World class potential

[toffeejack]

think rom has the most chance to be WC than the 3 tbh - not sure he can't be world class because of a poor control. if he's scoring 30 goals a season regularly like the players his figures have surpassed so far, then that'll make him world class?

playing with the right midfield types behind him he'd thrive so much.

 

[bluemangroup]

This thread like myself is a bit premature.

 

[larrygobfiend]

I think Hibbert has the potential to be world class.

 

[Kiwi]

Potential doesn't mean anything until it is actually fulfilled. I have the potential to be world class but will never fulfil that due to a cruel mockery of the fates and a wilful lack of effort. Barkley, Lukaku, Stones and Macca are all good young players along with Besic, all with the ability in the future to become great players or even world class players, but there is significant development and games ahead before they reach that level. Injuries and other obstacles so easily can derail and finish careers. Let us not get ahead of ourselves.

 

[RyanGordon]

It's very promising. Lukaku gets a lot of stick about his touch but maybe if we got him a feel for the ball early on as opposed to stifling him from possession for long spells he would improve. Oh, and only if only we signed GD permanently.

 

[EFC78]

I predict there will be a lot of backtracking going on with Lukaku once he works hard on his first touch and hold up play and becomes good at it which will happen when he gets more experience.

His hold up play has been poor this season, but people forget his age. If Everton play to Lukaku's strengths and provide him with numerous goal scoring opportunities a game he will take them and go on a run of form that he has already proven he is capable of at various clubs. If he doesn't fulfil his potential here he will move on to bigger and better things I reckon and will become one of the best strikers in Europe.

He's done far more than Barkley and in particular Stones already and everyone is jumping to conclusions about how good they are going to be. I actually rate Stones and Barkley very highly but it's not even a contest when discussing who has done more in the game between Lukaku and say Stones.

Stones is all potential at the moment. He has to go on and prove he is as good as we all predict he will be.

 

[evo1878]

I don't think it matters whether we have 1,2, or 3 world class players. The Man U team of '92 season when Beckham, Scholes, the Nevilles and Butt all broke through seem to be the benchmark for what is possible but arguably only Beckham was ever world class (and alot of that was because of the hype around him). Personally i think John Stones, Ross Barkley, Romelu Lukaku have all shown that they've got what it takes to perform on any playing field in the world already - so doesn't that make them world class?
Having seen some of those upcoming youth players like Garbutt, Browning, Ledson, Dowell and Long against Krasnodar last week i think we have a pipeline that could be every bit as good as that United '92 squad went on to be. i'm not suggesting any of them are world class but there just seems to be an encouraging blend of experience and youth at the moment. Eg, Gibson and Barry get banned / injured and no fears, there's Besic and McCarthy. It's a pretty good squad all round that we have (except back-up for Howard) and fortunately they are all now getting back to full fitness so i'm pretty excited about the second half of the season.

 

[catcherintherye]

I don't think it matters whether we have 1,2, or 3 world class players. The Man U team of '92 season when Beckham, Scholes, the Nevilles and Butt all broke through seem to be the benchmark for what is possible but arguably only Beckham was ever world class (and alot of that was because of the hype around him). Personally i think John Stones, Ross Barkley, Romelu Lukaku have all shown that they've got what it takes to perform on any playing field in the world already - so doesn't that make them world class?
Having seen some of those upcoming youth players like Garbutt, Browning, Ledson, Dowell and Long against Krasnodar last week i think we have a pipeline that could be every bit as good as that United '92 squad went on to be. i'm not suggesting any of them are world class but there just seems to be an encouraging blend of experience and youth at the moment. Eg, Gibson and Barry get banned / injured and no fears, there's Besic and McCarthy. It's a pretty good squad all round that we have (except back-up for Howard) and fortunately they are all now getting back to full fitness so i'm pretty excited about the second half of the season.

This is very true, although not so sure Long will make it unfortunately.

What struck me from reading Gary Neville’s autobiography were two things, firstly the willingness to give younger players an opportunity Fergusan had, and secondly the culture of hard work those players had to succeed.

We clearly have some very talented young players having won the premier league. I am not sure they are quite of the same quality as the United 92 squad but there is talent there. What we need is a manager to give them opportunities but have a rigorous approach to getting them to improve.

Martinez has many faults but I think he has the potential to be both of these things. Fergusan was an optimist, and a gambler. He was willing to take risks on young players. I see Martinez as similar.

 

[evo1878]

This is very true, although not so sure Long will make it unfortunately.

What struck me from reading Gary Neville’s autobiography were two things, firstly the willingness to give younger players an opportunity Fergusan had, and secondly the culture of hard work those players had to succeed.

We clearly have some very talented young players having won the premier league. I am not sure they are quite of the same quality as the United 92 squad but there is talent there. What we need is a manager to give them opportunities but have a rigorous approach to getting them to improve.

Martinez has many faults but I think he has the potential to be both of these things. Fergusan was an optimist, and a gambler. He was willing to take risks on young players. I see Martinez as similar.

Totally agree with you mate about the optimism and risk-taking comparison between Martinez and Ferguson. Of course, far too early to say if Long will become an Everton No.9 but i thought he looked impressive and ghosted past defenders a couple of times in the short time he was on. Again too early to say about Dowell either but people in the academy have been speaking highly of him for a few years now. I was impressed by the number of one touch flicks he made that found a player and moved us forward in the game. What was more significant for me, however, was that he had been given the freedom and confidence to express himself and that's where there is a similarity between Ferguson and Martinez perhaps?

 

[The Cowboy]

The only way Rom will even come close to being World Class (one of the great footballing cliches imo) will be by leaving Everton immediately. It's clear Bob isn't going to set the team up to play to his strengths, so we'll just see performances like vs QPR ad nauseam. Which is no good for anyone.

 

[Seamus Colemole]

I predict there will be a lot of backtracking going on with Lukaku once he works hard on his first touch and hold up play and becomes good at it which will happen when he gets more experience.

His hold up play has been poor this season, but people forget his age.

Once he works hard on his first touch? What has he been doing in training the past 5 years, working on how to mistime a jumping header?
And people can't forget his age cause it gets bought up all the time but people don't acknowledge that unlike most 21 year old he has played about 200 first team games at a high level.
you know that stat about him scoring more goals by 21 than aguero, Messi and Co? I bet anything their all round game was better than his at 21. And that they didn't have a magnet for a foot that repelled the ball when it came near.

 

[catcherintherye]

Totally agree with you mate about the optimism and risk-taking comparison between Martinez and Ferguson. Of course, far too early to say if Long will become an Everton No.9 but i thought he looked impressive and ghosted past defenders a couple of times in the short time he was on. Again too early to say about Dowell either but people in the academy have been speaking highly of him for a few years now. I was impressed by the number of one touch flicks he made that found a player and moved us forward in the game. What was more significant for me, however, was that he had been given the freedom and confidence to express himself and that's where there is a similarity between Ferguson and Martinez perhaps?

It takes an optimistic risk taking manager to replace a seasoned pro with a young player. Fergusan cleared out players like Kanchelskis, Ince, Hughes and McClair to allow his younger players to develop.

Fergusan also had a vision of “the bigger picture” more so than most other managers who look merely at the next game, or next set of games. I think Martinez has this quality too.

At present Martinez is coming in for some justifiable criticism. However the man is a winner, he’s a risk taker. To Moyes’s credit he has built a fantastic youth network and academy which is brimming with potentially good players, but you need to be a very special manager to bring them through. I hope Martinez can be the man to transform us.

 

[TrixyStevens]

If I'm honest Lukaku does not have world class talent and neither, truly does Ross. They will be top players at their peak which in about 3-4 years they will reach.
To be in that group of 'world class' they would have to reach a Ronaldo, messi, robben, muller standard.
There is something about stones though thats different and of a higher level than the latter two, a centre half with incredible technical ability and reading of the game is very rare. His potential is mind boggling.

 

[bluemangroup]

The only way Rom will even come close to being World Class (one of the great footballing cliches imo) will be by leaving Everton immediately. It's clear Bob isn't going to set the team up to play to his strengths, so we'll just see performances like vs QPR ad nauseam. Which is no good for anyone.

This is well hysterical.

 

[catcherintherye]

At the moment the team is not high on confidence and are not making a lot of chances for Lukaku. I think he has to up his allround work rate a bit too though. But you don’t consistently score 15+ goals a season as a young striker and not have enormous potential.