Romelu Lukaku

[Tubey]

Or motivate the player with high praise?

You can do that without running the club into the ground in the process.

How are we meant to attract high quality players to get to a higher standard if our own manager dismisses us as essentially a nothing club?

No, this is an example of a very arrogant man who believes he's above Everton himself and sees us as a stepping stone. I already knew that, and expected him to be here no more than two seasons, but he shouldn't actively run the club into the ground while he's here. Boost our profile like you're paid to do; don't trample it.

It smells like Koeman getting his excuses in early - "I didn't do a bad job; I was just managing a small club".

 

[larrygobfiend]

You can do that without running the club into the ground in the process.

How are we meant to attract high quality players to get to a higher standard if our own manager dismisses us as essentially a nothing club?

No, this is an example of a very arrogant man who believes he's above Everton himself and sees us as a stepping stone. I already knew that, and expected him to be here no more than two seasons, but he shouldn't actively run the club into the ground while he's here. Boost our profile like you're paid to do; don't trample it.

It smells like Koeman getting his excuses in early - "I didn't do a bad job; I was just managing a small club".

You're bang on here.

He let himself down with the Niasse situation, also. Cutting off your nose to spite your face springs to mind.

 

[Hangleton]

What he's maybe saying is. Aim for the top, don't just go to any team - (PSG for example) go to Barca or stay at Everton.

 

[Ashtonian]

Nah I reckon you are wrong there.

Scoring goals is probably all that matters to us as he is the only one we have got who does it.

You need more than that at the absolute top level. Bayern, Real Madrid, Barca etc all have goalscorers already. Olivier Giroud scores goals, yet Arsenal fans are always wanting more.

I agree with you on how people judge him, I like him too as a player, but there is a reason why he plays for us and not one of the "big" clubs. And that's because his all round game isnt there just yet and he has suspect mentality. If he put in some of the performances he has for us at a bigger club he would be bombed out. The truly big clubs rely on consistency and all round ability. He can get all this, he is still young and a great goalscorer. Would he get the chance to work on that side of things at a club that expects results every single week? I'm not sure.

I think the main reason he is still here is because his price is not fluctuating, so the buying clubs can happily sit and wait to sign him knowing he will continue to score in this league and develop. Plus there is not a huge demand on strikers right now, city / united / chelsea / bayern / real madrd / juventus / barca to name a few all don't need to spend 60 million plus to sign a new striker. Going back to the Bale deal, real bought him because he was what they needed, so if they viewed lukaku as what they needed in the future then they wouldn't hesitate in signing him whatever the price.

Plus it is a team game, and the players behind the striker at top clubs are the ones who do all the work. Look at barca alone, 3 attackers who tend to just focus on attack, not having to do a team game as it were and track back, because barca signed midfielders to so that job for them.
Lukaku as a complete footballer may never happen, but benzema / aguero / ibrahimovic to name a few are not complete footballers either but are deemed some of the best in the world

None, because I don't need convincing about his ability to score goals. I need convincing about his ability to play football.

Hate saying it, but everything you said is invalidated by the belief that scoring goals is "all that matters".

the thing is he is a striker and that is their job. Name one striker in the world who is a complete footballer and was signed for that reason? Who covers all the ground, who links play up all game, scores 20 + goals a season and is expected to track back and defend ?

 

[Papa Shango]

the thing is he is a striker and that is their job. Name one striker in the world who is a complete footballer and was signed for that reason? Who covers all the ground, who links play up all game, scores 20 + goals a season and is expected to track back and defend ?

All the best strikers do that! Suarez and Ronaldo for example are all over the place. If they were signed just for their goals they may as well have gone out and got Kevin Phillips.

 

[toffeejack]

wow, i scoffed a bit at dutch moyes comments before, but now? they're almost carbon copy.

 

[Ashtonian]

All the best strikers do that! Suarez and Ronaldo for example are all over the place. If they were signed just for their goals they may as well have gone out and got Kevin Phillips.

Goals win games though, and a striker who can score from half a chance is what every top team have. Lukaku for me can do that, which puts him pretty much along side other strikers who are deemed world class. Granted he isn't quite there totally, but he will be.

the two you have named there play freely accross the pitch hence why they are 'everywhere'. Which again is allowed because of the midfield sat behind them to cover the gaps and allow them to do it, same as neymar and messi. Costa for arguments sake scores goals without being a total footballer, drogba was the same before he hit his peak. Cantona stood up the pitch, Shearer spent most of his time being less mobile and so on.

It is largely credited that leiscter pretty much hit teams on the counter rather than play total football last year, Aguero tends to stay through the middle with support for him, lebondowski is a target man, these strikers don't need to cover the whole pitch because their team mates do it for them.

the better the team, the less responsibilities the striker has away from scoring when through the middle. No surprise that luakaku at everton carries the weight of the whole team on his shoulders because we have literally no-one else at the club to score goals for us.

 

[Prevenger17]

Lukaku for me can do that, which puts him pretty much along side other strikers who are deemed world class.

Lukaku is nowhere near the likes of Suarez and Aguero. And he never will be

 

[Papa Shango]

Goals win games though, and a striker who can score from half a chance is what every top team have. Lukaku for me can do that, which puts him pretty much along side other strikers who are deemed world class. Granted he isn't quite there totally, but he will be.

the two you have named there play freely accross the pitch hence why they are 'everywhere'. Which again is allowed because of the midfield sat behind them to cover the gaps and allow them to do it, same as neymar and messi. Costa for arguments sake scores goals without being a total footballer, drogba was the same before he hit his peak. Cantona stood up the pitch, Shearer spent most of his time being less mobile and so on.

It is largely credited that leiscter pretty much hit teams on the counter rather than play total football last year, Aguero tends to stay through the middle with support for him, lebondowski is a target man, these strikers don't need to cover the whole pitch because their team mates do it for them.

the better the team, the less responsibilities the striker has away from scoring when through the middle. No surprise that luakaku at everton carries the weight of the whole team on his shoulders because we have literally no-one else at the club to score goals for us.

I complete disagree with you here. The better the team the better the striker has to be all round because by their nature these teams are going to score goals anyway. Top sides have goals all over their team and dominate games. Top sides dont need to just take a half chance, they have loads of chances by their nature.

Its not a case of playing in a certain part of the pitch, its a case of being able to do things other then scoring goals. Good hold up play, good harrasing of opponents, good flick ons, good passing etc etc.

Lukaku has this at times, he doesnt have it consistently, not yet, he may have it one day. But right now I cant see him getting away with his flaws right now at a proper massive club (Real, Barca, Bayern basically..).

He is more in the Shearer mould than any of the others you mentioned as the rest all have other important attributes other than just scoring goals.

 

[Ashtonian]

Lukaku is nowhere near the likes of Suarez and Aguero. And he never will be

haha i know you don't agree mate

Think he will be world class in his prime, will have a title medal in his collection or two by the time he is 30.

 

[Papa Shango]

haha i know you don't agree mate

Think he will be world class in his prime, will have a title medal in his collection or two by the time he is 30.

He already has one for Anderlecht.

He is getting greedy now.

 

[Ashtonian]

He already has one for Anderlecht.

He is getting greedy now.

ha i didn't realise that! I stand corrected on that front then.

also who is your avatar?

 

[Mickey]

Mad stuff altogether.

 

[Prevenger17]

I feel energised by Koeman's comments tbh. I reckon he sees Lukaku as the straitjacket he is and is laying the bait for some European sucker to come in with an offer

 

[Zatara]

He 's just told the press that our best player should leave the club or he will be wasting his career with us.

This is disgraceful.