The rise and rise of Roberto Martinez

Confident, witty, wiry and a charming smile that disarms the obnoxiousness of any occasion is what Roberto Martinez brings to the table. Be it at a press conference or post-match interview or just an offhand chat with his players, there is always a certain lightness to his approach albeit a firm belief in his philosophy.

As a player, he hardly made any waves which would have caught the attention of any of the big clubs. He started his career with CF Balaguer his hometown club before moving to Real Zaragoza. His career expanded over a period of 14 years and he retired at the age of 33. His most significant playing years though came with Wigan Athletic where he made a total of 187 appearances.

Always a dedicated player, he and his fellow Spaniards were known as the “Three Amigos”. As a player he had his shortcomings, nothing spectacular of note, but a reliable defensive midfielder which enabled him to read the game intelligently. His honours as a player were limited to Division Three Championship and a Football League Trophy, but his leadership qualities and his ability to manage have always been recognized.

His current reign with Everton maybe catching the headlines, but his humble beginnings have much to do with the style of play he has always preached to his players that got him to Everton in the first place.

To quote Phil Neville, ex-Everton Player and one of the managerial contentions earlier this summer spoke about “the worst three minutes of my career”.  This was in reference to the way how Wigan relegation contenders all season, came to Merseyside and destroyed Everton en route to the FA Cup, by pumping in three goals in as many minutes.

Most chairmen of clubs say that appointing a manager is the toughest job, for they do not know what they are going to actually bring to a club. Firing  a manager on the other hand is much easier especially if the results aren’t favourable and the fans play a big role in that.

David Whelan, the Wigan Chairman and Bill Kenwright, Everton Chairman chose to take a big leap of faith when they chose to appoint Martinez. But they have been justified while he helped Wigan achieve their biggest prize to date that being the FA Cup.

Ambitiousness and bold with his tactics, he has a very clear philosophy on how to play football. Swansea City where he made his managerial debut are a proof of that and as rightly point out while he may have laid his own managerial foundations there, it also led him to build a sustem which was visionary.