martinez

Whatever the outcome, the anti-Martinez lot will claim it’s only those in favour of Martinez who vote on these things.

Either that, or none of them will be online until we lose again.

Difficult one this – I almost wrote a whole article on the subject for JayT to publish on the forum in response to the other thread but got side-tracked.

For me, it’s not quite so black or white, dark or light as simply being pro- or anti-Martinez. What exactly does that mean?

If being anti means you think he’s not good enough to manage our team and pro is the opposite, how exactly do you measure it? Maybe relegation would be the tipping point to make you anti, or for those who think we should be doing better than just premier league survival, not being in the top 10 might be the trigger, for example. For others, they are anti, I guess, simply because they don’t like the style of play that he favours.

For me, when I say that I am pro-Martinez, it goes beyond league position and winning football matches. I happen to like the way he tries to play football, though I appreciate that others don’t. It frustrates the life out of me at times when he refuses to budge from his Plan A, but I still like what Plan A is trying to achieve. I get that it might ultimately end in relegation this season but so what? It doesn’t make me an idiot for thinking that way, anymore than it means that the people who insist that playing 442 will solve all our ills are idiots.

I also like the fact that his time as manager of the team is coinciding with a period in which the club’s management seems to be trying to ensure the long-term financial stability of the club by not paying daft transfer fees and salaries across the board. He hasn’t thrown his toys out of the pram on this issue which some might say makes him a “yes” man; I prefer to think that it makes him someone who has bought into the long-term view of WAFC and not someone who is just looking to use it as a stepping stone to bigger and better things.

I don’t know whether Martinez will ever go on to become a great coach, but I am happy that he is being given the opportunity to try to learn and make his way at our club. Paul Ince, for one I reckon, would have given his eye teeth for the same amount of patience to have been shown to him at Blackburn.

When TyldesleyLatic says on the other thread that the ‘light’ side must hold their hands up and say Martinez isn’t good enough if we get relegated, I disagree. It all depends on the answer to the question: “good enough, for what”?

As my granny used to say: “That’ll be 50 quid, Wayne”. :shock: She also used to say: “It would make for a very boring world if we all thought the same way”

Yours in sport
CJG

I was using the term “yes man” generally. In fact your post was submitted in the time it took me to write my diatribe so I hadn’t even seen yours when I posted.

I got that “another post has been submitted… do you want to review” type-message but I’m far too arrogant to even consider that someone else’s post could make me change mine :)

Griff I would love us to be able to play football like Barcelona but common sense tells me that with our limited funds and club size that ain’t gonna happen.
And IMO that is where the problem lies we are never going to have the quality of player to play that way in the Premier League. It may work occasionally work but as our league position suggests it is only occasionally.

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I didn’t say I expect us to play like Barcelona and neither did I say that style of play was the only reason I am more pro- than anti-Martinez.

And to be honest, playing more like FC Kick and Rush ain’t doing Wolves, Blackburn and West Ham a great deal of good, is it?[/quote]

Do you watch much football Griff???? because neither West Ham or Wolves play kick and rush. And even Blackburn since Big Head was sacked have been known to pass the ball. And may be there lies the problem because the better teams are better at it.

The bigger picture for me is the fact that at the top level we will never be good enough to play the way Bob wants. Paul Jewell and Steve Bruce realised that and both made us hard to beat with a work ethic and making the best of what you have at your club.

I know they don’t!!!! But however you want to label whatever style of football they play, it doesn’t seem to be doing them much good either, does it? That’s my point.

Anyway, style of play is just one part of the argument and we have yet to establish whether any other aspect of the Martinez regime is of any consequence to you.

And I’m not spouting off, merely trying to engage you in debate. As Mr Cameron might say, “calm down, dear”