Ross Barkley joins Chelsea, er, Villa on loan

[Abraders]

How on earth do you come to that conclusion? He's 24.

Last season he was our best player, even though he had that nobhead Koeman on his back. He's had an injury to deal with and will need time to get back up to speed - by which time that arsehole Conte will be back in Italy and Chelsea will get a manager who hopefully for RB's sake will use him wisely.

Honestly I thought he was poor last season.

We were a better team overall with him in it, but his individual performances were poor to frustrating on a weekly basis.

Doesn't mean I wanted him to go, but he has really had Everton off - the lil rat.

 

[Thomasc]

Still very much in Wenger's thoughts....and a different type of player to Barkley.

Well I agree they are not identical.

Doesn't detract from the fact that this permanent class you speak of can actually go off the rails.

Now Bergkamp had permanent class, as did Zola, Gascoigne etc etc...Barkley? Not even in the same breath!

 

[davek]

Honestly I thought he was poor last season.

We were a better team overall with him in it, but his individual performances were poor to frustrating on a weekly basis.

Doesn't mean I wanted him to go, but he has really had Everton off - the lil rat.

I thought he picked up after Davies arrived in the team.

But any debate over RB is obviously going to be coloured by his refusal to sign a new contract here. Understandable, but it leads to an unreal assessment of the player and his abilities.

 

[Thomasc]

Honestly I thought he was poor last season.

We were a better team overall with him in it, but his individual performances were poor to frustrating on a weekly basis.

Doesn't mean I wanted him to go, but he has really had Everton off - the lil rat.

He was good from January to about the end of April, when the team were also in a bit of decent form.

Garbage pretty much prior to that and also after that.

None of us wanted him to go though, we still hoped he could come back and prove he was what we all wanted him to be. He just doesn't seem mentally strong or intelligent enough.

 

[davek]

Well I agree they are not identical.

Doesn't detract from the fact that this permanent class you speak of can actually go off the rails.

Now Bergkamp had permanent class, as did Zola, Gascoigne etc etc...Barkley? Not even in the same breath!

Who's comparing him to those players?!

He has under the right conditions the potential to be as good as Ballack. Obviously he isn't anywhere near him or his consistency yet, but 24 is time enough to make the grade in a top team.

 

[Abraders]

I thought he picked up after Davies arrived in the team.

But any debate over RB is obviously going to be coloured by his refusal to sign a new contract here. Understandable, but it leads to an unreal assessment of the player and his abilities.

Yep, Ross definitely got better after then but still had me feeling frustrated with him on an individual level.

For me, this frustration has always stemmed from the fact I know he could be 10x better than what he often showed.

I think I've been relatively fair with my assessment over time and to this day, still believe he is a lil rat

 

[davek]

He was good from January to about the end of April, when the team were also in a bit of decent form.

Garbage pretty much prior to that and also after that.

None of us wanted him to go though, we still hoped he could come back and prove he was what we all wanted him to be. He just doesn't seem mentally strong or intelligent enough.

...as was nearly all others apart from Gueye.

 

[Thomasc]

Who's comparing him to those players?!
He has under the right conditions the potential to be as good as Ballack. Obviously he isn't anywhere near him or his consistency yet, but 24 is time enough to make the grade in a top team.

Well I am obviously, as you suggested he had permanent class, so I gave examples of players who actually did have that and he clearly doesn't possess the same abilities as those guys who do.

So I am basically asking you what he has done to make you think he is a class act? because he has been a million miles from it for a long, long time.

 

[Thomasc]

...as was nearly all others apart from Gueye.

That's detracting from the point a bit mate, we are discussing Barkley, not the others.

 

[Brisan123]

He was the best young English midfielder two or three years back and rightly capped by England. He's a class player and still young enough to be taken on by a manager who knows wtf he's doing and turned into a top player. He has all the tools to be that.

All the tools except the mental ones

 

[SerenityNigh]

How on earth do you come to that conclusion? He's 24.

He's 24. He's no longer "got potential." Either he's "got it" or he's not got "it." I hope he finds "it," because he can play at times, but I fear he's a liability to anything more than a mid-table club.

Plenty of players took longer to develop than most, and that's ok, but if you're looking for signs that he'll boss PL midfields for years to come, these signs aren't there.

Last season he was our best player, even though he had that nobhead Koeman on his back.

Oh? I was thinking someone else.

 

[marsh]

Is he still injured?

 

[toffeemeister77]

Is he still injured?

Nope just didn't make the team.

 

[Toast]

Nope just didn't make the team.

Picked up £100k this week though.

 

[maccavennie]

Picked up £100k this week though.

Lost it on his way round the shop to buy his panini stickers mate.