Lukaku praises pal Bolasie's “striker's instinct”

It was the only thing Bolasie done all game and it was a fluke! That tackle come cross could have ended up anywhere!

Bolasie has lot to prove to live up to that price tag, but it is early days in a blue shirt so I will reserve judgment until the end of the year but up to now he has not overly impressed a bit McGeady-esque for me!

Regarding the "fluke" assist. He was sharp and when making the challenge, he definitely wanted the ball to go across goal so wasn't a fluke at all.

I like him so far.

I'd give Bolasie a solid 7 our of 10 so far. Would possibly be more were it not for the inflated price tag which to be fair is not his fault at all. He works hard, beats his man regularly and gets a fair few balls into dangerous areas. Scoring or creating a goal every other game is a pretty good return so, if he keeps that up along with his work rate, then I think most people will be pretty chuffed.

If he hadn't have got to it, we wouldn't have broken the deadlock.

I'll take the three points, fluke or not.

He certainly puts fear into defences, and can create havoc. Anyway, in my view, a price tag is inflated only if nobody is willing to pay it. But we did, so it's not.

Being at Goodison Sunday, I was watching the pre-match shooting warm up and he hit the target with nearly every shot, far more than Rom.

Calm down and relax – he will be the business.

For large periods of the game yesterday, he didn't show up but he always seems to have at least one moment a game where he creates something big.

He's big, fast, skilled, strong as an ox, and takes defenders on. For sure, they (and their managers) fear him. Not exactly Delboy or Mirallas is he?

A good signing for me.

Have to add, hahahahaha in response to, "it was a fluke!". That rush for a loose ball and flick-on was exactly the thing Bolaise can and will do.

Lukaku is the player who frustrates me the most, quite simply because he doesn't always do enough to get the team playing off him. For the last half-an-hour yesterday, he was strong, made space for himself and his team-mates, and became a focal point for the team.

No co-incidence that Everton, looked a much better team going forward, when Romelu, decided to really play?

I don't care if he then fucks about for a bit. He loves playing and more importantly he loves playing with Rom. I'm made up we signed him.

Worried about our midfield for the Chelsea game with Gueye missing but it's not all doom and gloom and I'm hoping that Ross continues to build his confidence.

It wasn't a fluke at all, he showed more hunger than anyone to get the loose ball and make sure his tackle-pass (I've just created a new word) got to Lukaku.

If he was to get nigh on ten assists plus six or seven goals by the end of the season, then I would consider that quite successful.

We need more players like Bolasie who can change games and make their own luck instead of wandering around navel-gazing like they're lost in the supermarket.

I like the way that Rom wants him to get into goal scoring positions. 1 goal 4 assists so far and you think he's McGeady-esque? It's time for you to get real, I think.

How many quality dangerous crosses did he throw into the mix?

How many shot's on target did he have?

How many nice through-balls did he play?

Look, I'm not writing this guy off by no means as he definitely has shown some qualities and, like I said, given a bit more time to settle in the squad, he could become a real asset.

My point is at the moment he is really hit or miss – just like McGeady was, one minute something quality; next, very unpredictable and poor!

I know the price tag is not his fault but, when you pay that kind of money for a signing, I expect quality and consistency and I have not yet seen a lot of that!

Roll on next Saturday to see what he can do against Chelsea .

He will take time to settle into a new club playing with new players; as Koeman said when he signed him, he will have to improve his goals-per-game ratio.

He moves across the turf like a thoroughbred.

Watch the replay on the official site. Their two defenders hesitated for a split second and he was on to it like – Alan Whittle!

If you haven't already guessed, I really rate him.

I know EXACTLY what you mean!!!

Okay, he's not totally consistent but he's done more in 10 games than McGeady did in two or three seasons.

"He is really hit or miss – just like McGeady was, one minute something quality; next, very unpredictable and poor!"

Hahahahaha.

To start, you'd have to divide his accumulated minutes so far by 5 or 6 to begin a comparison with McGeady's time in the side. Then we'd have to serve him breakfast, lunch, and dinner at Burger King for a month before he can even LOOK like McGeady.

He hits, he misses, he keeps attacking. Defenders fear him and for good reason.

Comparing him to McGeady. You really are a funny guy.

Had to laugh at that, nice one; though I can see what John and others mean. McGeady hardly played but scored and got a few assists. He cost 7 times less than Bolasie but at times, it's hard to see a difference. Bolasie reminds me more of McFadden though: bags of ability, but looks as though he's forgotten how to use it sometimes.

When he has time to make decisions, he seems to dither and mess up, but when instinct kicks in – like the lightning attack on the parried shot on Sunday – he can create chances from nothing.

I'm hoping he improves as he settles in, but we have the right to expect more from our joint record signing in the coming months – or he may find himself at Preston!!!

Anyway, I have a foot in both camps here. The guy can be explosive and exciting. He does have my arse sliding involuntary towards the edge of my seat when he gets the ball... but he was right at the front of the queue when The Lord was handing out Dafttwatishness... He often plays like he's 12. The drag backs, the rolling the ball under his feet, the half-witted matador pose when he stops it in front of a defender... WTF is all that about ?

I'm my opinion this guy could be great, I mean proper "Great". He has the skills, the pace and the power...

If he's going to act like he's 12, make him stay behind after training every day and write "I must get my delivery in" 1,000 times.

Or, better still, make him watch a DVD of the season the Latch netted 30 league goals. Tell him to ignore Big Bob, force him to concentrate on the winger with his socks rolled down. Do this every day after training until the penny drops.

Lukaku thinks it's great playing with Bolasie? He would have thought it was Christmas every Saturday if he played with Dave Thomas...

He pounced on a loose ball that he had no right to get to and fired it straight across goal. I don't know how anyone can try and dismiss his efforts.

He does lose the ball sometimes when taking people on, I think you'll find that most wingers do. He has flair and eccentricity, things you need to have to beat defenders. If you don't want that then let's get Tom Cleverley on the right wing and pass from flank to flank without any penetration whatsoever.

If Bolasie was at the 'front of the queue when The Lord was handing out Dafttwatishness' then you must have had a good chance to chat to him while you waited in line, Darren.

He messed up a 'rabona' in the attacking third. Big bloody deal. As you say, 'he could be great... he has the skills'. You'd rather he kept them to himself and played in constant fear of looking daft?

"but he was right at the front of the queue when The Lord was handing out Dafttwatishness.."

That could be taken as a compliment but a big call either way – anyhow, I can't disagree with the rest of your post.

One thing's for sure – he isn't lacking in confidence.

Coincidentally, the first player I ever saw doing a rabona kick in an actual game was, believe it or not – Alan Ball.

The Chelsea away game feels like it will be the first one to really measure where we are this season.

I don't think I'll ever warm to him though. Strikes me as someone who lacks all the qualities of a good clubman. That rabona attempt was disrespectful to just about anyone involved in the match. The sort of bloke I would have hated in my playing days.

My tip is that he'll come up just short of being good for us because he'll never care enough to give his very best and his character will fail him when it matters most.

The pass before the assist, such as a defence-splitting pass to the one doing the assist, or the player taking two or 3 defenders away creating space for the assist and goal, is just as important.

Whether Bolasie meant to cross the ball in that manner or whether it was a fluke, who cares. He saw a loose ball, took a chance, and dealt with it the best he could. 1-0. Job done. The point is, he was there.

I guess if we had conceded a goal like that, we would have complained about our static defence. No-one marking the centre forward etc!

I guess West Ham were just caught out... shame! :)

Also, I haven't forgotten his part in Lukaku's goal against Man City – a brilliant flick that completely took the defender out.

As James (#11) said, he's frustrating but has got unbelievable ability. Still early days but so far you can't knock his assist rate.

He was in the queue when God was giving out heads, but he thought God said 'beds', so he said to God "Can I have a nice big soft one please".

Back to the argument: I think he will please us and frustrate us in equal measures – a bit like Peter Beagrie.

My answer is that, in everything, when you are very good at what you do, you can be comfortable with mistakes, because they are more than countered by the successes. If players and teams didn't try things that might not come off, football wouldn't (in my view) be worth watching.

I find such attempts a sign of confidence, like Barkley's Penanka against Newcastle last season. If they don't come off, it's disappointing (and it can look a bit daft), but if they do come off, it's great.

I'll celebrate his goals and assists as much as the next blue, but he's a bit of a cock isn't he?

Gonna have to agree with this. It wasn't as if he was using this to try and get past a man, he was unmarked and did end up looking like a bit of a twat.

I recall a dribbling run he made on the right wing, and he was juggling the ball as he ran. I don't think he needed to do it, strictly speaking, but it was fantastic and rammed home how superior we were in the ball.

Like Coleman a few seasons ago screaming down the wing playing keepy up.

However, something came of it and it looked good.

Bolasie, in that moment, looked a twat and his sheepish grin afterwards would seems to suggest he thought so too.

Good enough, he got on with it, but everything has its time and its place, there was absolutely no need for him to try that when and where he was. The potential for looking a twat increased exponentially

Lo and behold, he looked a twat afterwards

The golfer's name you were looking for was Gary Player. An American journalist said to Player after his round did he think he was a bit lucky with his score. To which Player replied "You could be right because, the more I practice, the luckier I get!"

I always liked Duncan McKenzie, even though his messing about with the ball didn't always produce results. He frightened the opposition, and he could make them look stupid. Like he did with Tommy Smith in that semi-final against Liverpool (where we were robbed). The way he trapped the ball from a goal-kick, and flicked it over his head, turned, and left Smith for dead, wonderful.

I think Bolasie has similar attributes. In fact, we have a number of really good ball players, and if we gel as a team, that ball-playing could mean we not only win but do so with style. There are signs of that, sporadic at the moment.

I find such attempts a sign of confidence.

What would have happened if the West Ham throw-in had led to a goal? It's not confidence at all, it's a sign of an individual trying to gain kudos at the expense of his team.

I hope Koeman has had a go at him for that, as he should have been trying to get the ball into the danger area. I've personally had enough of Mirallas and Deulofeu looking after themselves and not playing for Everton; I'd expect more than personal tricks from a record signing.

In future I hope he never tries anything flash (i.e. twatty) ever again and just sticks to jogging around the pitch, avoiding the ball where possible.

And I quite like a bit of fucking around with the ball. Just the right amount, not too much, not too little, kinda goldilocks fucking about. The kind that entertains, which is what the whole fucking thing is supposed to be about.

If being in the queue where they were handing dafttwatishness gave me the insight to know that, although Dave Thomas had about half the tricks Bolasie has, he was twice the player... I'm glad I was in it.

If being in the queue where they were handing out dafttwatishness, gave me the ability to distinguish the difference between genuine skill and a painfully embarrassing attempt to do what every schoolboy does when he fucks about with his mates... I'm glad I was in it.

If being in the queue where they handed out dafttwatishness made me realise that there is a very clear difference between a player confident enough to execute a genuine piece of skill for the good of the team and a silly selfish fucker trying to get on Soccer AM's showboating slot with no regard for the team whatsoever... Guess what? I'm glad I was in it.

I guess it could have been a whole lot worse. There but for the grace, I could have been in a different queue... The one which was populated by cheap point scorers who would argue against such logic... The one where they were handing out undiluted dumbfuckery.

I like him. Definitely think he will thrill and frustrate – as we were warned he would. Enjoying watching these two together.

Now I want us to get Yarmolenko and Strootman then we are ready to become a top 4 side!

I suppose you were happy with Martinez then, and Stones pissing about in his area, Howard and Osman conspiring to give Sunderland an unexpected away win, Howard again almost getting Barry a leg break on his debut etc?

Successful sides play to win, not to show how clever the individuals are.

I want to see players try to break games open, happy to see them try something outrageous when we're comfortably ahead.

Again, Bolasie's moment was none of the above. It was "look at me freestyle" stuff.

Strangely, that seems to have crept into the current generation at all levels. The trick has surpassed the performance. Youngsters are seemingly happy to lose looking good. I keep seeing it while coaching kids, and also when I end up playing against teams of lads in their early 20s. They watch those F2 Freestyler type shows (Google it) and think that's the aim.

In my day, we did that stuff in the parks, but not on the pitches.

You don't need The Guardian, you have proved you are a knowledgeable fan. Think about these "assists":

Two of them were tackles and one of them was actually Bolasie's goal. None of them came from a dragback, a rollover, or a daft schoolboy trick. In fact I'm really struggling to remember when Bolasie actually showed he had the skill to pull off these "gimmicks".

He is not Magic Duncan Mac, he doesn't have dazzling feet. He has pace, power and an ability to cross the ball. That's what I want to see. He can and should be top draw.

It's all very well people saying they want to see these tricks... but you need the players who have the ability to pull them off. Repeated failed attempts only frustrate fans and teammates in equal measure.

Bolasie may think he is magic Duncan but he isn't.

The tricks are useful against a packed defence, but not on the break, where I agree with you that he's more effective using his pace and smacking the ball into the box. Might be good if we got more people into the box for him to aim at.

I would criticise Bolasie in that scenario, but then maybe Lukaku needs someone to say "I'm not even going to look, I just expect you to be there as you're our striker".

a) control it and attack the danger area;
or
b) try a fuckwittish freestyle type show-off trick with a high risk of fucking up.

Now look into the future needed to see which one most fans would want to see.

Nothing would have come of it, as the trick wasn't used to beat a man, keep the ball in etc. He did it for purely selfish show-off reasons and duly looked a twat afterwards.

As I said, I don't mind showboating, but 1-0 up against a decent side and unmarked shouldn't be the time for it.

He has got pace, strength and seems to work hard for the team and shows a lot more desire to win than Geri or Kev at the moment. I think the best thing he has, though, is his friendship with Rom as you can see both are really enjoying playing alongside each other and it will make it a little harder for Rom to leave at the end of the season.

I reckon Rom had been under pressure from his dad and also his agent to push hard for the big money transfer but he knows what he will be leaving behind and how he is a huge fish in a small pond with us.