14 Aug 2022 07:42:10
Gonna be funny to see if shappy still thinks Martinez can be a CB. Been exposed majorly in both games so far.

Not a CB for me, whatsoever. And if this is as you keep saying his 'best position' then we've been robbed of 50 million.

1.) 14 Aug 2022
14 Aug 2022 08:16:41
Just shows how poor the club is ran. The club wanted pau torres have scouted him for 3 years. Ten hag comes in says he wants martinez, we over pay and bring him in without having the back bone to stick to a plan. Martinez will never work in the prem. He may be a good footballer but he will just be bullied in every game.
The club need to stuck to a plan, if that's buying players for ten hag to coach rather than players he likes so be it.
Things will get a lot worse before they get better.

2.) 14 Aug 2022
14 Aug 2022 08:21:11
Agreed. I thought he had a howler and was poor against brighton and no better yesterday. We have our highest spend in this window so far on a player that people are going to try and figure out where to play him except the position we bought him for.

3.) 14 Aug 2022
14 Aug 2022 08:52:58
Martinez should never play in a centre back role, said this in an earlier post. Unfortunately we are stuck with the player so we now need to mix it up and see if it works with him sat in front of the back two.

There are posters who go on and on with lots of drivel, but it’s just pie in the sky and doesn’t reflect reality. The reality is that we’ve bought a lad in to play centre half who isn’t big or good enough. It’s obvious to see.

More rubbish that was spouted was about Ralf been clueless and been one of our worst managers. He might not have been the best day to day manager, but his appraisal of the squad was bang on. We should have fought tooth and nail to keep him on in some capacity.

4.) 14 Aug 2022
14 Aug 2022 09:13:00
I said this before he was signed and all I got was abuse and talk about Cannavaro. Cannavaro was 1 in a million. Literally. Martinez is nowhere near and never will be as a CB.

5.) 14 Aug 2022
14 Aug 2022 09:15:29
I’d suggest Martinez could have done better for 1 of the 6 goals we have conceded this season. Maguire has been worse and with DDG doing what he’s doing for 3 or 4 of those goals, you could stick Maldini in front of him and next to Maguire and would make no difference. Martinez’s height has not been exposed yet, they’ll be some posters that will say it was for Mee’s goal but he just misreads the flight of the ball, Mee was falling backwards when he headed it so not like he dominated Martinez.

Maguire doesn’t press players when they are close to goal and makes no effort to get back into the danger area when the ball goes wide, just ambles back in. Take Maguire out of the team and stick Malacia at LB.

6.) 14 Aug 2022
14 Aug 2022 09:22:42
I think he can be, but I've never seen any CB play well alongside Harry Maguire. While Shaw doesn't help much either. Although yesterday I'd lay the majority of the blame at DDG's feet, literally for Jensen's goal.

We have a group of players who when the pressure is on they told like a deck of cards. The plan, the tactics, everything goes out the window.

DDG gifted Brentford a two goal lead and the players heads dropped. They lost all fight.

Martinez as a CB is never going to work on a team under constant pressure and expected to defend regularly. In a team that has the majority of possession and controls the game he is a great player.

Personally I think EtH has been caught out by the nature of the EPL.

We have lost two games while having 63% and 67% possession.

Having the ball isn't enough in the EPL, it's where you have it. As teams will look to attack the moment they win back the ball.

Even though we had the majority of the ball in both games the shooting numbers tell a very different story (17 Vs 15 against Brighton, and 13 Vs 15 against Brentford) . Which highlights you don't need to have a lot of the ball to have a good volume of shots (13-15).

We have a lot of the ball, but it tends to be with our weakest players on the ball and mostly in our own half. Simply put we either cannot play this way with players like Fred and McTominay or we cannot play with Fred and McTominay.

People are complaining about our forward players such as Rashford, Bruno and Sancho. Yet in truth they are hardly getting on the ball at all, the midfield is struggling to progress the ball into the forward areas, meaning our best attacking players are having to drop deeper and deeper just to get on the ball. When they do they are often too far away from the goal and in too crowded an area to do much with it.

They aren't good the problem, midfield and defence is.

With where we are now, I'd change the plan and look at bringing in better options in both midfield and defence. As we have no chance of playing how EtH wants us to play with the options we have there right now.

We NEED two midfielders, a GK, a RB and a CB. In the meantime I'd be playing Martinez in midfield in place of McFred, as he'd at least not turn over the ball as often as they do and might actually give us a base to build from and progress the ball.

While we might be shy of numbers and quality in the forward areas, we do have young players who can fill a hole in the side if needed.

However, Maguire, Fred and McTominay should be relegated to the bench for the rest of the season. As none are capable of playing how EtH wants, in fact they are liabilities.

7.) 14 Aug 2022
14 Aug 2022 09:43:42
Ports recommend you read what the brentford manager said about him and how mcguire had to switch a lot to give him cover. He can’t play as a cb in this league. Every team will target him and he will get mauled week in week out. For the money spent its a very poor signing.

Maybe switch him to left back and live with the fact that he has contract till 2027. Not big enough or good enough to be playing in midfield either. Guys his size who play in mid make up for it with being very good technically, fast feet and turn and burst of speed he is not that level either.

8.) 14 Aug 2022
14 Aug 2022 09:52:28
A bit miffed by the defense of martinez by some posters here. Some players even when having a bad day show you a thing or two in a game, where you think okay he is lot better than today, whether its a 40 yard pass across the pitch to find a player or a bit of magic in close quarters. So far seen zero from martinez to think that.

Long season let’s see. I think he is shell shocked by the physicality and pace of the game in pl.

9.) 14 Aug 2022
14 Aug 2022 10:28:01
We’ll concede more goals from players running in behind Maguire like Welbeck did for Brightons 1st goal and Maguire not getting back into position then Martinez’s height being exposed.

I guess I am defending to a degree but don’t think he is the sole reason or problem when Maguire has been far worse IMO as has Shaw and Dalot. Throw in DDG at the moment and Torres, Dias, VVD would all be exposed in this defence. People have made their mind up on Martinez after 2 games in a line up with Dalot, Maguire and Shaw and a GK who is throwing balls in his own goal and won’t come out of his 6 yard box for crosses.

If Torres had been signed, they’d target him because he’s new to the league.

This fan base want to back the manager, criticise his decisions, back his transfers, slate his transfers. The problem this club has are far greater than ETH and Martinez.

10.) 14 Aug 2022
14 Aug 2022 10:39:13
Im Piling in too - said it many times 5ft 9 CH won't work in the toughest league in Europe.

Pau Torres. Koubibaly, Milenkovic, Nathan collins (for the future) were all getable -plus half a dozen you followers of European football could name

Again, RR as DOF had plans, a list of players he identified for problem positions -ETH is winging it

Martinez calling himself "the butcher of Amsterdam " - the butcher from our local Tescos would nt be any worse.

11.) 14 Aug 2022
14 Aug 2022 11:07:25
Leicester could soon be awash with money and in need of a centre half if they sell Ffofana to Chelsea. Could be our best ever chance to get rid of Maguire.

12.) 14 Aug 2022
14 Aug 2022 11:08:21
Ports the first goal is martinez, he has to pick up welbecks run mate. Mcguire does not have eyes in the back of his head. Watch it again. All martinez mate.

Not defending any player, i think shaw is useless offers nothing going forward or defending. Can’t remember a decent cross from him in yonkers. Mcguire was a horrible buy imo too, slow on the ball and a bit clumsy.

I will eat my shoes if martinez does not turn out to be poor buy. 57 mill pounds, criminal.

Watched a bein sports interview recently with marcel desailly. Came from all conquering milan team, beast of a player. Said his first season at chelsea he was a bit shocked and found the league very difficult, physically was not strong enough and had to put a lot off work in his first year to get there as cdm. Later on When he played cb, he was honest to say terry covered for him and did all the hard work.

He was 6-2 and had size and girth. The league back then was not as physical as it is now. Everyone is faster and bigger. With diets and all the tech, training its faster and more physical.

13.) 14 Aug 2022
14 Aug 2022 11:11:57
Ports, have a read back over posts from before the season started, people had made up their minds about Martinez before he had even kicked a ball for us.

Now people are just trying to say they were right and give themselves a pat on the back.

We have conceded 6 goals and Martinez has only been partially culpable for one of them. DDG has been directly responsible for 2, Maguire responsible for 2 and Shaw for 1.

Did Mee dominate Martinez at the near post to tower above him or easily brush him off the ball to score? No he didn't.

The baal went deep from the corner, over the head of Maguire with the 6ft Dalot being beaten in the air at the far post, the ball went back across goal. Both DDG and Martinez got caught under the ball and Ben Mee falling backwards at the near post was able to direct a header in. When his head hit the ball his head was about 5ft off the ground. But don't let that change the agenda that Martinez will be out jumped or muscled for headers.

Has Martinez been great? Obviously not, yet both Maguire and DDG have been directly responsible for more goals conceded.

14.) 14 Aug 2022
14 Aug 2022 11:23:48
NC, What was Maguire doing for the first goal against Brighton? He either needs to get tight to the guy on the ball or drop back into his RCB position. He does neither and strolls across the pitch and points at Martinez to do what he should be then doesn't cover the space Martinez has to vacate to cover for Maguire.

You don't need eyes in the back of your head if you are properly scanning the pitch rather than ball watching. Maguire doesn't understand how to read a game, he doesn't understand space, he just ball watches and tries to react. Unfortunately he has neither the pace or the mobility to defend well like that.

I'd also suggest that you must be very young if you think the EPL is a more physical league now than it was 10 or 20 years ago.

It's a more technical league now played at a greater pace. But it certainly isn't more physical, Roy Keane would be sent off every game in the EPL now. You can't challenge a keeper in the air now, you can't jump with your elbow up, no high tackles, no tackling from behind etc. Its a much less physically challenging game now than 20 years ago.

15.) 14 Aug 2022
14 Aug 2022 11:29:22
Nathan Ake is 5,10” everyone. He seems to be doing pretty well for himself.

16.) 14 Aug 2022
14 Aug 2022 11:37:13
So many experts ?.

17.) 14 Aug 2022
14 Aug 2022 11:38:08
Martinez goes with the runner, Maguire is not scanning and has no clue Welbeck is behind him, had he, he steps and Welbeck is offside. But once that ball is in, Maguire shows no urgency or desire to sprint back, basic defending when the ball is in behind is get back in, he sprints and the cross from Welbeck which was the only ball he could play as Martinez had followed him is roofed by Maguire into row z but no, he strolls back in and watches the cross go by him. Shaw does nothing to pick up the goal scorer.

18.) 14 Aug 2022
14 Aug 2022 11:49:21
Lol, Shappy i am 55 and run a decent size business with two institutional shareholders.

You confuse clamping down on bad fouls with what the general trend has been in pl. Back then you could get away with a lack of skills and speed with playing dirty and hacking your opponent down 10 times a game.

The players today need to be faster, fitter and you will get found out early if you are not good enough. Two borderline sinister fould and you can be sent off.

If united were on the market one of my shareholders would get involved. We are institutional, no sugar daddies.

19.) 14 Aug 2022
14 Aug 2022 12:10:05
Nathan Ake got rapid pace and Dias beside him and still he is not Pep first choice centre back.
Martinez lacks pace, lacks physical presence and got Mc Guire next to him and no midfield in front of him
It’s impossible to defend this but though it’s terrible waste of 60 million, but it’s Ten he fixated with Dutch league! That as to change rapidly Ten as to change rapidly been caught with his pants down twice now, which is criminal and that’s against supposedly lower level teams. Shocking.

20.) 14 Aug 2022
14 Aug 2022 12:37:46
Martinez has played two games and you lot have written him off. Wow. He has more football brain than the whole lot at the back including Ddg, who has been responsible for most goals this year.
It's pathetic how people get on Martinez back because he's not tall. It shows a lack of football knowledge. With better dedenders, he'll be excellent, but he's got mcguire next to him. I also think he'll suit 3 at the back formation instead of the flat back 4.

21.) 14 Aug 2022
14 Aug 2022 13:14:20
AAA…your just trying to be opposite, can you say hand on heart forget everything else, your manager you have 60 mil to spend you would have bought Martinez, in fact would you have even heard of him let alone bought him!

We all know answer to that question, probably be 100% too if everyone ask, no one would have bought Martinez. NO ONE.

22.) 14 Aug 2022
14 Aug 2022 13:20:09
Well AAA, Frank and Potter admit to singling him out and they got all 6 points and 6 goals from it.
I know he’s a good player. Hopefully just an adjustment period now. Much better players ie Stam, Blanc, Ferdinand were crap when they first signed.
Besides, who’s right, a bunch of padty keyboard warriors and Sky pundits, or ten Hag? Ten Hag knows… right? ?.