Coleman ready for next level
Coleman enjoyed a stunning 2013/14 season, scoring six Premier League goals, winning Everton’s Player of the Year award and was also named in the PFA Team of the Year as the Toffees finished fifth.
Such a campaign, Coleman says, would not have been possible without Martinez and McCarthy.
“He’s got a different philosophy,” Coleman says of Martinez. “He likes his full-backs to nearly be like wingers sometimes whereas under David Moyes — which I thought was brilliant too — it was a case of when Bainesy (Leighton Baines) went, I stayed or when I went, Bainesy stayed. Last season me and Bainesy were both in the box at the same time.”
However, such forays into the opposition box would not be possible without McCarthy’s tactical discipline and endless stamina.
“I can’t thank James McCarthy enough for the covering he does for me week in, week out, the engine he has,” Coleman says. “It just gives me licence to go forward because I know he’s there covering for me as much as he can. It’s the same for Bainesy on the other side; Gareth Barry is covering for him.”
Last season capped a remarkable turnaround for a player who has experienced plenty of rejection throughout his career.
Giovanni Trapattoni controversially left him out of the squad for the Euro 2012 finals. Even earlier in his career, several English clubs took Coleman on trial during his Sligo Rovers days. None were sufficiently convinced of his potential.
“I went to a couple of places,” Coleman recalls. “I went to Celtic on trial, I was crap. Burnley on trial, I got injured. Birmingham on trial, I was even worse again.
“Thankfully Everton didn’t take me on trial or I probably wouldn’t be here! They just signed me.
“It’s funny how it worked out. Mick Doherty the scout, his son John played for us and I think Mick was only over to see his son and thankfully I might have had a good game that weekend and he recommended me to Everton and thankfully they signed me.”
Improving on last season’s efforts will be a tall order for player and club but Coleman is confident.
“It was a great season for me last year — I’m delighted with how it went. It (goals) was something I needed to add to my game but, obviously, I wasn’t expecting to get so many. It’s a case when you get one or two goals that you go into every game thinking you can get another goal and another goal. I was delighted to add that part to my game and hopefully I can do the same and more this year. Hopefully I and the team can have a good season again.
“We obviously want to better what we did last year and that will be finishing fourth because we finished fifth last year. I would love to lift a trophy with Everton at Wembley. We’ll go for both.”
On paper, a Champions League spot looks a tall order for the Toffees given the way elite teams have strengthened over the summer.
Martinez has been active too, though, signing last season’s loan star Romelu Lukaku on a permanent deal and getting starlets John Stones and Ross Barkley to commit long-term.
Coleman, who also signed up to a long-term deal over the summer, has been suitably impressed. “It was very important for the manager to get all the players signed on new contracts. Keeping the likes of John Stones and Ross Barkley is massive because they’re huge talents. Getting Romelu as well — he’s another young player who scores a lot of goals and hopefully he can do so again this year.”
Coleman and McCarthy along with Darron Gibson, Aiden McGeady and Shane Duffy make up a sizeable Irish contingent at Goodison Park — a situation the Donegal man hopes will aid Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane in their bid to navigate a route to the Euro 2016 finals.
“We missed out on the World Cup and I was quite jealous watching all the lads,” Coleman admits. “Hopefully the two lads can help us get to a major tournament because I’d like to be successful for my country.
“Without doubt (the players are there). We’ve got a lot of the players, myself, Gibbo, Duffy, James and McGeady which, hopefully, will be good for the international set-up because we’re training together every day here and hopefully we can bring some kind of connection back and start winning games for Ireland.”
The most immediate priority for Coleman, though, is for Everton to start their Premier League campaign with a win at Leicester City today. A hamstring injury has disrupted his pre-season campaign and Martinez will make a late decision on whether the 25-year-old figures. Whether he plays or not, Coleman expects a tough game against last season’s Championship winners.
“It’s going to be difficult. They’ve had a good pre-season, done quite well and they’ve just got promoted so the supporters will be up for it as well but we’ve got a lot of experienced guys who won’t get distracted by the emotion and hopefully we’ll get the job done.”
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