need to apologise for comments he made earlier in the week wherein he pointed out that the listless Toffees might be a little lacking in the team chemistry department.

Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Baines admitted that Everton as a collective have been over-reliant on certain players this season and that the team’s morale is constantly in flux due to the inconsistency of their results. Fair enough, you might argue.

After all, they are 12th, a mere seven points off 17th and Romelu Lukaku is the only player to have scored for them in their last four games.

Well, that’s not how Martinez sees things, with the manager seeing fit to take Baines aside to discuss his comments further.

I think there are two aspects to [what Baines said]. First, it’s very disappointing when you see a bit of a misinterpretation of certain words that a player says. Clearly this has been taken out of context in the way it has come out.

The other aspect is someone with the experience of Leighton Baines, he knows and I have had a chat with him, he knows he has to take responsibility for those words.

Those words have been given the opportunity to maybe attract a meaning that is not right and is not correct.

For that he apologised and has taken responsibility for that, of leaving those words open.

That’s what we expect of a senior figure at Everton – we expect to take responsibility to make sure that we speak on the pitch and the way to do that is against Watford (on Sunday).

It’s hard to see who Baines was misinterpreted, even slightly. Seems like a fairly black and white, objective assessment of Everton’s predicament to us, but hey ho.

Martinez duly continued:

I wouldn’t say we are a team that relies on one or two individuals. We rely on the technical ability of the whole team. Of course we have 15, 16 individuals who have had impressive campaigns, probably the best campaigns in their young careers in some of the cases.

Those quotes have been taken out of context. That’s disappointing on one side but on the other side Leighton takes responsibility that he has put himself in a position where he has given the wrong words and allowed the wrong interpretation and for that he has apologised.

He is ready to move forward. As any senior player the place to talk is on the pitch. We have developed a strong mentality and I don’t think it’s a case where it’s going to be tested by comments from the outside.

We are always open and clear and the understanding is something that doesn’t need clarification. But it’s important for our fans, more than anything, they need to understand that certain words can be taken out of context.

But the same way that Leighton has apologised for leaving that open, the fans know we have an outstanding group of top ambassadors at this football club. We are not performing well to get the results at the moment and that’s something we want to change quickly.

For a man speaking in his second language, Martinez sure can waffle on with the best of them. Vaguely attempting to pit the Evertonian public against a 10-year veteran of the club is also fairly inadvisable, you’d have to imagine.

It’s something Pies have railed against several times before in recent years – this tedious new breed of ‘technical’, jargon-heavy coach who can talk their way around an insipid 0-1 home defeat and make it sound like a surgically-executed clinic in tactical discipline and nous.

Is it just us, or is it all starting to ring rather hollow, especially in Martinez’s case?

Posted in Everton, Managers, Newsnow

Share this article: Email

9 Comments

  1. Anonymous says:

    shut up bobby you prat. best squad the club has had in 25+ years and you’re closer to the bottom than to even challenging for a european spot. on yer bike back to wigan mate, lets get a proper manager who can (a) live in reality, (b) get one of the best squads in the country performing how they should be to get the club back to being in the european mix and pushing for the top places.

    • C says:

      One of the best squads in the country? HA!

      • Anonymous says:

        Lukaku would get into any team in the country. Deulofeu would get into most sides in the country. Lennon on current form too. Barkely could play for any team in the country. Barry has been one of the league’s best midfielders at controlling the tempo of a game since he came to the club. An inform Stones walks into any team in the country. Coleman walks into most teams in the country. So yes, individually Everton DO have one of the best squads in the country. If the team were performing as they should be as a unit, challenging for a top 4 spot should be a very, very realistic aim.

  2. d says:

    Look what he said. Best squad EVERTON have had in 25 years. He is right.

  3. Dave says:

    I agree it is the best squad in a very long time. Everton fans are used to RM blame anyone and everyone except himself for the dreadful performances this season surrendering 2 goal leads a few times and conceding late goals too many times. I’m not alone in thinking he will be replaced before next season even if we do go on to lift the cup. Baines has nothing to apologise for.

    • Anonymous says:

      I’ll bet you the season ticket of your choice Martinez is still the manager come the start of next season (and probably come the end of that season too, subject to absolute disaster). I think I’m right in thinking Martinez is going into his final 12 months as manager, therefore EFC is not a sacking club, the board are patient, and I think the new owner will give him the full season to achieve what this squad should be: and that’s pushing for a top 4 spot, top 6 at least. If Martinez delivers that, like he did in his first season, he’ll get a new contract. Finish 10-12th again and it’ll be “thanks for your efforts, we wish you luck after the expiry of your contract” and a new man will be in place for the 2017/18 season without any sackings.

  4. Syndex says:

    my patience is rapidly running out with mr Martinez, good teams can get relegated by bad managers so this summer we should get shot.

  5. Nick says:

    He’s not been there for 10 years you fucking crankydoodle

  6. PetrovskyKSC says:

    I don’t martinez’ problem. Players like Baines are more than needed in today’s football. So many of those so-called don’t even bother reflecting their respective teams’ situations. It’s obvious Baines really cares for what is going on at club. All he did was to take responsibility as one of the teams leaders by sharing his concerns. Martinez should better keep quite when his best players show grit and try to change something when the entire team go astray.

Leave a Reply to C