Everton have sacked manager Roberto Martinez and the move comes as no surprise given the club’s disappointing finishes during his tenure.
Everything started out so well for Roberto Martinez at Everton Football Club. The Spanish manager came in off the unique combination of leading Wigan Athletic to FA Cup glory and relegation in the same season and he was everything that his predecessor David Moyes was not.
Moyes, ever the pragmatist, lead Everton for 11 years of stability that saw them climb to fourth in the table on one occasion but won no silverware. There was an FA Cup final appearance or two in that span but the Toffees were ever-present in the top eight but never serious title contenders.
The Scottish manager was stoic and the football his teams played was just as pragmatic he was. Martinez rode in to Liverpool with promises of attacking and entertaining football the likes of which the club had never seen. To his credit, Martinez followed through on his promises and lead Everton to a 6th place finish. Unfortunately he followed that with a mid-table finish at 11th.
More from Playing for 90
- Alexia Putellas reaches 400 games with Barcelona
- Everything you need to know ahead of the 250th ‘Super Clásico’
- Barcelona put five past Real Betis
- Manchester City suffer but come away with win over West Ham
- Baffling Liga MX ruling strips Puebla of a hard-earned victory
In this season of chaos that saw the natural order overturned, many expected Everton to make the leap from a top 10 club to a legitimate title contender. They had a budding superstar in defender John Stones and one of the best strikers in the league in Romelu Lukaku alongside other stars such as Kevin Mirallas.
The Toffees had a nice mix of young talent and veteran guile that was supposed to see them to the top four, but things have fallen apart in spectacular fashion. They currently sit 12th in the table but depending on the final week could finish anywhere from 11th to 16th which would be their worst finish since 2003-04.
A deep run in the FA Cup may have spared Martinez from the sack earlier in the season as the Toffees made their way to the semi-final but a limp performance against Manchester United typified their season. It was the culmination of unfulfilled expectations that saw Everton and their stars fail to perform on their biggest stage in years.
Next: Tottenham prediction: Nacer Chadli will leave club after missing out on Euro 2016
Roberto Martinez believed himself to be the man who would take Everton to the pinnacle and make them top four contenders. Instead he has dipped the club back in to pre-Moyes levels of mediocrity and with the recent cash infusion to the club courtesy of an Iranian billionaire, that sort of performance is unacceptable.
The former-Swansea player and manager has grand ideals about his style of play and his place in the hierarchy of management, but he is more associated with failure than anything else at this point. Martinez and Everton both need a clean start and as such this sacking comes as no surprise and appears to be the best choice for both parties.