Lukaku hurt but won't cause a rift at Everton

"he was determined to treat the club with respect"

Had he done so in the first instance rather than gobbing off along with his father, the whole thing probably would have had a better outcome for all concerned.

I'm not Rom's biggest fan (or biggest critic) but I'm fairly satisfied with what he's said. None of us are under any illusion that he wants out, but if he can do what he says and keep focussed, it will be beneficial to all parties.

My main concern is that we have not got an obvious backup if his poor form continues (or injury strikes).

Still touting for a move then. Away on international duty angling for a move again (this time hiding behind thinly veiled words).

I really do believe that this has the potential to cause disharmony in the squad and, whatever his goalscoring record, we may be better off getting rid.

Whatever we may think of his abilities, personally I hope he finds true happiness at his next club and by the sound of it that will be sooner rather than later. We'll miss his goalscoring but we won't miss having a player who really doesn't want to ply his trade at Goodison Park.

Have a good goalscoring record in your remaining time at Everton, Rom, and then we can say a farewell to you. If Everton were anywhere near to being the club they were in times past, Rom would've been shown the door, but we're not that club, and haven't been for many a long year, and Rom knows it.

However it may well fuel the passion of his many detractors.

These guys are talented young men, with far too much money, and all sorts of hangers on feeding their ego

Sometimes saying less is better, do your talking on the pitch.

At which point some Champion's League club might – might – stump up the readies and you will no longer be held captive by Everton against your will on a mere £80,000 per week or whatever the hell it is. Give me strength!

I don't recall too much class from Rooney or Jeffers and they are Evertonians.

But I suppose if he gets asked a straight-forward question, he answers it in a straight-forward manner. Whether we appreciate the answer.

At least, if he stays with us to the end of the season, he will have been with us 4 seasons.

Any chance you can change the picture of Lukaku accompanying this article to one where he has his hands held to his face, covering his mouth, in that disbelieving 'oh no, that was sooooo damn close to being a goal' gesture he often does? Just to prove it's not a physical impossibility and I haven't imagined him being able to pull it off? Oh, and for the irony of course.

Get the fuck out of our club as soon as possible – you are NOT fit to wear the shirt.

Oh, and despite what some people think, your first touch REMAINS the worst I have ever seen! Good riddance.

I just want to watch a fucking football match.

Like I've been saying all summer, he'll get his big move after a big season with us. It's up to him to propel us and himself upwards.

Everton showed him respect with the contract they offered, which he gladly accepted. I suggest that he reciprocate with regard to that respect and shut the fuck up.

Could have gone to Juventus could he, although no bid was made... explain that one, Rom. No bids came in because he's not looked upon as being as wonderful as he is in Lukakuland.

Shut the fuck up, get fit, score goals... that's what you're handsomely paid for!

He's an Everton player, let's support him, that way he's more likely to do his primary job of scoring goals.

But other publications have distorted that into making it sound like he's bemoaning not being able to leave, when the actual point was that he decided not to push for a move.

So I wouldn't be so quick to rake Rom over the coals – at least in this particular instance.

BTW. Rooney was 16 when he moved and he was moving to the richest club, most successful club in the league. Not to mention he was, and probably still is, twice the player Rom will ever be.

The Judas connotation is apt, as is poor Rom's feeling of helplessness as he now realises he will win feck-all with Belgium, and as we didn't get any backup or competition for him, he knows he won't fire us to win anything. He really looks sorry for himself in his Everton hell, doesn't he!

"He has shown more professionalism than most..." – Rob @7.

Really, you both honestly mean that!! Wow! I can't think of any EFC player who has shown less professionalism as he speaks to the press at every international break showing complete disrespect to the club.

Make no mistake, this is his cleverly worded statement to say to the Board he will definitely be leaving next summer at latest. That's fine, and I'm not having a pop for the sake of it as he has the makings of a top top player but, as you say, Patrick, if Everton were anything like the club we were in the past, he would have been shown the door.

I would have no hesitation in showing him the door with a massive boot up his arse. Would we be worse off short term? Absolutely, but I guarantee Koeman won't put up with his ramblings and he will be fucked off at the earliest opportunity as he completely and utterly deserves to be. Patience gone with him now, Knob!!

Correct Rom, no other club thought you were worth Everton's asking price

John (#13), that disbelieving pose is especially hard to take when the ball is still in play, whilst he leaves any recovery to his teammates. A minute later, he is still wandering back to an onside position.

Is Martinez, his International manager, reading these comments. I see he preferred to start with world-beater Origi.

Considering players are on International duty they sure do like to bitch about their clubs, our Belgium contingent especially. That said KM seems more content these days.

How many clubs came in for Rom, how many actually lodged bids compared to just the Chelsea rumour and Everton placing a fee on his head. We didn't say he wasn't for sale, just how much his services would cosy.

I just wanted to say he was a prick then get so fed up with his shit I go off on one. The prick.

As soon as he is away with Belgium he shoots his mouth off yet again. He's a clever bloke but clearly lacks common sense. The football bubble these fellas live in floats away from the real supporters and the Club that pay their wages more and more with every passing season.

We will have to flog him next summer to max his value. He will only have 2 years left on his deal. After that, it's only downhill.

Play the game, produce, move on. I am very sure Koeman and Walsh have plans for the future, with or without Rom. As for now, let's enjoy the football, and we can bitch about the Africans Cup when that comes around. And how daft it was to invest in players from the dark continent as if fucks up the January team selections.

We all agree. He is our knobhead. Let's support him and put an end to this perpetual moaning and bickering about a player that would be better advised if he had Dr Crippen as his agent.

This will be my last post on Lukaku. I'll support him until he's gone like every other player. They can't all be perfect, can they?

Hopefully Koeman will get him going this season and then everyone will get what they want next summer.

So we have a year, or so, to replace him. Possibly less, depending on behind the scenes negotiations. It will be difficult to replace him.

As I've said previously, it's risky having all your eggs in one basket. The club is bigger than any one player and Everton will go on. Like Lukaku, I believe there is a reason for everything. It's just that it's only apparent with hindsight.

I think the best we can hope for is that he rediscovers his scoring this season, we go on improving the team, get into Europe and the combination makes us more attractive to alternative strikers.

This really sticks in the throat. I hate it and the way he, his father and his agent have gone about it. But I appreciate we can't cut our nose off to spite our face. I don't believe the longer-term option has to be either Lukaku, or someone who can't score. That's just 2 extremes. At least Mr Walsh has some time to prepare. Let's hope it's not as rushed as this last window.

The only positive thing that could come out of those international training sessions for both Rom and Kev is the fact that Thiery Henry can coach them a thing or two?

I wouldn't mind but I can't remember the last time he scored for us. He'd better get his shit together sooner, rather than later, for his own sake – let alone for the super blues.

The guy is in dreamland every time he walks onto the pitch, thinking about how great he is rather than how he might contribute to achieving trophies with Everton.

He had a chance to take us to the cup final but blew it with an awful penalty miss.

When I played, we had a way of dealing with Billy Big Bollocks types and that was to put the ball just a yard too much in front of them and say "Go on, if you're that much better than us, get after that!" I sincerely hope that doesn't happen at EFC but I am in no doubt that some of the senior pros can't wait to see the back of him.

And, Colin, much as I despise Suarez, Lukaku can't hold a candle to him – and never will.

But if our new no-nonsense manager can get his head straight and his body fitter, and a more direct style leads to him scoring more and Everton winning more, I think both he and us will be happier.

We don't have to like these people. I don't imagine many EPL players are pleasant individuals.

If he was scoring goals for fun, I wouldn't mind so much and understand it. But his ego is the equivalent of the emperor's new clothing, deluded and nothing material to back it up.

If the latter, does that then mean his nose wouldn't be put out of joint if, every time he shoots off on his international jollies, Koeman starts coming out with statements about how he wants a new striker to come in and be his first choice forward?

"Me and our Erwin were talking with our arl fella about who we could bring in to be our new lone front man. Absolutely no disrespect to the lad Lukaku, but we're ambitious, want to win stuff and would love to see a top, top striker who has played in the Champions League and shit, wearing the Everton shirt.

"Me arl fella likes the look of some of the lads in Italy and we've had their agents on the blower. It might not be this window, but we're always working away in the background to bring in someone better upfront. I still expect Rom to give his very best until his replacement gets here and we stick him on the bench though."

He'd either be booting the manager's door down as soon as he got back or moping around even more half-heartedly than he was for half of last season.

Wish we sold him! Can't believe Everton allow him to continue to talk shit! He has no respect for the club at all!

I would take Niasse over him anytime because he hasn't moaned or said anything even tho he's been left out in the cold!

He was poor in the last game yet Koeman talked him up when he should have been pulled after an hour. Why was he allowed to go on international duty if not fit? No more excuses for this lad.

Are not your mutual ambitions aligned here? How can it make sense to any player who purports to harbour ambitions for personal development and success, to simply want to join clubs who have the financial might to hoard and monopolise playing talent to the cost of their less wealthy rivals?

What contribution is the player making joining a club where it is assumed that winning silverware is a foregone conclusion? That's not ambitious is it? It might be understandable in one sense, but it's not ambition under any definition of the word.

Fed up with hearing this idiot bang on about greater things and the number of fans who worship this so-called superstar saying we won't get better... 2 goals in 2016 in the League – that's 17 league games he has been involved in and apparently we won't get better.

Sooner he goes the better.

(a) a twat
(b) an overpaid twat
(c) an overpaid lazy twat

Choose one answer only.

Can't wait for him to leave.

Preferably by canon over the fortress wall.

It's just not respectable that he has now told everyone...

As Frank (#27) pointed out, the teams you mentioned have got better players in your position – that's why no-one came in. Even if we were selling at £40 million, I still believe no-one would have come in. The lad is a legend in his own lunchtime, nothing more.

As for that statement from Colin (#33), what a laugh. As much as I despise that loathsome bastard, the buck-toothed one has more talent in his little finger than that lump has in the whole of his body. So we certainly won't be getting them type of performances off him.

All last season, I was saying there'll be no bidding war for him and look what's happened. The moron needs to learn to keep his mouth shut when he goes off with Belgium because it just makes him look silly He wants to try and learn how to trap a ball to begin with and maybe, just maybe, some side might come in with a bid. Until then...

Can he not see that, all the time he carries this chip (or should I say log) on his shoulder, he is not only decreasing his value but his credibility among his fellow professionals and, more to the point, his teammates.

He needs to keep his 'poor me' bleating to himself and show all his current admirers and very patient Evertonians just how special he is. I am confident that he will deliver.

Our wonderful club appears to be on an even keel under the leadership of Ron but it only takes one or two negative individuals to perpetually wash their dirty linen in public to knock our happy ship off course.

With agents, family, friends and hangers-on etc all telling them to ask for more and more money and how great they are, it's no wonder they lack any moral compass.

I love football but can't stand footballers.

In fact, it has absolutely nothing to do with mega bucks wages. I too want to win prizes, so much so that I play the Lottery and the Euro millions every week.

He is only here because nobody came in for him. 2 goals in the last half of season plus a dreadful Euros and have a guess what ...nobody wants you! Shut up, pull your socks up, do what you get paid for and let's take it from there.

By the way, my son is ready to show you how to trap a ball and as I am his agent I will want my cut of his coaching fee.

Lukaku does not deserve our total support simply because he's an Everton player. He is disrespecting us and suggesting we aren't good enough for him at a time when his form is atrocious. No goals in how many games?

I think we have every right to be angry at his comments. He treats us with disdain and believes he's bigger than the club. He's a prick. A total utter prick.

For those that say, he was asked a direct question and there's nothing wrong with giving an honest answer.... bullshit!

Out of respect, he should have been far more diplomatic. He made no attempt whatsoever and was too busy suggesting that bigger clubs want him and that he wants to leave, but little old Everton wouldn't let him.

Why did we not get Bony with the Stones deal?

Pushed for a move to whom?

Not one bid was received from a Champions League club... or am I wrong?

Couldn't agree more! Cant wait to see the back of the twat. His first touch is further than I normally pass it and his second is a tackle. Top of the pops touch! I don't care about his record. He scores the occasional impressive goal. Add to that his motor mouth arrogance... The sooner he fucks off the better!

If he doesn't start knocking them in for little old Everton very soon, he will become a passenger and his stock will start to plummet.

Thus far, he has been accorded much more patience than he has shown us respect!

Of course, the only reason he's still here is because no club would stump up the fee Everton were demanding. Basically because, as Mourinho told him, he's not as good as he thinks he is.

But 25 goals from him this season would go some way towards easing the pain of the parting. Plus the money, of course!

Still, least we have Valencia in now so if Koeman doesn't like what he hears we can drop him *ahem*. Honest.

Go on then, Tommy Saxondale, tell us how so.

A shrink group session where the rote answer from almost everybody in the room is "Just shut the fuck up"?

Rom wants to get his dream move? To do that, he HAS to play impressively for us this season. Then we have two possible scenarios:-

1) We get into the Champions League and he stays?

2) We finish around 5th, 6th or 7th, he scores lots of goals, and we sell him for quite a lot? Our higher finishing position might even help us to attract a quality replacement.

This of course depends on whether we all perform as a team and actually have a defence that decides to turn up. Also, the creativity will have to improve to increase his goalscoring chances.

In the meantime I would suggest he keeps his mouth shut, learns some of the basic skills of the game, and becomes an integrated team player under Koeman's guidance.

But with our positive start to the season, I am generally optimistic...

With so many people including myself disappointed that we didn't bring more big names in, we must accept that if the club get off their arses and buy some in future the attitude of most of these players won't differ from Rom's.

I'd love all our players to be like Baines and Cahill but it is unrealistic.

Fine him and send the knob out on loan to anyone stupid enough to want him. I'd rather play one of the youngsters who might actually give a shit than this whinging excuse for a centre forward. Tit.

If he put away the guilt-edged chances that were presented on a plate to him against Man Utd in the FA Cup Semi-Final, he would have a an FA Cup Winners medal now. He has underwhelmed pretty much since the FA Quarterfinal win over Chelsea.

His key attribute is his power and strength which when he actually feels like he is going to put a shift in (rare occurrence) can be very effective. The big 'Champions League' clubs obviously see his shortfalls which are basically his first touch followed by most of his subsequent touches.

He would be best served by consistently stating that he is only interested in giving 100% for Everton. That would be showing respect, and being professional. Unfortunately his attitude and pathetic comments will only serve to turn the Goodison faithful firmly against him if it hasn't already.

Sadly he is only an example of what the silly money thrown around these days has brought to our game. While the fans who pay out their hard earned to either go to the matches or pay through subscription TV struggle to earn enough to even pay the rent to keep a roof over their family's head.

Any prima donnas who don't show enough respect to the club can just fuck off, we don't want you. See how we get on then.

I think Koeman needs to tell him to keep his thoughts to himself and not to do interviews when with his national team. I see Fonte was asked about a move to Man Utd and he said we don't talk about club football on International duty.

Why is it presumed 'Big Name' equals 'Big Gob'? There are more succesful, more talented, more well travelled players than Lukaku out there who have no problems preventing their lips from living la vida loca every time a member of the press so much as fucking looks at them with longing eyes and a list of leading questions.

No one expects every single player who signs on to be born again blues. Shit, they don't even expect loyalty. Not really. They just expect a player to show enough professionalism and courtesy to the club he's currently picking up a wedge from to refrain from regaling anyone who'll listen with tales of where he'd rather be, why that place would be better than here and why he has to just grin and bear it for a little bit longer.

Exactly my point Stan, Well said.

Not a general rule but a growing trend with players in the modern era.

If he carries on, he will alienate everyone in the club and I am sure he will then be "removed" by January.

No goals this term as yet but his missed opportunities are mounting with every game. If he's worth £70m then my cock's a kipper... which it isn't by the way!!

Well, if we're gonna dish it out big style, we have to take it as well. We have to absorb shit thrown out by anyone, including Prima donna millionaire footballers. Fuck it, if they show disrespect who cares, so long as they bang in the goals, we can take it, we're the new big tough Everton.

I'd love them all to be like Brian Labone and Howard Kendall, perfect gentlemen. But they're not, a lot of them are rich Prima donnas, and we willingly pay towards it. If you don't like it, vote with your feet. Otherwise, welcome to the new era guys!

Try to hit the onion bag for a change and fuck up spouting about wanting to leave. He's like most of the Belgians... 'overrated'.

Everton failed miserably with this during the last transfer window. At the moment he is unchallenged and very comfortable.

Also, Bayern Munich were sniffing around too... but you're too expensive for them.

And at the moment, that's what we are, 'average', with no prospect of Champions League football for at least a couple of seasons, until Koeman can undo the damage of the 'deluded one' and bring in more quality.

If, at the outset of Rom's time with us, someone had guaranteed he stayed 3 or 4 seasons, and scored a goal on average, every other game, most fans would have accepted that.

Can't believe those fans getting 'all sensitive' because their star striker wants to move to a better club (eventually). If you want loyalty, go buy a dog. The time of players staying loyal to one club for 7 or 8 seasons are gone. Ask the fans of the RS, Spurs and Man Utd, all their so-called top performers have vanished, despite their own team's prospects of success at the time being much greater than Everton's.

It's the age of 'instant' – on and off the pitch.

It doesn't serve us to boo him but fuck his song.

Piece of shit.

Perhaps this is his 'clever' way of aggregating for a move.

I for one am more than happy for players to move on to bigger things should they merit a move. Moreover I get that most recruits are not stalwart Blues. We're not fuckin' idiots, mate.

The problem is that he is NOT a 'star striker'. I've tried to convince myself for years that he is but FFS – he's barely mediocre. 'Fuck off, Lukaku, you deluded bellend!' The prick clearly thinks that nobody would bother to translate a Belgian newspaper article! I repeat... Bellend!

They are egoistic, they don't live in the real world, and many of them are a lot more disrespectful than Rom.

Granted he's spouting again, but he's not a scouser, he can't be expected to be sought after by major clubs but want to stay at us, the 11th-best club in England, a club who don't pay crazy money out in wages, a club who don't buy world class players to help bring Rom on.

We have to be realistic, Rom is quality, he's our best player, he could have forced a move, but never.

Let's just support our team, let's support Rom, then if he moves we will get a new forward to support but we will always have the Blues.

Some of the greatest players ever to pull on the blue shirt, some rather lower down the list. But oh, to transplant a tiny bit of heart from any member of that team into Romelu Lukaku.

No? Well fuck it then, sounds like another disaster in the making. He's still here, Everton have decided that, and they did that for a reason, so he could score goals. Even if he's the biggest twat in the world, I don't want the twattosity, or twattishness, or whatever the fuck it's called, to disrupt the atmosphere at Goodison.

I've had enough of a shit atmosphere, I want something better. Don't you?

His value has jumped £25 million in the last 10 or so games. Games without any goals. At this rate he'll be worth £100 million soon.

Some nice, and very funny, alliteration in that first paragraph.

Anthony (#184) – "he is our best player" – based on what he has contributed to the team this year – not in my book.

And so many of you will make excuses about a transfer window that didn't see us actually invest any of the tens of millions in TV money into the playing squad. But yeah, Lukaku, the guy who scored 25 goals and is in rare company when it comes to goals scored at his age, he's the problem with Everton. Honestly it kills me to see how small so many supporters think.

Could be worse, he could start acting like a real twat like Torres did with the RS, then supporters could have a proper moan.

What has Everton's failure or success in the transfer window just closed got to do with Lukaku's longing to leave or remain tied to his big kennel at a 'little bitty club'? He "could have tried to force a move"? What do you think him and his agent dropping bait every International break has been about?

He's been making noises about moving on to 'the next level' and bigger and better things since a couple of months after first signing on a permanent deal. It has never been about Everton matching his ambition or him being happy to stay on the proviso the club prove they mean business.

He made it perfectly clear at the end of last season, before the transfer window even began, that he was on a hair trigger to shoot all over the first welcoming big boy hand to beckon him over. The fact no one was prepared to pay up is the only reason he remains here and the retrograde ejaculation he was forced into is now leaking out of his mouth...again.

If Everton had signed every single player they were linked with this summer, and had a multi-talented, exotically monikered squad the size of the fucking X-Men, the situation would still be exactly the same as it is now. Lukaku thinks he deserves to play in the Champions League right now. Everton aren't in it. Those clubs who are don't think he's worth the asking price. The ambition of Everton and the ambition of the fans doesn't enter the equation.

I'll tell you what is 'small time' thinking. Thinking that averaging 14 premier league goals a season makes a player utterly irreplaceable and grants him license to talk down about a club that has been graced by truly great players he won't ever be good enough to get within Godzillas 'giant green one-eye' of.

Why, that's the sort of shitty nightmare 'small' enough to have Freddy Krueger transforming into a wank, wall mounted, 80's tv...with extendable arms...reaching down to your low level, grabbing you by the shoulders and smashing your space hopper of a head through his screen/face, whilst shouting "WELCOME TO SMALL-TIME BITCH!".

People say "we just have to put up with it for the goals, like", as though when he finally departs we'll be left wandering the fucking globe aimlessly like some sort of cross between Dr David Banner, The Omega Man and a Slinky ankled pisshead in stained keks looking for a familiar landmark to flick a switch saying "Oy, shit for brains, you might live somewhere round here", forever searching but doomed never to stumble across a striker who knows how to find the net ever again.

I can understand how the last 6 months could have you contest that Rom is not our best player; that said, if we went off that period, then what Everton player has done well?

Rom is the closest thing we have in our squad to world class. I don't particularly put him in that bracket, but he's the closest thing we have to it.

I'd bet my mortgage that if he remains fit he will leave us for around double the £28m we paid for him, and he will go to a team in the Champions League.

I don't think any other player would fetch anything like his price tag, the closest one we had has just jumped ship to Man City.

Rom is talking about leaving for Juventus, let's be honest here, they're the best team in Italy, they have the biggest names in their country playing for them, and they are always in the Champions League.

To any player they are a bigger pull than staying at us.

Rom is head and shoulders above the rest of our players atm, we have some good young players like Ross and Del who could maybe push and catch Rom, but at the minute he's in a different league to them.

Honestly, there's a time to say to a player, "we're trying to accomplish something and we think we're close. Give us a year [any time frame you want fill in] and if we've not reached where we want to be, we'll let you go."

This is not one of those times.

The boy wants out. He doesn't want to play for Everton any longer. He's in "self-absorbed, play good enough to keep my valuation up so I can get the fuck out of here and progress" mode.

I want a team. I hate mercenaries.

This winter window,we need to spend to get a replacement and sell Rom for the most amount of money humanly possible.

I want a team. I hate mercenaries.

And most importantly, I want someone who buys into Koeman's vision and is on board – not someone who wants away.

Time to sell this winter.

I wish to God we fly up the table and this little upstart, better-than-you, shithead striker all of a sudden realizes.

"Holy shit. We're not that bad after all. Maybe I should stay?"

That would be wonderful. To spite him, I might sell him anyway.

I think Barry was our best player last season – a true professional. We would have been in serious trouble without his contribution.

As for Rom being the "nearest thing" to world class we have, I have to disagree. I think, based on his first touch and ability to shoot with both feet, Ross Barkley is.

But Barkley has said publicly recently, words to the effect that his time for being "potential" is past. A very different mindset from Lukaku. My hope is Koeman will take Ross Barkley to the next level.

As for getting £56m at the next window for Lukaku – you could be right. I hope so.

Just do your job.

"BTW. Rooney was 16 when he moved and he was moving to the richest club, most successful club in the league. Not to mention he was, and probably still is, twice the player Rom will ever be."

Sorry, mate, but Rooney was 18 when he left, and considering his professed love of Everton, and for all the work the club did making him the player he was, you'd think he'd have the decency to give us at least another couple of years, instead of a poxy £25m: Michael Owen wasn't even a Liverpool fan but he gave them 8 of his best years – then got slaughtered for leaving.

Most of our fans are as meek as sheep compared to other clubs; I for one would never forgive any player for disrespecting our club, and the day Lukaku leaves us, will be the day I deem him worthy of contempt for all the shit he's flung at us, and won't be cheering him if he ever returns with another club.

The manager came out and said during the window that Stones had been conducting himself as a good professional, what does he think of this self-promoting lump's conduct?

Does he really think he needs to tell other clubs he wants a move? His agent has been trying to get him a move pretty much since he signed.

I don't know how may games youve been going to but Rom is far from world class.

World class is Aguerro, Messi, Suarez, Ronaldo.

Rom isn't even close to the best in the Prem let alone world class.

The lad is a legend in his own mind but noone else's apart from his deluded father.

He may be ambitious and there is nothing wrong with that in fact it is good but when you keep telling the press you are doing EFC a favour by not breaking your contract that is totally disrespectful to the club and the fans that have supported him.

He categorically could not have gone to Juventus because they preferred Higuain. Bayern would not have given 30m for him let alone 65m.If he was as good as he thinks he is the worlds leading clubs would have been lining up to get him but not one bid came in for him.

The lad is toxic for both club and country and I just hope we move him on asap.

Lukaku is going to leave, whether in January or next summer, he's gone. Hell, he left halfway through last season, he just keep showing up to collect his paycheque.

The best thing for all concerned, is Rom scores 30 goals this season; then we can sell him for a decent price. If continues to play the way he has recently, we'll be lucky to get anything for him. Lukaku used to score, lately, not so much.

Worst case scenario; he becomes another Ballotelli, and we let him leave on free, just to get rid. Professionally, of course.

I for one think a player whose heart is not at the club should not be in the side. Get rid in January, make do with what we have, and rebuild the squad. Use the money to buy a donkey, the truth is the donkey would have a better first touch!!!

He is the epitome of everything wrong with the modern game; selfish over-hyped over-paid prima donna who believes his own press far too much. Sooner he moves on and we get someone with an ounce of desire to play for the team, the better for our wonderful club.

It's going to be very interesting to see what type of club we are at the end of this season, and how the player and team have developed . There could be a completely different mind-set and perspective of this club and how players perceive it.

I don't respond to media shite, including footballers mouthing off. It's like a child throwing a tantrum, the worst thing you can do is give them too much attention.

Spoilt footballers are like spoilt children. You let them know that they'll do what you require, ignore their nonesense, make them knuckle down. They soon shut up and get on with it.

TW is the only media-related thing I get involved in, because I can talk with my fellow Evertonians. I believe there's over-reaction to Lukaku on TW. We're falling into the hands of him and other prima donnas, and into the hands of the media, by responding to all the shite. We should ignore the shite, and just let RK, our new hard disciplinarian, get on with the job.

If Lukaku scores lots of goals, that's fine. If he doesn't, he'll be gone soon enough, which is also fine. I'm not bothered about how much he sells for, that's Moshiri's problem. The only thing I'm bothered about is what goes on on the pitch. Fuck the rest. Anything else is for drama queens.

I go to EVERY home game and a few away games, the ones I don't go to, I watch live on the Race network, and then I watch us again on Sky's Match Choice.

I never said Rom was world class, I said he's the closest thing we have to world class.

I agree with Laurie that Barry was our best player last season, but there's probably 200 better centre mids than him around world football.

I only see players in the top few in their position as someone who can be judged as world class, Rom is probably in the top 20 strikers in the world, whereas no-one else at us come even close to the top 50 in the world in their position.

Anyways, that's just my opinion, and you are more than welcome to yours.

But can anyone dispute the point I make in comment 104 or 117 were as my main claim is we can't attract a player anywhere near as good as Rom, and that he is miles better than any striker willing to play for us this season.

Yes, I would like him to stop talking shite, but even with his occasional outburst, teams like us have to take it as it's simply part and parcel of the game.

Suarez did it at the Red Shite, Teves at Man City, Ronaldo at Man Utd and even Berahino is still at it at WBA.

Unfortunately, this is a lot of footballers, they should keep quiet and be happy with all their money, but some simply aren't.

Lastly, to strengthen my opinion, I will put to you the following: the EPL is possibly the strongest league in the world (if not 2nd), Augero is a mile better than any other striker, Ibrahimovich is the next best but is now 34 meaning his value is minimal, some would argue Costa although he hit less goals than Rom last season. After them, Rom is the next best thing, with only Kane pushing him. Vardy, Benteke, Bony, Giroud etc are decent, but none of them come close to Rom.

If no team out there is interested in Rom then how are we going to sell this useless lazy lump? If he is so shite, we will be stuck with him for the remainder of his contract or ship him off to the likes of Hull, Sunderland etc for £6 million.

Let's see over the course of this season which scenario pans out.

If he does make himself the real deal, he might even find Champions League football on his doorstep and not need to move. But I doubt it. I see Champions League translating as "I want a weekly amount that starts with a 2."

But he won't apply himself enough, no matter how hard Koeman pushes him. Then, in the next summer window, with only 2 years on his contract, it's a different ball game for both.

I don't know who the leading scorer in this season's Premier League will turn out to be... but it won't be him... and he won't be 2nd either.

Chelsea paid £10M for Lukaku in 2011 (rising to £17M with add-ons) where he spent most of the season playing for the reserves whilst his teammates went on to win the Champions League. Feeling rejected as his big move started to turn sour, he went out on loan to West Brom and then to ourselves where he was made to feel very welcome and enjoyed getting back to scoring lots of goals.

Now that he has proven himself as a regular top scorer, are people really surprised he wants to move to a club where he will actually win things? Look at Robin van Persie as an example. He stayed with Arsenal for years hoping to win titles but eventually moved to Man Utd.

As we saw with Lescott and Stones, when a player wants to force a move, then they can if they really really want to. I just hope the club don't waste the time now not bringing in alternatives and leave it until he leaves.

He really is piling the pressure on himself with these interviews. Now he must start performing at his best or everyone will lose patience with him.

He thinks the world revolves around him. He lives in a bubble and soon it might just pop!

Surely most of us knew when he signed that we were a stepping stone. We were only ever going to get 3 or 4 seasons out of him and hoped he could help propel us into the top 4 or Champions League. It hasn't happened and we have finished bottom half two seasons on the trot.

As for loyalty, that concept disappeared a long time ago in football. Probably around the time average players started earning millionaire wages and agents started calling the shots. Good players will always follow the money...

For some reason, I always recall an anecdote from Harry Redknapp about John Moncur. A bid came in for around £2M, West Ham wanted £3M. Moncur's agent heard, called Harry and stated that his player was being underpaid as was now a £3M player!

Clearly we have Rom for one last season. I'll cheer him when he scores, moan at him when he looks uninterested. If he scores 30 goals, then great, as we'll get more money for him. If he looks bored by Christmas, we buy another striker.

In the meantime, I expect to hear crap from him and his Dad during every international break. I don't care anymore. I also get the feeling Koeman won't take too much crap from him. We clearly have some money to buy another striker if needed before next summer.

I think a 44-year-old Duncan Ferguson could attack a high ball into the box better than Rom! A big lump like him should do better. If only he had the intent of Drogba or Ferguson.

I think Benteke or Bony should have been brought in before the transfer window closed. Rom has such ability, we all know this, but he behaves like a playground prima donna!

Your first paragraph is exactly the reason people feel surprise, disappointed, angry etc.

He was pushed out of Chelsea (to use your own argument) because of what? No PSG or Bayern come for him because of what? And why no-one bid for him last month? I thought it's quite simple, he's not good enough to play for these teams.

So I can understand why some people feel annoyed with all the shit coming out from his mouth.

He's always had a bigger opinion of himself, and in his (and his Dad's) head Everton was never the team he would had wanted to be playing for.

That's what I meant about anyone on here being surprised or shocked. With him it has always been about what is best for brand Lukaku. That mindset is not new.

You want to win trophies? Quit your yapping, and score a bag full of goals. You will earn you price tag, either win a trophy here, or be able to leave with your head held high.

Until that day arrives, its time to either poop, or get off the pot!

Unfortunately this is a doubled edged sword: a disappointing season and his value will plummet; or a good season will see him head off with 2 years remaining on his contract.

Personally; I'd prefer # 2.

Great, encourage the atmosphere at Goodison to be shit like it was last season. All because a prima donna shouts his gob off. Talk about letting the prima donnas win. How about ignore the bull shit, treat disrespectful comments with the disdain they deserve, regard his opinions as irrelevant? No? Well fuck it then, sounds like another disaster in the making.. I want something better. Don't you?

Sorry mate, I'm not singing the twat's name which tacitly endorses his stance and further massages his inflated ego.

I'm not saying sell him and I made it clear I'm not saying boo him.. by all means support anyone in blue but I think he's forfeited the honour of being idolised and the fans should let the rest of the team and the management know that they stand shoulder to shoulder with them and not this lumbering prick.

Berahino has bee after a move for three years and they still haven't let him go, and I don't think he is picky where he goes!!!!!

Shut up, score us lots of goals and all your wishes will come true...

He's a decent striker who signed for us on the promise of us getting Champions League or winning things. We've spent the last 2 seasons playing shite football and finishing in the bottom half of the table. Of course he wants out. Personally I only expected him to be here for a couple of seasons so all this talk of him leaving at some point is entirely expected. He could have done a Lescott but he hasn't.

He's here until at least the Summer so you're all just going to deal with it instead of all this "Lukaku? He's shite. Never rated him anyway!" nonsense.

Disrespectful, but actually also deluded and boring... and I've defended him plenty before. Now fine his ass.

That is what makes players world class and that is the issue I have with what you said.

IMO and its only an opinion Lukaku is a mile off being world class.

I believe we should be looking for up and coming talent. Vardy came out of nowhere. Tevez and Suarez were relatively unheard of before coming to prominence. Marcus Rashford and Patrick Bamford look like coming good.

Problem is he has not been able to hit the proverbial cow's arse with a banjo.

We always expect people to be professional and dig in (and rightly so) but in those tough moments of a season when the results are going against us, that is when you see the true commitment of some of the players. If recent history is anything to go by, this is when Rom puts his head down and sulks.

Should we expect anything else? I hope so. We need him to perform consistently to both rack up the points for us and to keep his inflated price tag high.

As I've stated he's a class above his team mates, and any other striker we can afford.

I'm certainly not dismissing your view mate, Rom certainly divides opinions amongst us blues, it's just good that we all love the blues enough to debate our players etc.

You are spot on about Lukaku.

I think we should show him how ambitious we are by agreeing to sell him for offers 'in the region of' £14m (ie, half what he cost us).

Then use the money to buy a striker who can hold the ball up and whose second touch is not a (half-hearted) tackle (ie, someone from the Championship).

Do you think they are doing cartwheels in the dressing room – "Great, we've still got Rom. We know he spunked the semi-final, and thinks we're all shite not fit to velcro his boots, he's going to get a 50% pay increase for gobbing off, and meek mild-mannered Bainesy will be lambasted in public for saying Koeman is a great bloke to work for"

He has scored 2 outstanding goals v Arsenal 3 years ago, and Chelsea in the cup. The rest you would expect any GOOD striker to have got – and more besides.

He doesn't deserve to be ignored, he should get what every spoiled tantrumming kid should get. A damned good thrashing.

Or at least a fortnights wages docked and donated to Alder Hey every time his unhappiness happens to manifest itself via himself, agent or father.

If he continues disrespecting his employers, workmates, and audience, how can you expect him NOT to be vilified?

He would be training by himself until January if I was manager.

It's becoming tedious.

There's no need for a thrashing, because he's working under a new, hard, disciplined regime. It's not negotiable, he just has to take orders and get on with it. In other words, Everton has all the chips, total control provided we have the right manager, which I think we have.

If Evertonians ignored all the press shite, and his shite, it would be irrelevant. He and the media have got loads of Evertonians venting their spleens. Well it's not worth the effort. As for the other players, that's likely to be a diminishing problem as Koeman's regime sinks in more and more.

YES OK, WE GET IT, YOU WANT OUT!

Now start scoring some goals so we can actually sell you off to one of the teams that didn't quite value your services as much as we do.Blabberlu!

Had he got his wish and joined Chelsea, would he play week in week out after not scoring for for weeks on end, missing a penalty and a raft of chances in a cup semi final.

I was gutted when Naismith left, he bust a gut for Everton, was played out of position, but Jesus he bloody gave everything, even donated tickets to jobless fans. I stick by my comment when a ball was played in the box to Naismith he rarely missed the target, just a shame the poor guy was played out on the wing instead of in the centre.

You obviously never saw Rod Belfitt, Brett Angell or Bernie Wright etc. play for us if you think Rom has the worst touch ever in an EFC shirt.

Paul Mackie (#151) – spot on.

Who is this quote from? Is it from an inmate at Walton prison who has wrongly convicted of an offence and had to serve 3 years for a crime he did not commit?

Surely it's not from a footballer who signed a 5-year deal for £75k a week who decides that 2 or 3 years is more than enough and they want to earn more elsewhere?

Oh, it's Lukaku... ah, okay. Nothing to see here folks, it's international break which means the gobby one gets to showcase his ability to talk and engineer a move in one of many subtle ways.

I wonder if he has a book of non-serious – but I am being serious clichés:- "I'm not being funny but...", "with all due respect...", "the fact of the matter is..."