d following a fastball by reliever Keona Kela that went near Simmons head.Andrus was the third Texas batter hit by a pitch after Mike Trout was hit by

With Romelu Lukaku eyeing a move to a Champions League club, Roberto Martinez and underachieving Everton have problems... Lukaku has made plenty of headlines this season. But his well-publicised quotes about wanting to play in the Champions League next season wont have pleased Everton boss Martinez during the international break. Lukaku Everton future in doubt Romelu Lukaku has said he wants Champions League football Lukaku is unlikely to feature in Europes elite club competition with Everton any time soon. Martinezs side are down in the bottom half of the Premier League table, 13 points off fourth. A late-season surge towards European qualification doesnt seem to be on the cards, either - theyve managed just four wins in their last 16 league games.That points towards a Lukaku exit from Goodison, which would be a painful blow to the club.With a run to the semi-finals of the Capital One Cup under their belt and a final-four clash in the FA Cup to come, the season has been far from a failure. The Sunday Supplement panel discuss whether Romelu Lukaku leaving Everton for Champions League football would be a good move for him But Evertons worrying league form raises questions over whether the squad and Martinez should be doing better, given the talent they have at their disposal.In the league theyre underachieving, says former Everton striker Tony Cottee. They should be where West Ham and Manchester United are, looking to push into the top four.For Everton to finish in the bottom half of the Premier League - especially when it has been such an open division this season, with all of the big guns misfiring - would be more than disappointing. You cant keep saying oh well, well get it right next year. They need to start getting it right now. Tony Cottee Its a serious problem. You cant keep saying oh well, well get it right next year. They need to start getting it right now.Its a view held by current players, too. At the start of 2016, ahead of a 1-1 draw with Tottenham, Lukaku said: We shouldnt be in this situation. As a team we know we should be higher but at the moment its not going the way we want.Three months on and 12th-placed Everton are actually one spot lower in the league than they were then, albeit with game in hand on the two teams immediately above them.So whats going wrong?Goal-scoring certainly isnt the problem. Only three Premier League teams have found the net more often and, in Lukaku, Everton have the third-top scorer in the division. Lukaku has scored 18 goals in the Premier League this season Its at the other end where the problems lie. Only five teams have conceded more than Everton this term - and nowhere have their defensive problems been more apparent than at Goodison Park. Everton have conceded more goals at home than any other Premier League team.This has led to one of the worst home records in the division. Everton have won just four out of their 16 fixtures in front of their own fans, and only Crystal Palace (14) and Aston Villa (10) have taken fewer than the 16 points Martinezs men have managed at home. Costly goals conceded Everton have dropped 14 points from winning positions this season - only Liverpool (15) have dropped more. In short, Evertons defensive problems are detracting from their good work in attack. Theyve dropped 14 points from winning positions this season - more than enough to place them in the Champions League spots.This group of very talented players have got to find a way of keeping more clean sheets and give themselves a chance to win more games, said Cottee. Evertons defence have conceded 41 goals in 29 games this season I wouldnt say theyre a long way off. With Lukaku, Ross Barkley and John Stones, the spine of the team is very strong. But defensively theyve been vulnerable, particularly at Goodison, where theyve conceded far too many.They will need to add to their squad defensively in the summer. Theyll need a goalkeeper, with Tim Howard leaving, maybe another centre-back to bolster that position and perhaps another holding midfielder.Obviously somethings not quite working because of the number of goals theyve conceded.Cottee says Martinez must find a way to balance Evertons attacking play with a need to tighten up at the back. However, he concedes it may not be easy for the forward-thinking Spaniard to mute his attacking instincts.Ive followed Martinezs career closely and I think he did an excellent job when he was at Wigan. Going forward they were fantastic - but they were always vulnerable defensively, said Cottee. Most goals conceded in Premier League 2015/16 Team League position Games played Goals conceded Aston Villa 20 31 58 Newcastle 19 30 55 Sunderland 18 30 55 Norwich 17 31 54 Bournemouth 13 31 50 Everton 12 29 41 Its hard to say from the outside because I dont know how much time he spends working on the defence, but its something he needs to look at. We all love free-flowing football, but you have to get it right at the back.Martinez needs to look at himself as a manager and also his team to see how he can correct that. He can only do so much himself - the players need to step up, too. But if you keep conceding poor goals it doesnt give you a chance. Captain Phil Jagielka has spoken out in defence of his manager previously, saying the players must also share the blame.But, with new, substantial investment being made in the club, Farhad Moshiri, who has taken a 49.9 per cent stake in the club, will be keen to see improvement soon. A win at Manchester United on Super Sunday would help. But Everton must address their underachievement throughout the remainder of the season - or Lukaku wont be the only player considering whether his future ambitions can be fulfilled at the club. Watch Manchester United v Everton live on Sky Sports 1 HD on Sunday from 3.30pm Also See: Lukaku happy for Jose reunion Lukaku right to look for CL Lukaku Everton future in doubt Time for Lukaku to move Deatrich Wise Jr. Jersey . Zvonareva, who won the tournament in 2009 and 10, couldnt handle her opponents big groundstrokes in only her third event back after 17 months out with a shoulder injury. Zvonareva made her comeback in January in Shenzhen and played in the Australian Open but lost her first matches at both tournaments. New England Patriots Shirts .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. https://www.patriotsjerseysale.com/1251p-jonathan-jones-jersey-patriots.html . After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week. Kyle Van Noy Jersey .C. -- Charlotte Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said after all of these years in the NBA hes still amazed at some of the things LeBron James does. James Ferentz Jersey ARLINGTON, Texas -- Andrelton Simmons threw his hands up in disbelief, then put them on his hips and stared toward the mound. In the dugout, all Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia could do was shake his head.Thats not fun, Simmons said about his hard liner on which reliever Nick Martinez made a no-look, behind-the-back snag and turned into a double play. You try to hit the ball hard, and a guy makes a crazy play. Thats baseball, I guess.That play by Martinez came in the fifth inning of the Rangers 5-4 win Tuesday night in another testy game to get them closer to their second AL West title in a row while Los Angeles scuffles in last place.Thats just a reaction. You can try that a hundred times, and maybe get it once, Scioscia said. But he comes out and makes the play.Angels left-hander Brett Oberholtzer and Scioscia were ejected when Elvis Andrus was hit by a pitch in the eighth, an inning after both benches were warned following a fastball by reliever Keona Kela that went near Simmons head.Andrus was the third Texas batter hit by a pitch after Mike Trout was hit by a pitch in the Angels second.Scioscia felt the throw at Simmons was intentional, coming an inning after a play at second base when he tagged out Carlos Gomez, who had advanced on an errant pickoff throw but lost contact with the base while sliding.For some reason, they were upset, saying (Simmons) had his foot in front of the slide when Gomez slid into the base and then overslid the bag and was consequently called out, Scioscia said. I guess they took exception to what was a good play by Andrelton. He wasnt in Gomezs way at all. ... He came up to bat, and they threw a 97-mph fastball at his neck.There was also a short delay in the Rangers seventh when third-base coach Spike Owen walked toward the Angels dugout and had words with a clearly agitated Scioscia.I was upset, Scioscia said. He was the closest guy in an opposing uniform.Banister didnt give any insight about what happened with Owen.I thinkk that my third base coach got asked out to lunch, Banister said.dddddddddddd They were trying to make plans, they interrupted the game, so I went over there and made sure we kept the game going.In the Rangers 3-2 series-opening victory Monday night, Banister (arguing a replay review) and Mitch Moreland (questioning a called third strike) were tossed early.Rangers rookie Nomar Mazaras 20th homer was a 438-foot drive off rookie right-hander Daniel Wright (0-4) in the fourth to make it 4-3. Moreland added an RBI single an inning later after two batters were hit by pitches.In between came the play when Martinez (2-3), who threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings, caught the hard liner and threw to first to force out C.J. Cron, who was already almost to second base.I guess it happened so quick that it happened in slow motion, Martinez said. I just kind of threw my glove up there, theres no real explanation for it, in hopes of knocking it down.BALL 14, BALL 15Martinez, the first of six Texas relievers, came in with two outs in the second after starter A.J. Griffins last 12 pitches were balls, a stretch when he hit Trout with a pitch to load the bases before consecutive four-pitch walks to Albert Pujols and C.J. Cron that made it 3-1. Martinezs first three pitches were balls before an inning-ending groundout by Simmons.TRAINERS ROOMAngels: Wright was hit in the back of the leg by a comebacker in the second, but was OK. ... Scioscia said Jhoulys Chacin, who had a comebacker ricochet off his lower left leg Monday, was sore but should make his next start.UP NEXTAngels: Jered Weaver (11-12) will try to join Chuck Finley (165) as the only pitchers to win 150 games in an Angels uniform. The right-handers 17 wins against Texas are his most against any opponent.Rangers: Lefty Derek Holland (7-8) has lost his last two starts, allowing nine runs in 9 2/3 innings. ' ' '