Lukaku buoyed by another win

Also I reckon we will need to find a replacement for Barry soon, either from amongst our youngsters or somewhere else. I would like to see either McCarthy or Besic playing alongside a midfield play maker who can score plus create for others.

We seem to have quite a decent bench lately and that makes us much more potent. Mirallas and Deulofeu are not 90-minute players and a form of rotation may well be required to get us through the season.

Funes Mori has earned the place alongside him but I’m sure Stones will be back. He’s an excellent player with real character. We should just be pleased that we have been able to add Funes Mori so that Stones’ first form downturn of his career could be managed.

Interesting to see Martinez experiment with 3 centre backs for the last 20 or so. It was always a favoured formation of his... maybe he now feels he has the personnel to reconsider it?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03l4ytn

He'd be going crazywild for sure.

McCarthy, who seemed slightly more mobile than of late and even used his left foot, demonstrated his pin-point backward passing skills, Coleman dithered all night and 6'-2" Barkley hit corners across to smaller team-mates in the box. Not a great night for Ross but I half expected it after the warm weather break.

A very welcome three points but we'll need to wake up before the West Ham match. Sorry to see Oviedo limp off but Baines definitely looked back up to speed. As Trevor mentioned, it's a pity we don't have someone who can give Seamus a rest. Pochettino rotates the hard working Spurs fullbacks quite frequently. They are a major part of his attacking strategy and he likes to keep them fresh.

A very handy three points, but I hope that no one in an Everton shirt is under the illusion that a repeat of that performance will be enough come Saturday.

You are the benificiary of a team set up by the manager in a style that has Everton as the top scorers from open play in the Premier League, and you have just equaled Kanchelskis's record with 11 games to go.

Your manager has maintained the goalscoring record while improving the defensive side of it over the last 6 or 7 games.

Roberto still cannot iron out the defensive weakness that allows blind panic to grip the team for a 35 minute period in virtually every game we play in, no matter who the opposition are.

Until he overcomes this weakness I fail to see how we can be satisfied with him as manager. The upcoming home games will also highlight his inability to inspire the team at GP and this is another glaring fault line in his make up.

Barkley has skills in abundance but he still has problems dragging himself into certain games; last night, he could have really took the game by the scruff of the neck but, for whatever reason, he didn’t.

I still think that money will be used to find a creative option in the attacking central midfield area to help ease that burden on Barkley; I’d have been tempted once it went 3-0 to put Deulofeu in the middle behind Lukaku and see him ping some of those lovely balls from the middle of the pitch again like earlier this winter.

Anyway, a good solid away win at a ground that’s not always been favourable in terms of Everton wins; we can’t complain.

On to Saturday and West Ham will be a different kettle of fish altogether, a right old tough game keeping the likes of Payet, Antonio, and Noble quiet.

I see Barkley in a deeper position in the long term. As the attacking part of a midfield 3 hopefully.

Deulofeu is a natural for the role behind the forward. His ability to spot a pass, his speed carrying the ball up to the 18-yard line. An added bonus would be that his stamina would be under less pressure than when he plays wide and has to get up and down.

I also think the opposition would be a bit bamboozled to see Deulofeu operating in the middle, they'd be expecting to see him attack the wing going on the outside always but I just feel there's a real weapon there if we, or rather Martinez, is willing to be flexible and try something different out.

I like Barkley but he can't carry the can as the only real attacking central midfielder, we need other options too.

You're coming up against a team that is well drilled away from home with a rough, dogged defence. It could be a game where Ross struggles to create on his own; if it is, then we get nothing else creativity-wise from the middle of the pitch. I’d like to see Deulofeu, or even Mirallas for a spell come inside and see what’s happening.

We are seeing a totally different side to Aaron Lennon from the pure out-and-out winger at Spurs; he was never known as getting that many goals there due to playing so wide... but at Everton, he’s finding positions inside more, where he can hurt teams with goals, not just crosses.

Ross has excelled in the attacking roll, and although he may not have grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck, he didn’t really have to as the game was over before he needed to.

Ross is scoring and assisting at a rate to outshine almost every player in his position in the Premier League, even though he hasn’t always been used in the attacking roll this season. His help yesterday came from Lennon, who again supported the attack well, and Mirallas who played well, especially as he’s only used periodically.

Anyways, with the investment in the club, I’d see Barry’s position under threat a bit more, although he has been good this season. I do agree that Barkley may eventually fill a box-to-box roll with Besic and or McCarthy sitting in, but I’m not sure that will happen for at least another full season.

It’s the 6-8-10 adage that coaches like:

6 – defensive midfielder, Barry
8 – box-to-box, Besic
10 – furthest forward, Barkely

I think Besic has got goals in him to support Barkley.

Barkley doesn’t need replacing, – just in certain games, we can prove our flexibility by changing things up.

The game seemed like an extension of the training camp we had just been on, so why not experiment a little bit more once the game was won.

He may have tried 3 centre-backs, and 2 wing backs, and if he did, I’m sure that would have been the perfect opportunity to let Gerry roam through the middle.

In Ross Barkley we have a lad, a local lad to boot, who has become one of our best players, an automatic pick for England and who has the potential to become a world best. He has massive skill and has the potential from his position to score 15+ a season. Last night he was not as dynamic as usual but still had a very good game and had two assists last night. He didn’t have a poor game by any rational standards. Lukaku didn’t have a poor game in the game I watched which was against a Villa side that was trying very hard and has a couple of players who would make it into much better teams and can trouble the best (Ayew and Gestede). We would have had a clean sheet last night if we hadn’t changed formation and brought Stones on.

RM apart, things look amazingly positive for us and I see us playing very well against West Ham on Saturday. They will have a much better chance of doing well if we support them.

Ross gave sloppy passes away all evening and should have been replaced with Geri getting game time. If he goes 3 at the back, Baines and Coleman are your wing backs for sure.

I also think Stones is expendable and £40 mil will do nicely.

Professional performance; well done lads.

I saw the first 50 minutes. We got a goal from a corner and a good breakaway. Lennon and Funes Mori were good, the rest varied between medicore and average. Should I spin my opinion in some other way so that it doesn't qualify as a moan?

Ross Barkley is a big big talent, a really good footballer, no doubt about it, but I don’t know how much longer we can keep calling him 'potential', I think the lad is 22 now, still young but he’s at that age now over the next year or so when he stops being potential and becomes the real deal.

I’m not sure I’d go as far to say he’ll become a "world great".

World greats over the years, to name a few, like Iniesta, Xavi, Zidane, Bergkamp, Pirlo, Zola etc. I’m not sure Barkley will ever really fall into that category of world great midfielders but he can certainly be a big player for Everton.

He’s a bit like the student who got B grade without working... pisses the teachers off because he should be an A+.

You never miss an opportunity do you? Never a discussion goes by without you wanting to tell us how lazy he is and how much he under-performs.

Do you honestly think he wakes up on match day and thinks "Do I fancy trying hard today?" I suspect you actually do.

Let’s not forget it’s 22 goals in all competitions, more than any other striker in the Premier League, yet you think he merits a B?

No player is above criticism, but your consistent carping about a player who will be attracting offers in excess of £50m is just bizarre.

I always like to point out your September comment

"His ability as a footballer is very poor. I don't think I've seen a player with such a poor touch, he can't jump, his runs lack intelligence for this level, and his right foot has absolutely no sense of direction – it's his swinger."

That was utter bullshit at the time, and five months later, looks even more ridiculous.

If he did more performances that gave the impression he cared as much about the shirt as the new boy, Funes Mori, then I would be far more appreciative of him.

That said, for Blues there’s no finer sight in football than when he’s on the ball and driving forward to try and open up an opposing defence.

Just out of interest who do you think has been a better centre forward at this club in the last 20 years?

We went 3-0 up with about 30minutes to go so why not throw Niasse on for the last 30 minutes and give him that time to get some crucial minutes under his belt? The game was won and we are playing on Saturday so why not take Rom off and play Niasse up top and let's see what he can do and get him some match fitness?

Any other Premier League manager would have had the common sense to do that but not our manager. He waited until there were 10 minutes left before trying to bring Niasse on. Maybe take on of our defensive mids off and let Niasse play the final 30 minutes in support of Rom? Let's see what options we could have with this player when we were home and dry for this match.

Martinez just doesn't seem to have any common sense in him at all. It's like his mission is to do everything that is opposite to common sense. Despite our recent good run, I simply don't have any faith in our manager. If I were the new investor, I would trust him to spend money on players but as a director of football or chief scout and not as our manager.

The average fan will stay a fan and will blunder along not really knowing what he's seeing week in and week out making ridiculous statements on internet forums.

He played with an attitude that the lumbering Belgian would do well to replicate. Personally I would have loved to have seen Duncan Ferguson play in this side were very poor and some were unlucky 25 goals no problem. You wouldn’t see Deulofeu tear his hair out after another 6 yard box guided missile goes unconverted.

It’s also not lost on me that he cost nearly 3 times as much as our next expensive striker in that time... so yeah, a bit of effort please, Rom.

Funny isn’t it, Liverpool spend more on his similarly lazy compatriot and none of their fans hold back in slating his efforts. I guess they don’t feel privileged to have a £30m striker.

I admire your optimism about big Dunc scoring 25 goals in this current Everton side. I'm guessing you're making that prediction in the parallel universe where the big man stayed free of persistent injuries and red cards.

Firstly you think his goals are "stats". Well of course in the true meaning of the word you are correct but of course it’s a pretty fucking important stat. That is the purpose of the game to score goals. That is why goal scorers are such a premium. And I guess much to your chagrin he keeps knocking them in.

Let me just remind you 22 goals in 34 games, more than any other striker in the PL, more than any striker for us in 30 years. But of course he’s not really trying is he? He’s a lazy bastard

His lethargy is ’every fucking game’. Pure and utter bollocks even with my rose tinted glasses (I don’t have the goggles)

Peter #45

You have been slagging him off all season, you didn’t reply on your comments I quoted. Is that still your opinion? Do you still stand by what you said in September?

Duncan Ferguson scoring 25. Do me a favour. Even playing in the Rangers 9 in a row side he managed 2 in 15 games. His goal scoring record was distinctly second rate for most of his career.

You talk about lazy players, well Duncan was a classic example of a player not making the most of his abilities.Add that to his appalling disciplinary record and his injury record and Lukaku is already a better player than he ever was.

Of course he did have an Everton tattoo.

As for Benteke being a "similarly lazy compatriot", I think I would be complaining if I I’d spent £30m and got 7 goals in 28 games but of course we haven’t we’ve got 22 goals in 34 games. We also have 58 in 115 and someone worth twice what we paid.

But keep on hating, guys, and I’ll keep on ’hero worshiping’.

Get angry in his defense as much as you like; your comments will not change my opinion only the player himself. In my opinion, Lukaku is hot and cold, not just in his scoring but in his application.

You still agree with the post I quoted?

He’s tweeting love for PSG by all accounts.... any money says he will be there. Get a nice £40-50m and I’ll be delighted with that.

And just a point. You think Lukaku couldn’t be arsed scoring a goal last night. Obviously he was thinking Mirallas is running down the wing, I’ve decided I’m too lazy to make a run and score a goal. I mean he doesn’t like scoring goals does he?

He didn’t make a run and make a great header that led to the corner just before he made another run to get on the end of Funes Mori’s cross to score. Maybe this laziness just comes on in phases?

No, of course he made a run to the far post which actually created space for Lennon to run in to. But of course in your world he’s lazy. You're right it is your opinion. It still doesn’t stop that opinion being a total pile of horseshit – much like your view of him as a footballer you expressed just four months ago.

Who’s going to pay that much for a guy whose "runs lack intelligence", who "is poor in the air", whose "right foot is a swinger", whose "touch is poor"????

I’ll be blunt, barring the Stoke game, in 2016 he’s been shit. Lazy, half arsed, but hey its OK! He scored a tap in against a shocking team and a couple of others to beef those stats up.... 1 in 4 or something...

Here’s a question, describe his games against Swansea, Palace or WBA. Not stats, games.

Surely he's not worth £40-50m. I mean based on your opinion we'd be lucky to get our money back.

'He's tweeting his love for PSG by all accounts'. Have you seen the tweet or is this just more of your dislike of the guy?

I assume you mean the tweet about Moura's goal against St Etienne? It was a pretty good effort if you haven't seen it.

Maybe you'd rather your footballers be out on the lash or banging wags than sat watching football on a Wednesday night.

You see football is funny, players get sold for daft amounts even when fans know they are shite. David Luiz and Andy Carroll told me that.

Do you think he might just laze his way to 20 Premier League goals for us in this fantastic season we are having?

Might just fluke a few in of his fat arse, a couple of deflections, another diabolical couple of penalties!!

Naa... he is shite.

Lukaku is a solid goalscorer who, in my opinion, frustratingly short changes the fans and himself. Should be so much more, but hey, that’s enough for you boys that’s fine. For me, he is very frustrating.

Someone did a very good piece on him on here not too long ago.

I not sure about his effort though. I can't help thinking if he played most games like he played against Stoke (I think it was), he'd be getting closer to 25 goals already. I want to see him smashing defenders all over. I know he can do it because I've seen him play like that. He can be an absolute nightmare. I just don't think we see it enough.

I still think he's great though.

"I’ll be blunt, barring the Stoke game, in 2016 he’s been shit. Lazy, half arsed,"

OK!!!

Lazy bastards some of these modern footballers. Just can't be arsed making the extra effort. Think if they concentrate on just one aspect of their 'play' then that'll suffice. They just need to apply themselves a little better.

From behind, bottle of Jack in one hand, Sky remote in the other. Job done.

Peter Roberts (#63): "I never said Lukaku is shit".

Did I say "Lukaku is shit"...... nope.

But I will state again.... "he is lazy".... hold me to that.

Whilst I (now) like Lukaku, I have been critical of him especially last season.

However, for me, he still disappoints because overall I feel he has it in him to be so much more and I find that frustrating and am sure some of us think the same.

I think the Belgian manager is frustrated at times because he also knows what a player he has and could be but there's something missing.

Its great we have him. His goals tally is wonderful but....

I made a comment last year about him signing for Everton and that if he was that great Mourinho might have made more of an effort to keep Lukaku. My thoughts were that Mourinho must have had his doubts.

However, the way this season has gone for Chelsea and Mourinho, perhaps it is Romelu who had his doubts about Mourinho and was pleased to get out.

You said he was shit apart from the Stoke game. I’m sure you’re not saying that one Stoke game makes up for all the other shittiness you’re referring to in all the other 25 or so games! Are you?

Not that I think he’s been shit.

This is getting boring now on who said what and how it is interpreted.

Can I just add that the inference is that Lukaku hasn’t been at his best ’in 2016’ , but then neither has the team overall.

He has good upper body strength, his touch has improved, and tries to link up the play well and is absolutely lethal in the box. The goal against Bournemouth makes me chuckle – his determination to reach the ball reminded me of a fat kid running to grab the last cake on the table.

No-one is blinded by the stats. We haven’t had a player who could take a goal like Rom did against Stoke (Cleverley cross field ball) since Lineker, maybe Rooney.

He knows he’s not the finished article. He works really hard but he is also intelligent and picks his battles. I’ve said it before – Everton fans prefer someone like Andy Carroll or Big Dunc, who go in to win every single ball, regardless of whether there’s any players around them, and end up getting hurt every game. Rom has learnt from players like Drogba to save your stamina for when it counts and to not head the ball all game for the sake of winning the ball. When there’s a flick on available or the sight of goal, 8/10 times Rom will win the header.

The shout that he is lazy is utterly shocking. We all know he needs to improve parts of his game but so does he. What’s wrong with you guys? I’d be more worried about the form of Baines, Tim Howard and Stones than Rom. Rom's job is to get into positions to stick the ball in the back of the net. He’s done it more times this season than any Everton player in Premier League history.

Stop moaning and get behind the team. Rom is an intelligent guy who wants to improve and I for one will back him to get better and better rather than shout the lad down for not being the best striker in the world.

Then the best of all, he is compared unfavourably with Big Dunc who would have scored 25 goals in this side. Dunc would never get that many goals in any side. He was never fit for long enough!

A stream of utter shite frankly.

With a proper alert striker with desire and he’d have more than 30 in his ’stats’ already. All you apologists for him – relax; it’s all about opinions.