Martinez has Toffees’ Irish crew ticking

Everton hosting Crystal Palace at Goodison Park on Wednesday was always going to be a tough game for the Toffees, as their opponents had won three on the bounce and surged from relegation candidates to relative mid-table safety under the guidance of the experienced Tony Pulis.

The 3-2 defeat was undoubtedly a blow for an Everton side which had won seven on the spin and were playing with great confidence and belief in pursuit of Champions League football. Now they find themselves a point behind Arsenal with four games to play and with a much tougher run-in. But, regardless of the outcome, this can only be judged a superb season for Roberto Martinez and his players.

It says a lot about the reputation of Martinez within the game that, despite his relegation with Wigan last season, it seemed as if Everton only had their eyes on one man once news broke of David Moyes’ departure for Old Trafford. It was a very shrewd move, as Martinez is someone I have long admired. For me, he was the one that got the ball rolling at Swansea and gave them their identity as a footballing side who like to dominate possession. While I was playing at MK Dons we faced them in the Johnson’s Paint Trophy in a two-legged semi-final as they headed for promotion from League One and we were going up from League Two.