Lukaku finally proves there's more to his game than goals

[Khalekan]

I think it's hard to really compare Lukaku/Barkley to Shearer/Gerrard because despite all having obvious talent only two of them had the apparent leadership qualities to drag their teams through a game. Despite my love for our players we don't have anyone of that ilk in the team currently who can kick their own teammates backsides and get everyone roaring again. Then again Martinez can't either and that's why I think we always struggle for the full 90 minutes if we start slow.

It's not just that we don't have them as such, I think the type of player that grabs games "by the scruff of the neck" is fast fading from the game.

Players are much more introspective and focused on the individual stats by which they live and die these days.

 

[pedro76]

Lukaku is on a decent run now, nothing spectacular but is doing okay, the key is to keep it up, will he? Can he ?.

this is a key time in his Everton career. He looked the business when he first came in and faded around January and never really got going again if i'm honest.

There has been a smattering of games here and there where he has rightly claimed plaudits as he shows everything he can do when he's "on" - but equally confusion at the low level performances he throws in.

Players like Rush and Fowler benefitted from being average goal scorers in a crap league.

Rom would dominate in any league whereas Rush's failures in Italy proved he was a flat track bully. Just like Fowler.

Seriously? The league was poor in 95 onwards???

It actually wasn't. It was a very good time for football in the premiership. Fowler scored a hat trick in under 10 minutes against an Arsenal defence that simply didn't leak goals.

It's all very well being tribal and getting behind Rom, but let's not start spouting rubbish to do so. Rush scored more goals against the best Everton side I've seen than I care to mention.

 

[pedro76]

It takes a strong mentality to score so many top flight goals that Lukaku already has, and the only fair comparison is to judge them against these players you put forward at similar times in their careers. On that comparison both Lukaku and Barkley stand up very well to these heroes of yours. I'd go so far to say the Lukaku craps all over Shearers record and Barkley looks a more complete player in comparison to Gerrard who was being shifted all round the pitch looking for a settled position.

Put simply... if someone offered me a 22 year old Alan Shearer in exchange for Rom I would throw in an extra £20m to make that happen


I hate to say it but the same goes for Barkley with a Gerrard.

 

[Hellerad]

this is a key time in his Everton career. He looked the business when he first came in and faded around January and never really got going again if i'm honest.

There has been a smattering of games here and there where he has rightly claimed plaudits as he shows everything he can do when he's "on" - but equally confusion at the low level performances he throws in.


Seriously? The league was poor in 95 onwards???

It actually wasn't. It was a very good time for football in the premiership. Fowler scored a hat trick in under 10 minutes against an Arsenal defence that simply didn't leak goals.

It's all very well being tribal and getting behind Rom, but let's not start spouting rubbish to do so. Rush scored more goals against the best Everton side I've seen than I care to mention.

Everton were even worse, but the league was absolute butt and Fowler benefitted enough to become a club legend. Rose colored goggles ever since.

 

[Simon baker]

Put simply... if someone offered me a 22 year old Alan Shearer in exchange for Rom I would throw in an extra £20m to make that happen


I hate to say it but the same goes for Barkley with a Gerrard.

The same Gerard who it took until his 7th season aged 25 to score double figures in a season patience

 

[Furey1878]

Put simply... if someone offered me a 22 year old Alan Shearer in exchange for Rom I would throw in an extra £20m to make that happen


I hate to say it but the same goes for Barkley with a Gerrard.

I'm not going to argue what player is better between Shearer and Lukaku. However, if you compare Shearer's goal stats up until he was 22 with Lukaku's you'll find them to be quite similar.

The fact is while he may not ever be as good as Shearer, he's still the best we could get for the money we spent, and is always improving. He's a real asset to the squad and hopefully we can enjoy some success in his time here.

 

[pedro76]

Everton were even worse, but the league was absolute butt and Fowler benefitted enough to become a club legend. Rose colored goggles ever since.

Totally disagree. This was an era where the league was full of talent. The bottom 4 or 5 were cannon fodder but the quality of football was superb.

 

[TrixyStevens]

I was fairly critical of him toward the end of 13/14 season and a lot of last season too. Now I fear if he goes next summer it will be very hard to replace him. His profile just grows and grows with every game, very intelligent forward and an awesome finisher.

 

[pedro76]

The same Gerard who it took until his 7th season aged 25 to score double figures in a season patience

Roy keane and viera never scored double figures. So what's your point? I'm talking about mentality - scruff of the neck grabbing, winners mentality.

 

[pedro76]

I'm not going to argue what player is better between Shearer and Lukaku. However, if you compare Shearer's goal stats up until he was 22 with Lukaku's you'll find them to be quite similar.

The fact is while he may not ever be as good as Shearer, he's still the best we could get for the money we spent, and is always improving. He's a real asset to the squad and hopefully we can enjoy some success in his time here.

I'm not disagreeing on what he can be but the hyperbole around the lad is ridiculous. Good player with a load of scope to improve.

 

[Simon baker]

Roy keane and viera never scored double figures. So what's your point? I'm talking about mentality - scruff of the neck grabbing, winners mentality.

Viera was playing for ac Milan reserves at Ross's current age & Keane got his move to United at this age. Appreciate he doesn't have the same mentality but he also has a different skill set to both players again let's wait & see patience

 

[pedro76]

Viera was playing for ac Milan reserves at Ross's current age & Keane got his move to United at this age. Appreciate he doesn't have the same mentality but he also has a different skill set to both players again let's wait & see patience

At 22 viera was on his second season at Arsenal and won the league and cup double. Keane earned his move to Man United by being a dominant force in the forest side for a few years previous.

 

[zirc]

Agreed - I think the jpeg of Rom with his goals scored at 21 is flawed - for one it completely misses Robbie Fowler out who scored around 70 league goals. Secondly if you came from another planet you would be led to beleive that "alan shearer" wasn't all that good.....

simply put Alan Shearer is the most complete striker we have seen in the prem who plundered those goals playing for lesser quality teams than the likes of Henry etc etc.

The point is not that Shearer wasn't great, but more that at his age Lukaku still has a long way to develop before he's a finished player. Because of his size and the fact that he's been around since he was a teenager people forget how young he still is.

 

[Nymzee]

I think one of his biggest issues is the length of time he's been playing top football. This is his 4th full season playing PL football and despite a stellar and consistent record, people are just unfairly assuming the flaws in his early play we saw at West Brom and into his Everton career (bad first touch, not bullying defenders etc.) will be completely eradicated by now. He was like 19 when he played for West Brom and people need to remember that he's still young and still learning and it may look as if his progression has been fairly slow but because he's only 22 he's really making massive leaps each year.

 

[pedro76]

The point is not that Shearer wasn't great, but more that at his age Lukaku still has a long way to develop before he's a finished player. Because of his size and the fact that he's been around since he was a teenager people forget how young he still is.

Shearer wasn't great - he was a phenomenal striker. Anyone who says otherwise never got to see him in the mid 90's. A 22 year old Alan Shearer in todays market would break the transfer record. There was only one better striker than him at that time and that was Ronaldo and there hasn't been anyone like him since.

Do people really forget Lukaku is still young? Personally I think its impossible to forget his age as its used every flaming time by a commentator.

Irritating cliches:-

Lukaku = "people forget he's still a young lad"

Fowler = "most natural finisher since Jimmy Greaves"

Crouch = "great feet for a big man"

a defensive midfielder = "the makelele role"

awful goalkeeper = "he's a good shot stopper"

James Milner = "he puts in a shift for you"

I am more and more optimistic about Lukaku becoming a very good striker - this season he seems to have ironed out some flaws in his game and he along with the coaching staff deserve credit for that.