With David Moyes leaving Everton after an 11-year spell with the club to succeed the retiring Sir Alex Ferguson as Manchester United manager, Bill Kenwright moved to appoint Roberto Martinez.
An FA Cup-winning coach with Wigan and an individual in the game adamant on playing an attractive style of football, Martinez ended up being the man who supporters, as well as Kenwright, wanted to see in the Goodison Park dugout.
I support this MT @Everton: Everton have appointed Roberto Martinez as manager on 4 yr deal. http://t.co/4rl2Qa0Lpy pic.twitter.com/gpEDPSmFbM
— Dan Bloom (@DanBloomSports) June 5, 2013
@Everton holding out for the top job on merseyside shows the man has ambition #EFC
— Stunner of the day (@sotdmag) June 5, 2013
@Everton yes welcome martinez,to goodisonpark now get some silverware for us ,
— TOFFEE TAFFY (@DIAHONDA22) June 6, 2013
@Everton welcome Roberto we are behind you as our manager onwards and upwards
— Dean (@Deano4069) June 5, 2013
@Everton fantastic appointment, welcome to EFC.
— David (@brucie1066) June 5, 2013
https://twitter.com/NathanBeal1878/status/342273736793288705
@Everton Welcome to Everton Roberto Martinez, it's great to have you at Everton Fc.
— Dave Holland (@Dave_Holland1) June 5, 2013
And by the end of his first season in charge of the Merseyside club, it seemed like Kenwright had got his appointment spot on.
Under Martinez, Everton finished fifth in the 2013/14 Premier League season, winning some massive games in the process.
It was not just results that made Martinez look like a good hire, though. The brand of football he delivered to the Goodison Park faithful was entertaining, while he played a massive role in the development of young players such as John Stones and Ross Barkley during that campaign.
Unfortunately for the Spaniard, though, that was to be the highlight of his time on the blue side of Merseyside. The following season, Everton’s performances and results dipped significantly, resulting in the club ending the campaign in eleventh.
A year later, Martinez was given the sack with his side again floating around mid-table, which was a massive disappointment considering what the former Wigan manager was able to accomplish in his debut season.
Martinez has since rebuilt his career with the Belgium national team, guiding them to third place in the recent World Cup, an achievement that even led to him being linked with the Real Madrid job (via the Independent).
It remains to be seen whether Martinez would be interested in returning back to club football in the near future given how well things are going for him in a national team set-up. But regardless of what the Belgium manager has planned down the line, he will have to look back and learn from what went wrong during his time at Everton.
