Lukaku wants to carry momentum from Thursday into Toon clash

For the vast majority of the season they haven't bothered their arses to do it, though they've said it often enough.

So words mean nothing. Actions are all that can make me believe that they have some pride.

But we've heard it all before, time and time again after Europe.

How we went about that second half is how we should go about games from the off for the rest of the season and beyond! We're a much better team when we get at teams, press from the front and play at an higher tempo and play to big Rom's strengths!

It can understandably be frustrating as he has been asked to do way to much back to goal stuff, so it cuts both ways.

Buy if the mid raise the tempo and he can keep running the channels and giving an option we will be a much better side for it.

Last year it was about sucking teams in and hitting them with pace. Rom getting time and space.

This season the theme has been him getting the ball in tight positions with a good touch needed (and lacking).

On Thursday it was kind of more the latter. He wasn't really getting too much to run onto. We pegged them back, which our possession game doesn't really do as we frequently hear backwards and allow their mids to get their shape back.

The difference was getting at a team. Make them change position and don't give them time to get re-organised. Rom didn't get time and space but he did get different markers and loads of the ball and proved he can do the stuff that most of us were starting to doubt.

So Bobby still has two choices. Possession football and hope the opposition come at us, or put teams under pressure. My guess is that he'll revert to type.

If this club has ambition then it should spend some money on a real ammunition provider to get the best out of those two. Kone could come on as an impact sub to add even more fire power and really scare a few defences.

The defence is pretty good and just needs a commanding young goal keeper who can dominate the six-yard box when defending set pieces.

Gibson is a decent distributor but unreliable fitness wise.Osman is our only other player who can pick a pass but he is in his twilight years unfortunately.

Surely we have the coaching staff to bring forward someone who can engineer openings.

QPR are losing 2-0 now and look doomed. One down, two to go.

In my opinion, Lukaku is a good player. Of course he frustrates at times. But where would we be this season without his goals? Also, Naismith's goals (another player who gets criticism). Lukaku is young, and again in my opinion, he can only get better. But maybe not under Martinez's coaching or style of play.

My thoughts on the way I would like to see Everton play (or at least try to play for a few games; it's not going to happen): I would like to see Kone start a few games alongside Lukaku. Drop Barkley or Mirallas to the bench. They have not been effective in recent months. Promote Long also to the bench (or is he still on loan).

Just a small point, IMO Martinez has left Everton a little short in the attacking department. Jelavic and Vellios were let go too soon. Just my opinion.

This Everton squad is actually not that bad. But Martinez fails to recognise when players are out of form. Why else would he persist in playing Howard, Baines, Barry, Barkley, Coleman, Mirallas and even Lukaku at times? Reputations should stand for nothing. Players showing form should play. Players struggling and out of form should be dropped.

Prime example: I believe that we would have beaten Leicester City had Robles been in goal. Anyhow, every Everton supporter knows that. Except the bloody manager.

Last comment: Notice that some fellow supporters on other threads are still bowing to Señor Martinez. And all because we won on Thursday. Do these brave (or maybe foolish) few not look at the league positions? We won on Thursday solely on the brute strength of Lukaku, the workrate of Naismith, and the good sense and guile of a few other players. Young Garbutt included. We won in spite of Martinez. FFS what manager in their right mind would play Alcaraz? With young Browning available. And why is Howard still in goal?

That's my weekend rant over. Here's hoping that we do carry some momentum on to the Newcastle game. Here's hoping that Martinez has looked at Newcastle, and maybe noticed some weaknesses. Here's hoping he gets his team set up balanced. Here's hoping that we win... although I'm not holding my breath. Good luck everyone. Stay safe. FOREVER EVERTON.

But Martinez gives young players a better chance than the previous manager. Duffy did ok for us, but he's playing at Championship level now. The last manager presumably could've bought Dier on a permanent transfer(now a regular for Spurs) and also allowed Mustafi to leave, who is doing really well in the German leagues I think and managed a World Cup call up to the eventual winning team.

I also think up front we're fine. Kone is barely getting a kick and Lukaku is doing well. A 3rd striker would be another 50k / week for no return. Quite frankly both our strikers are better than Jelavic and in a different league than Anichebe.

Where we have been short is in wide areas, now remedied by the arrival of Lennon....although Martinez seems adverse to playing with 2 genuine wide players. Not sure why. We always seem to look disjointed with Barkley or Naismith "out wide".

This idea that has been bandied about for months now of a team playing in spite of a manager is ridiculous. If they were going against his orders and winning he'd either no longer be here or they wouldn't. Feel free to explain to why neither are true.

And does Martinez really give young players a chance? Or is he forced to because he has no other choice? Although I am at a loss to know what is the best approach with young Barkley. Should he play or should he be rested? Should he stay , or should he go?

Nothing to do with the fact he suddenly started putting in the effort and making runs then?

The moment he pulled out wide to run on to a ball from Barry was the first time in the game, up to that point, that he'd made a run which was anything more than a simple trot backwards or forwards in a straight line. He then managed to out-muscle the defender and get a ball into the box and, suddenly, you could see the huge upsurge in confidence that resulted from that little bit of success.

Fair enough, he doesn't receive great service on the whole but, fuck me, if he was awake from the off and actually made an attempt to peel away from defenders more often, instead of coming short all the time, then the option for a midfielder to hit the space suddenly becomes available.

Even Andy Townsend mentioned early on that he couldn't understand why Lukaku wasn't making (what should be) basic runs for a striker....and this is a guy who had his own fucking 'Tactic's Truck' at one time!

In the co-commentary kingdom, that's the equivalent of some 'evil super genius in his secret lair' shit going on right there. So,the guy must know his stuff, surely? I mean, I don't recall Alan Hansen ever having his own 'Analysis Aeroplane' or anything, and the BBC still haven't bothered to respond to my request to shove 'Lawro' in a 'Smugly Talking Shite Whilst Looking Like A Scruffy Arl Eco-Warrior Forced To Wear A Long Sleeved Shirt Against His Will Shark Cage' and sink him to the bottom of the fucking ocean on a Saturday night.

Villa cruise to a 4-0 victory. If Everton lose or draw against Newcastle then surely Martinez has to go.

Rom really is a class act.

Momentum and intensity.

Two words which are the least likely to describe our PL campaign so far.

(More like 'flatter' and 'deceive')

Here's hoping for a win by 'hook' or by 'crook'.