With Roberto Martinez looks set to exit Wigan Athletic for pastures new, things start to sound slightly more hollow, slightly different when compared to the rhetoric and words pumped out by Dave Whelan just a few short years ago.
As we all know, Wigan’s affable Spaniard was, on several occasions, the target for our beloved Aston Villa. In each attempt to lure Martinez to Villa, Wigan’s larger-than-life owner rebuffed such a suggestion as almost risible, as if moving to B6 would be little more than a step backwards for his manager.
Sure, there is no doubt that Villa’s time in the Premier League was at a low when Martinez was seen as the answer to our problems, but since when does moving from Wigan to Villa, whatever Villa’s current predicament, become a step down?
Regardless of what could have happened at Villa, Whelan was in the papers in recent times saying that Everton was too small a job for Martinez, a statement that was becoming rather trite given that he had said exactly the same thing about our job opening, as well as the Liverpool position prior to Brendan Rodgers taking over at Anfield.
The question that begs Villa fans is this – have we lost out by not getting Roberto Martinez in as our manager? My opinion would be no.
Despite Martinez’s strong support in the media, there is little to say that he is anything more than an average manager of his generation. He certainly displays a great style in terms of how he likes to play football but, as many Villa fans will testify to, style alone doesn’t win you games and, as the table will state, Wigan Athletic went down as a result of failing to secure enough points.
Which does beg the question why Martinez gets such plaudits regarding his time at Wigan. Of course, there is no doubting that his securing of the FA Cup is a historic point in their club’s history, but the Premier League history of Wigan Athletic under Martinez leaves much to be desired.
Why? Martinez battled relegation every season before finally succumbing to it this year. Comparatively speaking, former managers Paul Jewell and Steve Bruce achieved better finishes though neither are seen as particularly palatable in terms of being pursued by top clubs.
The question has to be asked – why? Whilst I would be reticent to put forward Jewell or Bruce as candidates for Villa should they be looking for a manager in future, the seemingly lacking evidence of why Martinez is being courted by Everton is startling.
After a period of shrewd defensively organised football under David Moyes, Everton are making something of a risk going for the flair-orientated Martinez. If one was to draw a connection between Martinez and Moyes, the only semblance of a similarity would be their ability to survive on a small budget, though Martinez has hardly flourished under such restrictions.
Yes, the FA Cup is a great achievement, and one that Everton would be glad to see brought to Goodison Park should Martinez take a role there, but at what cost? Whilst Wigan can arguably say that a fairy tale trip to Wembley and a cup win is worth it even with relegation, Everton would be unlikely to be as happy and, after years of stability under the soon-to-be Manchester United manager, choosing Martinez seems like a strange choice.
Perhaps it is the fascination that the league has with foreign nationals, both as managers and players, that has Martinez lauded so highly. Perhaps his samba-styled football excites Everton fans who have been schooled on functional football, though I imagine most managers would be hard pressed to improve on Moyes’ record given the restraints imposed.
So whilst Martinez’s possible move to Everton isn’t directly linked to Villa, it does pose interesting questions such as whether we missed out getting Wigan’s most successful manager to date. The question is an open one – what do you think? Should we be kicking ourselves, or will Martinez’s flaws be illustrated if he does take up a place at a far bigger club under the same financial restraints?
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