Barry tells Lukaku: stick with Blues to realise Champions League dream

I hope so anyway! Get that contract signed Rom!

With some fantastic young talent coming through and getting first team football Barry will do a great job protecting and advising these lads on and off the pitch.

For me, the one thing Everton have lacked in the Premier League era to properly compete is money. That's all. It has the fan base and the history. Our aging stadium and lack of income capacity has held the club back for 30 years and more.

Just look what money has done to propel Chelsea and Man City into the so called elite. Would players like Aguero, or David Silva, or Diego Costa, or Eden Hazard have joined Man City or Chelsea ten years ago? Not a chance.

If this stadium project is well managed (Elstone at the helm does not fill me with confidence), then there is no limit to this club's potential and drawing power in my opinion.

I just wish that Rom showed that same attitude every match, obviously he won't score every game and he certainly won't bag four in a game for quite a while, but I wonder if knowing that Lookman would be up front with him gave him that pre-match confidence on Saturday?

The Rom we saw at Stoke wouldn't be missed by most sides, but the Rom we saw against Bournemouth would be missed by almost any team.

As an aside, there are some rumours going around that McCarthy has succumbed to another hamstring injury, therefore, Barry is still an important cog in the Everton midfield.

That said, Barry owes Everton absolutely nothing, he's been a decent signing and represented us in a truly professional manner, but fans asking for him to be given another deal surely mustn't be aware that he has next years deal already in the bag, or they are just plain nuts.

Clubs can't go about giving players of Barry's age extra years willy-nilly, especially when we have players like Schneiderlin, Gana, McCarthy, Davies, Besic and young lads trying to break through already under contract.

I love Barry's professionalism, but I'd move him on at the end of this season.

He came across really good in putting the current Everton set-up in a good light.

Stay at Everton. You will play. You will score goals. We will get a new stadium. We are aiming for Europe next year, Champions League within 3.

If Rom stays with us for another 3 years, and leaves us for 𧴜 million having scored over 100 goals to join Real Madrid or PSG, I would have no problem with that. I would only asks that he gives us a chance to get him to where he wants to go. And if we are in the Champions League in a new stadium in 3 years, the only way he could leave us would be to a European giant that he couldn't refuse.

Add that to what Seamus has recently said about professional footballers needing to "get real" (I paraphrase) and the no fannying around attitude of big Ron that at last seems to be permeating the skull of even Ross Barkley and the future seems bright, the future seems blue.

Belief is the key, allied to hard work. Long may it continue. Top four this season is not beyond our lot providing they give their all in every part of every game. They'll get my unqualified support if they look like they're trying, like they have done since folding against Leicester in the cup.

Favourite Rom goal from, Saturday? They were all superb, but I'll go for his last. It had everything; awareness, speed of thought, pace, POWER, skill, strength, eargerness and fantastic finishing.

What a joy, amazing he plays for us. Let's enjoy the moment, with many more to come. COYB.

Are you surprised at the studying video comment? You shouldn't be as Rom said that he studied himself, opponents' defenders and players, and other strikers to improve himself.

This disclosure came over a year ago and seemed to indicate he had been doing it for quite a while. He should have shown the film to Martinez!

I've lost count over 50 years of televised football, how many times a goal or a pen ends up from a forward trying to defend... mostly the commentators are kind saying, "Well Barry, it was a bit of a forwards tackle tbh, the ref had no option really, it's a red card and a penalty."

The likes of Cahill, Jelavic, yes, by all means attack the ball and head it clear... even Fellaini, if he sticks to heading and keeps his elbows to himself.

But the only box I want to see Lukaku in is the opposition's.

The biggest fear, of course, is that Chelsea and Costa appear headed for a messy divorce. If that happens, then they'll have a gaping hole at striker, (in all likelihood) be the defending champions and offer Rom the prospect of "unfinished business" at his boyhood club. That's definitely the scenario that genuinely worries me.

There's a misconception that to ask a forward to be the first line of defence, is to ask him to expend all his energy and chase back 50 yards. That not the idea.

Lukaku and indeed Barkley have been guilty of switching off when the opposition gain the ball in their own half. By simply focusing and stepping in front on the guy with the ball they make themselves first line of defence.

They don't have to chase back at all, just position themselves better when a poor ass hands the opposition the ball. If a defender looks up and sees eleven opponents in front of him is options are more limited than the guy who sees nine or ten.

If we get a viable offer from one of the big boys this Summer, he will want to move and I think would back himself to become 'the man' wherever he goes. The question will be who out there sees him as fitting their system enough to pay the 㿼m+ that he will surely cost now?

Hopefully no-one, coz we will not find a more effective goal scorer.

Both Arsenal and Chelsea will need a new front man in the summer; Chelsea to replace Costa and Wenger to keep his job and I'd suspect sizeable bids from those two.

Shame. But that's life. He's given us 4 years and, although the revolution has begun; I fear it's started to late to keep Rom.

We can see his constant failure to score in Belgium where he is just another cog in the machine. Grass is never greener and all that.

Arsenal desperately needs him, but they won't sniff our asking price.

Man City? Forget it – all Pep cares about is his precious system and Rom doesn't fit it. He's trying to shove Aguero out the door, for God's sake.

Man Utd? Not really an area of need and the presumption is that they're already in for Griezmann anyway.

I'm not sure what Barcelona would even do with him and there are already way too many egos at Real Madrid.

Bayern Munich? Maybe, I guess, but I don't really see it, to be honest. Just my two cents.

I hope Walsh is lining-up our next striker.

Darren, has a good point and I would use the same two players to expand on it. Barkley and Lukaku both switch off when they are not goal-side and this can be frustrating because pinching the ball on the blind-side is one of the most effective ways in which to retain possession, especially when the opposition have pushed up the pitch.

Damien, what about Barkley's back-heel for your favourite goal on Saturday, mate? I know he left Big Rom a bit to much to do but the big man was on fire!

Options for a move would then be limited to perhaps Real, Bayern or PSG – the latter, despite their money have never come close to winning Champions League so that might narrow the field to two, neither of whom may see him as a player who will fit their style of play.

Step two of course would be to tie him to a long term contract and of course steps three and four would be to make the Champions League ourselves and build that shiny new stadium!

I think he's waiting to see where we finish in the league before he decides whether to sign the offered extension to his contract. I think if we "just" miss out on the top four (which is possible) he may believe that with the addition of several players in the summer we could achieve top four next season.

We have to realize that Rom is a very single minded fella with a clear view of where he wants to go and when he wants to get there. I don't think, if we didn't keep making significant progress, ANY amount of money could make him stay, I really don't. The lad wants to lift trophies, and win titles. I just wish, hope, pray that he does that with us!

PSG, Real will have the money and remember the weak sterling makes him cheaper for them. Goes without saying that I want him to stay but will the player be able to resist if someone like Real Madrid came in for him?

Call it "pressing" if necessary, but making zero effort to close down, tackle, harry or press the opponent in possession is how Rom and Ross in particular have let themselves and their own defence down for years. That's what Koeman has repeatedly said and he's right.

Credit to Ross on Saturday for actually deigning to tackle, at last!

Lescott and Stones wanted to leave. Lukaku, though, when has he shown he wants out?

We struggled for years to sign top strikers and so we had to take a gamble on somebody who had potential but maybe a manager didn't believe in him. Hopefully it's the same with Schneiderlin.

Many on here thought it was a huge waste of money on a player who thought he was better than he really was and there are still a good few who can't admit they were wrong and that he's still a lazy big lump who can't control the ball or win headers etc. The fact is the lad is still young (23) yet he's about to become our top premier league scorer only after 4 seasons.

If I'm to be honest I think we are changing as a club but it will be a slow process. I don't think we will become like Man City or Chelsea but I'd be happy if we were a top 4 club most seasons. However, I think Rom, like Rooney, Suarez, Van Persie and many others realise they could stay and be loyal to the club or they want to move to a club with real prospects of winning trophies.

I think Rom knows he's still got a lot to learn and he's got a manager who believes in him and has built a team around him. He plays every game and rarely gets taken off and so he knows that, if he stays here for a while, he will be allowed to grow and develop and be ready for his BIG MOVE to a top club. He knows if he moves to a Chelsea, Man Utd or top European club he won't be allowed that time to develop and won't get as much game time.

I think he is determined to go back to Chelsea and prove himself there that Mourinho was wrong to let him go but, if a bigger European club come knocking, then he'll like that even more so, but I reckon he'll stay with us maybe 1 or 2 more seasons as he likes what he sees from Koeman and Moshiri.

Lescott and Stones both had serious suitors who weren't just sniffing about, but had actually slapped down sizeable bids to back up their interest.

Totally different scenario to Rom's agent or arl fella saying "I heard some tasty little Spanish sort/your 'mutton dressed as lamb' mouthy cockney ex with the lazy eye was checking you out. You're in there, son. Gagging for goals, they are."

I'm still kicking myself for not putting a fiver on Leicester getting relegated as I confidently predicted it at the end of last season.

At Everton since the Premier League started we have absolutely ruined lone strikers who were supposed to run out wide and hold the ball. They all stopped doing their real job ie; score goals.

Lukaku is already very well known by the big clubs and Chelsea will never forget the wonder goal he scored against them last season.

I will go out on a limb here and say that big Rom is the best all around striker I have seen in an Everton shirt and I include the days of Vernon and Young He is tough marked in every match and I know that all the pre-match tactics of opponents revolve around stopping him. ong may he stay playing for Everton!

Lukaku's finishing on Saturday was equal to Lewandowski or Aubameyang and he's still improving. Utterly clinical. Best striker in the league.

Buying a replacement who scores this often and easy will be near impossible.

We have reached a place where players who would have walked into our first team a few years ago are being loaned or sold to others.

We have a legendary player as our manager, a billionaire chairman, a new stadium, quality youngsters and a bunch of £20 million plus players on the pitch. Why are we still thinking like a selling club?

We should be competing with Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal for players in key positions. Those players should be capable of smashing our self imposed glass ceiling.

It is weird how we can compete with the big boys on the field (smashing one of them 4-0) but we're still scared to compete against them in the transfer market. Giving up the ghost when they come knocking. Would we have sold Southall back in the day? Hell no. Fuck em. Give Lukaku what he wants and let's back him up with quality in the transfer market.

The alternative worries me. I despair if we sell him and buy a Belfodil or another Niasse. Our club is very capable of doing that and there another opportunity to progress could be lost.

Over to the big guns at our club – let's see what they've got, how serious they really are about moving us on.

Everyone can have one stand-out season, à la Marcus Stewart, Marco Negri, Stephen Ireland. Its about doing it over and over.

Not saying that I would be unhappy if we signed him – just that I think there are better options out there for our style of play.

Walsh is told that that money will go towards finding two strikers who can hit the ground running. Walsh gets the job under way and we have them in place by July. Simple. Now I must get back to sorting out the problems in the Middle East

I am still pissed that, instead of hogging the scoring opportunities all to himself, Rom didn't try to find teammates to pass the ball to, in order to build team unity and show he puts the club first. After all, he only got the backpass to the keeper because he was lazy and walking back to his position instead of pressing. But then again, Rom is a selfish, scuffing, poor first touch, lazy, negative, horrible person whom Everton can't get rid of soon enough.