Ross Barkley

B17BLG · April 24, 2016

kenada_blue said:
We don't deserve nice things.

Every time he gets [Poor language removed] from our fans I bet it feels like a dagger in his chest.

If he wasn't on the pitch, he'd be in the crowd every week.

This so many times. He needs to be fitter though.

Goat · April 24, 2016

bluegirl · April 24, 2016

That video is horrible - the fact Jags even has to tell him that, his confidence must be shot.

Makes you wonder if they hadn't been booed off, if they'd have played like they did in the second half? I don't agree with booing for this exact reason but a top manager wouldn't stand for the first half performance and the booing wouldn't have happened.

Duncan Disordely · April 24, 2016

I really hope for his sake he hasn't been reading this thread in the last couple of days

MartSlinger · April 24, 2016

Ben Grace said:
This so many times. He needs to be fitter though.

Why single Ross out though? They all lack fitness and thats because of one man and one man only, Roberto Martinez.

Plus, its clear he and Lukaku are both instructed to do as little off the ball as possible.

tirion · April 24, 2016

MartSlinger said:
It really does mate. Thats how bad its gotten under Roberto.

loved it when Ross got angry at Herrera yesterday, would love a manager who brings that passion and aggression into Barkley's game, he must have it in him, you don't get to the the chance to get to play for Everton or Liverpool in this city without being nasty, hope he signs a new deal and just says to himself "sod the haters, I am gonna play" that appears to have been the attitude throughout the team in the second half especially with Ross and Stones, made a real difference. the fans responded to it and the players looked to be enjoying it more, whatever happened in the changing room at HT wasn't Martinez led.

kenada_blue · April 24, 2016

MartSlinger said:
Why single Ross out though? They all lack fitness and thats because of one man and one man only, Roberto Martinez.

Plus, its clear he and Lukaku are both instructed to do as little off the ball as possible.

Pretty much.

Was pulled up by everyone at the start of last season. Arsenal at home. 2-0 up. Everyone absolutely shagged by 60mins.

Daveysgingerlovechild · April 24, 2016

MoutsGoat said:

It's no secret the lad can be quite fragile in terms of confidence. I remember him going to bits when he gave away a penalty away to Blackburn as a teenager. Moyes hooked him.

You can see him wilt when the Goodison crowd get on his case.

He's also admitted he was suffering a confidence of crisis which affected his form last season.

And that's what'll hold him back: himself.

Somehow someone needs to instill skyscraping self-belief and a streak of arrogance into him.

Anna · April 24, 2016

Daveysgingerlovechild said:
It's no secret the lad can be quite fragile in terms of confidence. I remember him going to bits when he gave away a penalty away to Blackburn as a teenager. Moyes hooked him.

You can see him wilt when the Goodison crowd get on his case.

He's also admitted he was suffering a confidence of crisis which affected his form last season.

And that's what'll hold him back: himself.

Somehow someone needs to instill skyscraping self-belief and a streak of arrogance into him.

Not just Barkley, the entire team needs self belief, confidence and a strong winning mentality instilling into them

Tin-Tin · April 24, 2016

You have to feel for him, he's obviously upset and he's probably one of the few out there who actually feel like we do as he's a fan.

However that doesn't mean he's exempt from percieved criticism and some valid points people have made. He can be frustrating on the ball and he can pick the wrong pass sometimes, he didnt have a great 1st half yesterday and he will know himself. However this will happen sometimes with every player, especially young players and as much as its annoying, its part and parcel of the game. Fans who get on his back over the odd bad game or 5 mis placed passes are bang out of order.

The valid points are the fact that he doesn't press, at all. He breaks into a jog in the general direction of a player but makes no effort to close him properly. He doesnt track back, even if he lost the ball. Again he may break into a jog but eventually he stops and the player runs free. 50-50 challenges are a no go area, which maybe psychological due to his leg break so ill give him the benefit on that one but he wont entertain them full stop. As has been mentioned earlier in the thread, he will let an opposition player within 5 yards of him, have all the time in the world to do what he wants - without making a slight effort to close him and I have seen our players on numerous occasions actually run right past him to close a player. All these points will be forgiven if we are 3-0 up and he's being effective further forward, but when we are struggling (which has been weekly lately) and not much is working for him, they become obvious and the fans become annoyed. They will forgive a bad game, they wont forgive a lack of trying. He really does need to improve this area of his game because when he's not effective, he becomes a liability.

Jxg · April 24, 2016

Tin-Tin said:
You have to feel for him, he's obviously upset and he's probably one of the few out there who actually feel like we do as he's a fan.

However that doesn't mean he's exempt from percieved criticism and some valid points people have made. He can be frustrating on the ball and he can pick the wrong pass sometimes, he didnt have a great 1st half yesterday and he will know himself. However this will happen sometimes with every player, especially young players and as much as its annoying, its part and parcel of the game. Fans who get on his back over the odd bad game or 5 mis placed passes are bang out of order.

The valid points are the fact that he doesn't press, at all. He breaks into a jog in the general direction of a player but makes no effort to close him properly. He doesnt track back, even if he lost the ball. Again he may break into a jog but eventually he stops and the player runs free. 50-50 challenges are a no go area, which maybe psychological due to his leg break so ill give him the benefit on that one but he wont entertain them full stop. As has been mentioned earlier in the thread, he will let an opposition player within 5 yards of him, have all the time in the world to do what he wants - without making a slight effort to close him and I have seen our players on numerous occasions actually run right past him to close a player. All these points will be forgiven if we are 3-0 up and he's being effective further forward, but when we are struggling (which has been weekly lately) and not much is working for him, they become obvious and the fans become annoyed. They will forgive a bad game, they wont forgive a lack of trying. He really does need to improve this area of his game because when he's not effective, he becomes a liability.

Entirely down to Martinez telling him and Lukaku to do as little off the ball as possible, as @MartSlinger said.

Tin-Tin · April 24, 2016

MartSlinger said:
Why single Ross out though? They all lack fitness and thats because of one man and one man only, Roberto Martinez.

Plus, its clear he and Lukaku are both instructed to do as little off the ball as possible.

Probably, which is one of the main reasons he has to go for me. Can you imagine Leicester being top if Vardy and Mahrez did little off the ball or Spurs doing as well if they let Kane and Alli do nothing defensively? These are 2 of the hardest working teams in the league and are benefiting from that hard work so we are at an immidiate disadvantage before a ball is kicked. We press when we feel like and even then its 1 or 2 players on their own which ends up with them out of position and spaces appear everywhere.

Duncan Disordely · April 24, 2016

Didn't realise he was asthmatic, in the longer version of the tunnel video he uses an inhaler as they're going out of the tunnel. Just after 3 minutes in.