West Ham V Everton - view commentary, squad, and statistics of the game live.Allardyce advocates flexibilitySam Allardyce believes he is more tactically flexible than Everton boss Roberto Martinez - but feels injuries and Europa League commitments are the true cause behind the Toffees' mixed start to the season.Having replaced David Moyes at Goodison Park before the last campaign, Martinez was praised with the attractive football he encouraged and which led to a fifth-placed finish in the Premier League and Europa League qualification.But good results have been harder to come by this season and, despite a 1-1 draw with champions Manchester City at the weekend, Everton are just three points clear of the relegation zone and have yet to hit the heights of Martinez's maiden season in charge.Despite their indifferent form, Martinez is adamant he will not abandon his passing style of play, and West Ham boss Allardyce - while preferring more of a 'horses for courses' approach himself - does not feel the Spaniard's footballing philosophy is the reason for Everton's troubles in any case.Instead, Allardyce, who welcomes Martinez and his team to Upton Park on Tuesday evening for their FA Cup third-round replay, has identified injuries and the extra burden of European competition as possible explanations for Everton's struggles.He said: "For me it has always been about adapting and suiting the players the best way possible to win football matches."Whilst Everton are having a sticky patch at the moment I'm not sure that is down to Roberto's philosophyIt is about players going out and playing to the best of their abilities."Everton at the moment, because they have had the extra games with the Europa League, it has told
It is nothing to do with his belief and philosophy
They have found it difficult to cope with more injuries and more games."I think that Roberto, like every other manager, has his own style," he said."I'm a little bit more flexible than Roberto - he is a total believer in one style
Where I have come from, which is part-time at Limerick where we met up on a Thursday and 50 per cent of your players turned up on Sunday from Dublin and you put them out on the field to win."Then you move into the lower-leagues, starting at Blackpool where you have got some ageing, older players whose best years are behind them and you have got to put them out on the pitch to get results, because if you don't you lose your job at that stage and you don't get another one."You become flexible as time goes on
Flexibility teaches you that you have a philosophy in the way you want to play but if that way of playing doesn't suit the players you have you cannot keep that philosophy."The 60-year-old Allardyce will be back in the dugout for the replay, where the winners will face either Doncaster or Bristol City, having missed Saturday's 1-1 draw at Swansea due to a chest infection.Meanwhile, Martinez is busy looking for a new goalkeeper but has played down talk linking him with Cardiff's David Marshall.Martinez has wanted to bring in a shot-stopper since first-choice Tim Howard picked up a calf injury on Boxing Day that is set to rule him out until well into February.Reports have suggested the manager is interested in Marshall, but when asked on Monday if there was anything in the stories about the Scotland international - who missed Cardiff's match at the weekend due to an injury of his own - potentially joining Everton, Martinez said: "No - nothing at all."The Spaniard did, however, confirm he had made some enquiries about goalkeepers this month, adding: "It is something we have done for a while now, but nothing has been conclusive or done in a way that we can announce any names."I'm not interested in bringing in a short-term goalkeeper - we'll look at the options, but if we bring in anyone, it has to be someone who can stay with us for the long term."We are going to explore that avenue and if we find the right personality, we'll act on it."Everton will be without the same seven players who missed the City contest - Howard, Sylvain Distin (groin), Tony Hibbert (unspecified), Leon Osman (foot), Darron Gibson, Steven Pienaar (both knee) and James McCarthy (hamstring).Martinez has confirmed he intends to include 22-year-old forward Conor McAleny in the squad
Source : PA
Source: PA