Barkley feels goal could mark a turning point

Does that indicate there have been periods in which everyone wasn’t getting on with each other?

Two youngsters who had to basically show up and overpower everyone when playing against kids their age. Anyone seeing a youth coach telling either "Not good enough lad" after watching them tear defenses open, almost at will?

Now they're in with the big boys, who don't give a fuck what they did as kids.

I think Ross could do with a coach who could specifically school him on the nuance required to be successful at his position. Can't see where EFC has a guy like that on the payroll.

Youngster sure has the talent and athleticism.

It's like he's bypassed developing the simple part of the game because he can beat people and score goals, the difference between a good player and a top player is decision making to match the talent this is what he needs to master.

Less pressure and less men to beat when he receives the ball.

I think most of the groans, as above, have been for the simple mistakes and the lack of any get up an go when he loses the ball.

It's creeping back into his play but it was months before we saw him throw himself into a tackle. No doubt this is a mental issue due to his horrific injury a couple of years ago.

We can only hope the change in tactics seen in the last two games helps his confidence and he starts realising his potential. He does look exciting going forward but on the down side he rarely makes a decent telling tackle.

I also think he needs to be more adventurous OFF the ball. He often takes up a position - often five to ten yards from the player in possession - and if the pass is not made to him in that moment then he just stays there. He doesn't look to drift into a new, improved position. He just stands still. And often that means that the player in possession is eventually forced to play him the ball in that static position, slowing our play down badly.

I'd like to see him work harder off the ball.

Leighton Baines summed him up well for me last week. He said when things are going well, Ross Barkley is a fantastic talent to have in the squad. What that implies to me is that Ross is probably best used as an impact sub when things aren't going too well...

Ross needs to take a look at Gibson and Barry, and see how they often play the simple ball to a team mate in space.
He should realise that even Messi doesn't do step-overs all the time!
Perhaps he should play up front, he has height, strength and pace, and can use both feet.
I'm sure that he will become a 50 cap England player, but wonder whether our leader knows how to develop him?

His decision making and willingness to get physically involved has got to change for me.

To me his weak point has always been the final pass, or, at various times, the way he drifts out of games coroner reason or another.

There is no doubt he is a great talent, and if the goal gives him confidence, it is all to the good, for him, the fans, and the club.

Let us hope his season finally catches fire for all the right reasons!

Surely it may well indicate that things havenÂ’t been running as smoothly as they should have been in the past few months, if whatever the issues were have been resolved that can only be a good thing for the team and ultimately the supporters.

I think if Ross can rediscover his form out on the park he may prove a huge asset for the remainder of the season and he could prove invaluable on Thursday evening.

Brilliant! I'll forever watch Barks and imaging him with training wheels!

I would stop talking about him altogether; keep playing him as a sub and late impact player; and let him gradually develop the confidence he needs. After all his general game has been pretty shocking of late and we don’t want the same hype building up again.

"Towards the end of his interview Ross wanted to extend his personal thanks to all those who have supported him so well whilst he was being played out of position and was also suffering a dip in form. He added that knowledgeable fans know that everything a creative player tries will not always work. However it is at times like these that what the psychologists call 'unconditional positive regard' is so important to the development of a young player such as himself."

Barkley isn't 21 in football development terms, his injuries have hampered his progress and deserves more time and more patience to become the player we all hope he will. I've been as frustrated as the next man with his lack of appetite for the physical side of the game. But, perhaps it's understandable that he doesn't want to get involved in a war on the pitch after so many horror injuries.

What can not be excused though is how the lad has been left exposed by Martinez. Giggs, Gerrard, Rooney, Beckham and hundreds of other players have been managed into the first team with intelligence and the right amount of pressure and exposure. RM didn't even give the guy a break when it had been obvious for months to everyone else that he was struggling.

By all means, bring through youth. But don't screw their careers before they have a chance to find themselves.

The talent is uncoachable. The other things are what good tutors should be teaching him.

There's been so many I'm getting dizzy.

Unfortunately they've all turned into one long downward spiral.

Hallelujah.

In our slow paced game no-one had a chance to show some get up and go. They defended 10 yards from the man so there were no 50/50s, played so defensively with the ball that there was no prospect of beating someone to the ball and going by them – there's no-one near them to go by.

Every player turned to shit this season. Surely that says something? Even Garry Barry (yes he's been exceptionally shit) would look better with our Newcastle tactics – you can imagine him being the calm head winning the ball and setting us on our way.

Fair play to Ross for taking the flack but the responsibility isn't just with him. He's a dynamic player being used in a team that couldn't be less dynamic.

Onwards and upwards from here but I'll never excuse Martinez's stubbornness for the bulk of this season – sacrificing the team instead of his philosophy is a long way away from being acceptable.

This EL is a shambles, our manager has been the first in my memory to actually embrace it. Spurs fielded a weakened side almost every EL game, eventually to drop out IMO because they have/had something actually worth fighting for.

Remember Stoke? Remember Newcastle? RS? No?.... Short memories or ignorance?
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:)

Up until the EL break were were doing OK comparatively, but during that break we were at our worse, and have only just started to improve once we've been involved again.