Lukaku faces challenge as Kane scores 4

Update... forget that – he's had it.

Bugger, we can't use the line, "He's the Premier League's top scorer." when negotiating his price now!!

Bloody Kane. Penalties shouldn't count!!

We shall see...

I'm sure some of the Lukaku moaners on here will now be rejoicing given some of the comments about him of late.

And Kane missed some time earlier in the season with an injury and has not played as many games as Lukaku. Kane deserves it playing in a much better team than us.

That's the difference, sadly Koeman is going to have the task of getting in at least 3 players in the summer that are able to hit double figures in terms of goals.

Kane, Son and Alli
Sanchez, Giroud and Walcott

All hitting double figures.

Difference between Kane and Lukaku is that Kane is a team player, Lukaku plays for himself and most likely to flatter his suitors and massage his own ego. Lukaku shot himself in the foot and said he had nothing to learn from Kane - well Kane certainly got the last laugh.

And before people start saying Kane was in a better team etc in defence of Lukaku that might well be true but I also seen Suarez carry Liverpool almost single handed for 2-3 seasons and challenging at the top.

"Yes, nurse, I'll take the tablets now."

Boro, with the pressure off their shoulders, play like men possessed and lead at Anfield.

We're 1-0 down and everything is falling into place. Then Rom switches into beast mode and destroys the Arse, scoring a perfect hat-trick, and winning the Golden Boot.

Selfish twat!

I said back a month ago that Kane would be top scorer. He works his socks of for his team and scores goals from anywhere, inside or outside the box. He is a much better player than Lukaku.

Don't get me wrong: Lukaku is a good player... but doesn't finish off the season well –especially when he wants a move. This was the same thing that happened last season – no goals in the final 10 matches.

I can also see Kane scoring against Hull in the last match. To me, this shows that Lukaku is over-rated; I think Kane has even played 8 matches less.

I would take Kane over Lukaku all day long

Lukaku is the superior player in my eyes, but Kane has the superior attitude.

Kane has scored his goals from more than double the chances that Lukaku has received and takes their penalties. Kane is surrounded by top class attacking players who often run past him and create room for him. Kane is not a one-man band, three of his team mates up front are into double figures so defenders do not just look to stop him.

Without Lukaku, we would have a negative goal difference and be half way in the league at best. Get off Rom's back and support him while we have him. I just hope the lad does not read TW as some of the destructive comments on here are ludicrous and detrimental IMO.

I disagree, Alasdair (#15), I think Kane is a better all-round player but I agree with you with regards to Kane having a far better attitude.

But a bit of this news about Kane scoring 4 and overtaking him makes me quietly smile about the attitude of both players.

Having money isn't enough, it's finding players who are better than the ones you have and then getting them to come to us in the face of massive competition.

Liverpool bought a gem in Sane but gems like him rarely come along and, like Sissoko for Spurs can be a big risk. Spurs are a really good side now and are a mini-league above us now.

I believe that we'll be a very long and frustrating summer window and not necessarily the fault of the club. I'd prefer them not to buy rather than make a buy like Pogba.

I have to say I would take Kane over Rom any day. Kane is consistent, Lukaku shows up when he feels like it.

So frustrating to watch is Rom, he has missed Bolasie, but that is no excuse. I wonder if we could actually get a result at Arsenal on Sunday? Maybe if he puts in a half-decent shift. It would be refreshing but I am not holding my breath...

Kane has a work ethic for a striker to me that ticks every box. His running off the ball, his positional sense, his ability to score a goal out of nothing... I could go on but I'm sure you get the point.

Oh, and Kane loves playing for Spurs. Whereas, Lukaku can't wait to get away from Everton, as he's been saying for a while... well, since Day One.

Oh, I've got more news for the 𧴜 million rated striker: No-one's coming in for you. Watch this space...

Lukaku "has nothing to learn from Kane"; Kane has nothing to learn from Lukaku...

Having said that, I'd rate Kane above Lukaku at the moment. He's a better all-round player. That's not to say that Lukaka couldn't overtake him in the next few years, just the way it is right now.

Lukaku will not be a big risk for Chelsea as they have other players who can get goals for them. I don't think Lukaku as an individual player will be a better player at Chelsea but as a team they will be successful because they have better players who can make up for Lukaku's shortfalls.

I don't get why some people seem pleased that the golden boot is being taken away from an Everton player by a Spurs player. It does make me wonder if half of the posters on here are actually Evertonians with some of the rubbish that is written.

Ask Harry Kane he just 'has'.

Let's be honest, Spurs' two stars, Kane and Ericksen, could probably play for the very top clubs like Barca, Real, Bayern... can anyone with a straight face say the same about Lukaku or Barkley?

Kane deserves the golden boot; his all-around game is light-years ahead of Lukaku. There is a zero chance Rom bags a hat-trick vs Arsenal away and Kane draws a blank against relegated Hull at home – it's over.

Thursday night –- hmmmm.... Rom's stats don't look so clever now.... blame his team-mates!!!

Round 68... ding-ding!

Rom will be hard pressed to score against a Gunners side having to go all out knowing RS have an easy one against pathetic Boro.

Still, all Rom's detractors will say all his 24 goals were lucky and he doesn't deserve the Golden Boot, or even a muddy boot, for what he has done.

The last month we have slouched which is a trait off the last few seasons, getting the beach mats out too early.

I'll not believe anything with the transfer market until it happens; this is Everton and we have had a lifetime of let-downs on and off the park.

I hope we beat Arsenal and get moving with the knowledge Bill Kenwright has pledged we can go for any player the manager wants.

Let's see what Sunday night and next week brings.

All the best to Evertonians and a good summer for us all.

I would love it if Rom could win the Golden Boot to give us fans something to smile about. Unfortunately he is going to fall short methinks. We played the mighty Swansea the other week and Rom and the rest of the team were garbage. He should be scoring hat tricks against defences like that.

Rom is a funny one. Oh for Bakayoko and Amokachi, now they were proper strikers.

After Rom, our next highest scorer is on 4, which goes to show how few chances we create as a team. Lukaku is clinical, and would likely score 30 in that Spurs team.

Kane works hard for the team and scores his goals despite not always being the focal point. Rom on the other hand, generally likes others to do the preparatory work.

Lukaku spends his time thinking about himself; Kane just thinks about winning for the team.

Maybe if he tried in those big games he would be golden boot winner and maybe we would be close to top 4.

I don't like these individual awards, the Ballon d'Or especially, I find the whole song and dance over them cringingly narcissist. Football is a team game and the real winners are Chelsea from 1 to 11.

In the last six Premier League games Kane has bagged six goals, Lukaku ZERO, besides being a far better all-round player, he's shown up when he needed to and got the job done.

Btw, we're not haters just realists; Kane deserves it more.

Whilst you consistently demean Everton, just think what that'll do for your next contract, Rom! Something to play for, at last!!!!

I can't imagine a Man Utd forum or Liverpool forum slating their top scorer and twisting themselves in pretzels to celebrate an opposition player's goals. It really is something to behold. Enjoy watching Kane at Wembley next season.

Thanks for the goals and one season where you actually looked like the top class player you always thought you were.

But probably not. We will be far too busy slagging off our new Josh King or Andre Gray type striker to notice what Lukaku is doing. Our next new striker will have to get used to minimal scoring chances, no width and just love playing up top on his own, like totally isolated and have two centre-backs crawling all over him.

Opening game of the season against Everton, no goals in a draw.
At home to Liverpool, no goals in a draw.
Away to Chelsea no goals in a loss.
Away to United no goals in a loss.
Home to Chelsea, no goals as a sub in a win, guess they did better without him.
Away to Man City in a draw, no goals.
Away to Liverpool no goals in another loss.
No goals in either leg against Gent, being knocked out of the Europa League. Way to bottle it when it counts.
Getting 1 goal in the 4-2 FA Cup loss to Chelsea, he should have done more.

Then he goes on a run of goals to end the season when the league has slipped and the opposition has nothing to play for.

And where was he for a England? Sending horrific free-kicks nearly sailing out of the stadium. And tell me, winning the Golden Boot in back-to-back seasons, how many trophies has his club won? Maybe if he would have tracked back more, his defense wouldn't have been so exposed in all those draws and losses where he failed to score, costing his club a chance at the league.

Christ, that was actually fun. Now I see why some do that with Lukaku.

Perhaps Rom would be helped if they introduced a new position, let's call it Goal Striker, an American style position which sees the striker confined to an area within 25 yards of the opposition goal, a new line across the pitch to help everyone to see where he has to operate.

The Goal Striker's sole responsibility would be to avoid the offside trap (Rom would need to work on that), and get on the end of passes and crosses from his team mates and... er... Score goals! Rom would find this new position virtually tailor-made for him, but let's see how many goals people like Kane, Messi, Ronaldo etc would score if forced to play in the new position.

In case of confusion, the Goal Striker could be easily identified by having to wear a stand out shocking pink fluorescent head band, just so referees don't mix them up with ordinary players.

Just a lighthearted thought to help our Rom to be the great striker he believes himself to be.

If you are trying to suggest Kane also doesn't score goals vs the better teams, the top 6 etc, then please don't overlook Kane's:

Away goal vs Arsenal
Home goal vs Arsenal
Home goal vs Man Utd

If you have counted the last 2 goals in your para about going on a run of goals against teams with nothing to play for, then apologies. But Arsenal did have something to play for and possibly Man Utd.

What we could look at is the number of Premier League games in which Kane has scored in, which is 15 vs Lukaku's 16... I think... so clearly with one game to go Romelu is winning... if only we could have a goals per games played in award.

Best get your shooting boots on!

Harry Kane, can learn off Lukaku, it's obvious to me, because Kane was just a very average player, a few years ago, but his constant hard work has paid great dividends, and is also the reason Rom showed his true personality when he said he doesn't think he could learn that much watching Harry Kane. (Or words to that effect.)

They have mustered over 80 goals from what you would have to say is a fantastic front four. Outside Lukaku nobody else has scored more than 5 goals.

Spurs have Dele Alli scoring regularly, Eriksen who chips in and is a fine footballer. Son is a brilliant little player who I really rate and doesn't get the plaudits the others do..

What I am not able to do is assess what difference it could make to his fee. Probably sod all but who knows. And, if he stays, can we offer less? In the end the thing that has surprised me is that I feel very little about this overall.

The stats show that he has played in every match. When the team were away on tour, he was having treatment on his calf so that he would be available for the next match. He is never in trouble off the pitch. He has had very little support up front all season yet has over 20 league goals playing in a pretty mediocre side.

I am disgusted at the lack of support for the lad from so many fans. Just compare the input of every other attacking player we have. Barkley has never scored double figures in league matches. Mirallas hit 10 in just one season since he joined us. But for Lukaku, we would be in the absolute doldrums. Get off the lads back and stop gloating that some other team's striker has a couple more goals than one of ours.

To hell with Lukaku, if he had a fraction of Kane's desire for improvement, there would be no debate. As it stands Kane is clearly the best in the league. The only thing I can say in Rom's defence is he is not the only one to have gone missing of late. But no, sympathy in short supply...

If Rom was an assured penalty taker, he'd be taking them but he isn't.

The Tottenham side is light years ahead of ours. The energy and the way the front players press the ball so high up the pitch sets the standard, so it's no surprise that several of their forward line are in double figures.

Most decent strikers would prosper in that side, including Lukaku, but I'd suggest that it's a lot more difficult to score 24 goals with our pedestrian football. That needs to change next season.

"I want Champions League football".

Kane is a lot better player than Rom; Alli is a lot better than Barkley.

No surprise to me.

Lukaku shouldn't have stated he had nothing to learn from Harry Kane. By saying what he did, he probably motivated Kane to catch him. Lukaku is the better talent, but Kane has lots of qualities that Lukaku hasn't – determination, workrate, tenacity etc. This is why he has now scored more than Lukaku.

Lukaku has done his annual disappearing act at the end of the season. He's got a casualness that Kane hasn't got. If he hadn't had his flip-flops on for the last month, he'd have had the Golden Boot sewn up by now.

I just cannot see that. Hold-up play? Linking with team mates? Incisive runs? Heading the ball? Pressing from front?

Nah, he has talent but not more than many in the Premier League.

Thing is, lads, both Kane and Lukaku are outstanding players. They've done the hardest thing in the premier league, or in any league to be honest, and that's score lots of goals.

I'm not a "lover" of Lukaku but I can't deny his ability. Yes he has faults but all players do.

Kane plays for another team so I immediately "don't like" him but you can't take away the fact that he's a top goal scorer (or THE top goal scorer).

Put away the bitterness and look at things from a "neutral's" point of view. They're both very good strikers.

Rom had this won a few weeks ago, just had to keep going to the end of the season. That he won't win it is because we collectively downed tools.

Once Lukaku's gone, it may be a very long time before you get the chance for any such comparisons. As the old saying goes, you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone.

Rob (#30) – point of order! Dixie is the country's record goalscorer – not Man Utd's scouse traitor!

We were recently in a position where we needed to bring in loan players. Fortunately, it seems we are now better off financially and don't necessarily need incoming loan players to strengthen our team. However, there may be another young striker out there who can't get into his own team and might be interested in coming to Everton.

Personally I would prefer permanent signings, but to be fair to Romelu (and I am not a great fan of his), the initial loan deal worked out quite well for both parties...

Let's cut the nonsense about fans being wrong for not being bothered that he won't win the golden boot... He has worn an Everton shirt but never been an Everton player.

I only watched the last 20 minutes and what struck me is that, regardless of the fact it was a dead rubber, nailed on 2nd, Leicester on the beach and 4-1 up they were still pressing looking to attack. And the fitness levels... well that something else in another league.

There's little doubt that Kane's got better players around him, but he also helps himself with his movement, something that Rom for all his talents simply doesn't have.

In the last 4 games he's had 4-5 shots on target and been bullied by very average centre-backs, which I filed under "can't be arsed" – not a good attitude for someone who views himself so highly.

Thankfully the views of some on this site do not reflect those of the majority of match going fans. The player has gone four games without a goal. He has not switched off. He has just had a spell without scoring goals. That happens to all strikers.

For the past 30 years we have not had a striker anywhere near winning the Golden Boot. Let's hope it is not another 30 years before we have our next contender.

You sound like a Trump supporter last November 7, where there are nothing but happy days on the horizon.

The first part of your post may well come to fruition; the second part is wildly speculative with no guarantees that waving the magic transfer wand will ever happen.

I do notice though that you didn't actually mention scoring goals in your wish list for a Lukaku replacement. There's the big problem in being careful what you wish for.

The debate about whether Lukaku or Kane is the better player is completely irrelevant to me unless we are talking about whether Kane is a likely replacement for Lukaku in the Everton team, and that isn't going to happen.

I'm not saying that we will fall apart without him but i'm just amazed how many people are wishing away a player who's scored almost 90 goals for us in less than twice as many games!!! That is a staggeringly good record. And he's only 24. Many players of his ilk, such as Drogba, hit their prime in their late 20s.

I don't think he's world class. I don't think he's even as good as Harry Kane. But I do think we will be VERY hard pressed to replace him with such an effective goalscorer.

Of course he has his faults as do all players (and humans) but he guarantees the currency of winning – goals. If only we could find a real livewire to provide the movement that he doesn't who also brings goals to the table. Someone like Mane for example would be the perfect strike partner for Lukaku: perpetual motion, blistering pace and very handy finishing. Add in a proper playmaker (Fabregas, Eriksen, Silva) and we might be getting somewhere.

I suspect Lukaku will be off this Summer and it will be greeted with cheers by many. I also suspect absence may make the heart grow fonder (though I thought the same about Moyes and could not have been more wrong!)

On one hand you have the Romainers and on the other you have, lets say, the Belgexiteers.

The Romainers are adamant Rom is a great thing. They think without Rom the team will suffer dramatically and could even collapse. It would appear that some believe anyone not sharing this opinion are a bit, let's say, dim. They warn of very hard times without Rom. They want to commit further to Rom and keep him, and say we would be mad not to.

The Belgexiteers instinctively feel something is wrong. If Rom is such a good thing, why isn't the team reaping the rewards? They still don't seem much closer to silverware and behave like a point-giving charity to the “Top 6”. In the big games, having Rom doesn't seem to help and though Rom is doing very well personally out of the service dedicated to him it isn't creating the sort of team they dream of. They think, on the whole, they would probably be better off without Rom.

To be honest I don't think the debate will stop now until either a) Rom goes; b) Rom signs a long term contract; and/or c) we get a much more balanced side where his importance isn't so exaggerated.

The truth is, unlike Brexit, we don't have a say at all. The people who do are Rom, Everton and any prospective buyers. Rom has said he wants to leave; Everton have said they want him to remain, so I guess the deciding factor is simply who wants Rom, who can match Rom's expectations and who are willing to pay for Rom. The answer to which is probably not that many.

Prepare for this one to run, and run, and run…

Spurs will not be selling Kane as he is so well supported there by his team mates. Of course we will be selling the best asset this club has had for years and probably we will be unloading Barkley too.

Franny probably has ideas on us signing far better players in the Poundland window. I predict a big loss of progress when Lukaku leaves. His loss will set us back and quite probably induce an exodus of our better players and possibly manager.

I honestly cannot believe that any genuine EFC fan wants Lukaku to leave.

Well said Peter Roberts #90... Alan Ball's famous quote about our beloved club means absolutely fuck all to the Belgian Lamppost.

If we can find TWO decent Strikers who can form some sort of solid partnership & share in the goals & push us on, then no one will fucking care about Lukaku... even David Barks!!!

COYB.

If you put Kane in Everton's current team and Lukaku in Spur's current team I would gladly wager a 6-figure sum that Lukaku would score more goals in a season than Kane, I'd offer Kane +5 goals and still remain confident Lukaku would score more goals than Kane.

He has his faults but there is no denying Lukaku is a top class goalscorer. Put him in a team that play quality balls for him to run onto and / or knock a lot of fast paced balls into the box and he'll thrive. It's no wonder he wants off as Everton don't do either very well; instead we expect him to hold the ball up with his back to goal and conjure something from that – something that he's not good at and consequently doesn't want to do.

Our U23s play a brand of football that would suit Lukaku, ie, hard hit balls into the IR & IL channels.

There are still elements of Martinez in the 1st XI's attacking play which needs to be eliminated and I think this can only be achieved by getting rid of those players who seem unable to rid themselves of bad habits / old ways and replace them with more energetic, stronger, progressive players.

Bowing to your presumed superior knowledge about all things "Everton" how exactly does one tell that a player listed on the squad for Everton, who plays for Everton, and has never said a bad word about Everton (it seems his ambition is a bad thing to you) is not then an "Everton player?"

Please Peter tell me how you can determine this? Is it a blood test? a DNA test? A written test on all things Everton?

I thought all players wearing the jersey deserved the title and the actual criticism of a player would be related to a focus on whether he was too old or injury prone, or lacked necessary skill? I didn't know it was something different.

Barkley seems to be an "Evertonian" but he is running down his contract, which would seem to be detrimental to his sell-on value and therefore not something an "Everton player" would do, right? Stones put in a transfer request and still was lauded as the proper kind of player for Everton by some.

Being glad that a player doesn't win an individual accolade while playing for the team (including those not wanting him to win PFA of the year and being happy when he didn't) seems distinctly "un-Evertonian" to me.

So how does it work Peter? I am sure the answer is easy and can be expressed simply by you regarding the qualifications of an "Everton player" versus a player playing for Everton so as to know which is subject to being slagged off? I am sure you see the answer in clear and concise black-and-white terms that some of the rest of us who see Royal Blue do not. If not, at least give us a list so we can know.

Kane's missed 3 months of the season... shares his goals with Dele Alli... works his plums off... links up play... can control the ball.

No comparison..

Lukaku is a good goalscorer, he is also a very average footballer who has a huge ego and thinks he's way better than he actually is. Take a look at these threads, he's way too divisive and it wouldn't surprise me one bit if the feelings about him on here are also mirrored at the club and in the dressing room. Everton as a club and team will be better off when he's gone.

SEVENTH – that's where.

I'm old school, me. I relish each and every success bestowed on Everton. Angst over any and every setback.

I celebrate joyously every goal Everton scores, whether it is a worldy, bounces in off someone's arse or is an oggie. I don't care WHO scores it. I absolutely LOVE IT when Everton scores. I groan at every goal we suffer.

I find some supporters' evident loathing and obsession with Lukaku perverse. Some on here have gone so far to state that they NEVER celebrate a Lukaku goal. A few on here contrive to discount his goals in assessing his abilities.

I can only conclude from that that as long as Lukaku plays (and in particular) scores goals for Everton, a small group of supporters will be incapable of the pure joy they should feel whenever their team scores. Such is their forensic attention to Lukaku during a game, it leaves them incapable of fully engaging and enjoying the game and team performance as a whole.

I'm aware my 50+ years as an Evertonian is an obsession unlike any other in my life. But it is a healthy obsession. I take JOY in following, supporting – and defending – my team, its players, its managers.

My devotion is not blind. I am able to see the failings of the club and its representatives, both on and off the pitch. However, I don't turn into a screaming hysterical banshee as a result.

By contrast, those supporters who loath Lukaku and obsess over him, this impacts and jeopardizes on their ability to take enjoyment from following their team.

We have a player who – for the first time in 30 years for Everton – is close to landing the PL's Golden Boot reward, which reflects well on the club and – yes! – the player.

Yet as this thread demonstrates, we have posters IN game and immediately post game CELEBRATING that he has been overhauled in the chase for the Golden Boot.

As I say, that is bizarre and perverse, IMO.

As for saying that some of us don't celebrate an Everton goal because he scores it? Stop making things up.

Lukaku frustrates us for many reasons – attitude, ability and constant references to wanting to be at a bigger club and win trophies.

If Everton FC have the big ambitions that they hint at having, then we need the players who have the ambition and the willingness to go on that journey with Everton FC. Sadly, I think Rom has decided he does not want to.

I think he was voted Players Player of the Year, which doesn't seem to indicate too much antipathy in the dressing room. Either that or players letting their heads rule their hearts I guess.

With the Golden Boot the only thing approaching a trophy that the first team are in with a shout for we should go all out for it against Arsenal. The team as a whole will be behind Rom and with the result a total irrelevance everything should be geared to getting a hat-trick for Rom. I honestly don't care if we ship 6 or 7 goals so long as we get Rom the Golden Boot.

No doubt we will start with a back 4 and 3 defensive midfielders with Rom isolated up front hoping for service from Ross and An Other as usual, but an all-out attacking effort against a fragile Arsenal is the minimum we should expect.

One can but hope.

What a complete shower of beauts you are.

Everton have had some young protege's who didn't have the manager, or the squad or the money to bring them along. Coutinho has been Liverpool's stand-out player all season but we don't compare him nor Messi or Ronaldo.

The point is that Rom. is a top proven goalscorer and will continue to be either at Goodison or elsewhere. Nobody really cares about Golden boot or any other awards for that matter. When your team is at the top you get these awards.

Personally I don't think Everton would have done any better this season with Kane leading the line instead of Rom. Everton have had a fair season under a new manager despite some bad injuries to key players that have allowed some youngsters to get some invaluable experience which should bode well for next season.

"My devotion is not blind. I am able to see the failings of the club and its representatives, both on and off the pitch. However, I don't turn into a screaming hysterical banshee as a result."

That is something I identify with but, albeit he's not necessarily a screaming, hysterical banshee when he does it, Lukaku is the polar opposite when he speaks as he does to the media about Everton being inadequate for his talent and that's what really pisses off so many other genuine fans.

That's no way a slight on you either by the way!

Lukaku has done for Belgium, of course, yet still got slagged to high heaven; then again, he has a great midfield supplying him – a bit like a certain cockney at club level.

Admittedly because of his tendency to go missing in crucial games and his talk about moving on hasn't endeared him to those who pay his wages, so winning the Golden Boot, which is highly unlikely now anyway, is hardly relevant, except to himself.

Only one thing matters, will any of the Premier League 'elite' pay the £100M price tag for his services??

I'm not relishing Sunday when the Arse have to win by a rout to have any chance of overtaking Man City.

i can't believe it's not been picked for the box on Sunday. Even the extra live game in Ireland is fuckin' Chelsea - Sunderland. Poor form.

All about opinions, eh? Let me hear some opinions that actually go then, coz where I sit, you Lukaku lovers are not anywhere near me.

You only have to look at on how many occasions during the past 25 years have we had a player amongst the top 3 highest scorers in the league.

In this thread alone we have been accused of celebrating him being overtaken in the golden boot race, told Kane could learn from Lukaku, told we can't wait to put on our Spurs shirts next season, informed Kane is nothing special, told it's the fans fault he's stank the joint recently because of abysmal fan support, told Lukaku has been great for Belgium, accused of being bizarre because we don't celebrate Everton goals when he scores with no evidence whatsoever to back that accusation up, told we don't engage and enjoy our games because we're obsessed with him, told Kane couldn't score in a shit side, and ridiculed for pointing out what's plainly obvious.

The list of bullshit excuses and nonsense to defend him is endless.

So that might take us no further than we are now in terms of scoring goals? I like the ambition. I assume the new striker would be saying nice things about us, and be a pretty player.

Beauts like your good self ARE 'celebrating' Lukaku missing out on the Golden Boot as it gives you and your ilk another chance to gleefully stick the 'boot' into him.

But that does make Lukaku a lesser striker – Kane has played in a much better team. He has more chances, takes pens, and shoots a lot more than Lukaku. I'd much prefer Eriksen and Alli playing behind me, than Barkley and Mirallas/Calvert-Lewin. We unfortunately are Everton – we've finished 11th, 11th and now 7th in the previous three seasons. We can't surround Lukaku with players of his quality – Lukaku is simply better than our other attacking players. He might have weaknesses to his game, but he has not scored 24 league goals (no pens) for the seventh best team in this division without being very very good. He hasn't assisted six goals, just as he did last season, without being able to pass. And he is not as lazy as some of the exaggerated criticisms make out. He has been the third best striker to play through the middle this season in my opinion – behind Kane, and Sanchez, who has been wonderful even if he has disappeared a little in the big games (not his fault in my opinion but those around him).

If Lukaku goes, we will not replace his goals. He has destroyed various longstanding records for us in only four years, and is our highest Premier League scorer for a reason. It's a source of embarrassment that all those goals came before his 24th birthday – embarrassing because the over-criticised Lukaku is by far our most effective striker in the Premier League era. That says much about why and for how we have been floundering at the wrong end of the table. This makes the criticism of him even more startling – and a little odd in the context of fan-bases around the country. Diego Costa, despite struggling after Christmas, despite disappearing for a large chunk of last season, and despite clearly wanting to leave in the summer and in January, hasn't received such vitriol from Chelsea fans. Vardy, despite dropping off considerably this season, hasn't from Leicester fans either. Benteke, who makes Lukaku look like a hard worker, hasn't come in for the same extent of irritation and criticism so abundant on these forums.

It's odd – we might have a big history, but we've been a mid-table team, or thereabouts, over the past 3 seasons. Our average over the course of the Premier League era is also mid-table. We havent had the financial means of even a mid-table club. Yet, apparently, Lukaku, who has scored 24 league goals, is 'overrated', 'a Belgium lampost', 'lazy fat arse lump' with an 'inability to properly trap, head or pass the ball', with in fact 'lamentable, truly awful' passing who is 'constantly being caught offside'. (All quotes taken from this thread and the Sandro thread). He also isn't that good, apparently, because he hasn't won anything for Belgium. The logic and nature of the some of the posts about him have been exaggerated beyond all reality, and border on the perverse at points (in what world is he fat?!)

I don't understand the hatred – it's bizarre. We cried out for a striker for so long who could finish chances – Yakubu got less stick early on, and he truly was a lazy (and a little fat by the end). Is it really just because he has spoken about leaving/wanting Champions League football? Really? In the modern game where footballers habitually speak about such things.... Where 21-year-old Alli comes out after two seasons of top 4 football and title challenges, and refuses to rule out a move away? Where Sanchez and Ozil don't sign contracts – where the likes of Lescott just stop playing to force through moves. Where players move to rivals after claiming they are going to stay (Sol), even after coming through youth set-ups and proclaiming their love for the cub (Once a blue always a blue). Look at the actions of various Southampton players. Look at Payet. Lukaku is hardly unique is he? - players worse than him and better than him do the same.

These posts are disconcerting. There is a troubling dislike for Lukaku, and I'm unconvinced by my various attempts to understand the extent of it. Something is clear though – the very fans who evidently dislike Lukaku for daring to think that he is better than he is (which is a doubtful claim – someone with his goalscoring record in domestic and international football deserves a shot at the Champions League) think we are better than we are. You need to wake up – we've not had a striker comparable to Lukaku in a very very long time.

We are not the Everton of the 80s anymore. Our recent signings were a youngster from the lower divisions, a Man Utd reject (Albeit in my opinion a superb player), an ageing cb from a relegation threatened side, an inefficient winger from a mid-table side, and a defensive midfield (again, a superb player) from a relegated side. We can't attract Suarez, Neymar, Messi, Lewandowski, Kane or Sanchez – who do you think we are?! We have a player who has returned 24 league goals, who has managed 42 in the last two seasons, who has outscored everyone bar Kane during that period, who is only just 24, but so many threads focus not on his good aspects, but exaggerate his bad?

What the fuck is wrong with some of you? It's 2017 not 1986 – which, by the way, was the last time someone in an Everton shirt scored more goals than Lukaku.

Opponents having to deal with real goal threat from sources other than one self-absorbed non-combatant who seems to go missing as and when he feels like it will not, to anyone who watches football, be able to attack us with anything like the abandon they currently do – (a) because they're worried about our various goal threats and (b) because they might be unable to even get the ball over the halfway line due to having been tackled or pressed.

This would not necessarily be odd if the criticisms weren't basically rehashes of what's been said by those critics multiple times before. So there's nothing new here, which is of course what turns Lukaku threads into tedium.

Most of us have received the messages that Lukaku is a lazy arse, not fit to lace Kane's boots, etc etc. to the point where we can pretty much regurgitate word for word. So just for the sake of a change, to freshen things up so to speak, it would be interesting to hear some criticisms that haven't been voiced multiple times before.

I for one am all ears. Over to you fellas.

For the record, I agree with most of the criticisms levelled at him but nevertheless would still prefer him to stay.

Same with Barkley.

I would take strength, pace and power running in on goal; he invariably hits the target when he gets a shot off, and his devastating finishing when it's at its most accurate and powerful.

How about you?

I understand some of the frustration, but I think Lukaku is not alone in that respect. Plenty of strikers don't work hard and most don't score as many as Lukaku. What's odd is the peculiar failure to acknowledge that at all by his critics.

Much of the support has represented this, but those going against him seem to ignore that some of the best strikers in world football now and in the past have done little off the ball. Lukaku doesn't work as hard as a Firmino or Tevez or Suarez but he puts in more of a shift than the likes of Aguero and Higauin.

Why is this continually ignored?

We have 11 players – I don't agree that the striker has to work hard for an entire match. In fact, I think that's detrimental to the ability to score goals sometimes, especially in those whose fitness is less (and not all players have the same level of fitness – Ozil, Hazard and Aguero do not and cannot work as hard as Sanchez, Kante, and Jesus).

Lukaku has aspects of his game that he can improve – he can bully people more, he can improve his link-up play (although it has got better), and he can work harder off the ball. But the main point of a striker is to score goals. We've had plenty of strikers who don't work off the ball and score less (Saha and Yakubu for example) and plenty who work hard and score less (Naismith stands out), but no-one as good as Lukaku.

If we had had him in one of our best sides – when Arteta, Pienaar and Cahill were at the top of their game, and our defence was much improved, I think we could have got Champions League football or a cup that eluded us. Goals are the vital commodity in football – that's why he will be and is linked to a variety of big clubs, and why in my opinion he will make a big move to Chelsea.

Once again though – I think diminishing Lukaku so fervently, when he has smashed so many scoring records, is even more bizarre given our status. It's not all about goals, but it's a lot about goals, and that's the reason why the biggest transfer fees in history were paid for attacking midfielders and strikers rather than goalkeepers. Notably, not a lot on that list are not known for their defensive and pressing work. :D

The nearest I have seen to a complete player offensively is Messi in his prime and he can still do a pretty good impression now.

Highlighting Kane now after scoring 4 in a nothing game against makeshift centre-backs is nothing to go on. Get real, you guys.

I don't wish to be too critical of repetition, since I'm guilty of it myself. But I think when it comes to Lukaku it goes so far as to dominate threads to the extent that the various threads meld into one, which can detract from focusing on the particular themes.

Everton have been mediocre for more than two decades, yet when we play badly or just lose a game, it seems that Lukaku and Barkley get the brunt, as if they're supposed to be saviours brought here from on high to restore us to our former glory. When they do eventually go elsewhere, I wonder who else will take the blame.

I am in no way comparing his situation to how we may feel about Rom and Ross but it may explain what you are describing. Our expectations for both Rom and Ross are high (due to the ability they have shown, the way they have been talked up by the media and in one of their cases by themselves, by pundits, other pro's, fans etc.)

So when they fail to meet those expectations supporters become more unhappy with them than less able players and we get threads like this going around in circles, gnawing away at the point because we feel we are being short-changed, when in reality they're probably both doing their very best, which unfortunately isn't as good as we've fooled ourselves to expect.

Can't we discuss something we can agree on? Trump, say?

Stan, I suppose it is fair to ask for a relatively new criticism of Lukaku and I'm not sure how extensively it has been covered but I personally believe his net contribution to the team is to its detriment.

We are set up to attack almost exclusively through him which is all fine and dandy when he can be bothered and is evidenced in the paucity of goals contributed by the midfield (compared to a team like, I don't know, Spurs).

As he doesn't bring others into play very well (for those oft repeated reasons) he is stifling our threat from midfield. As we've all probably noted lately, when he is not in the game we don't carry much threat. Though that is not to excuse all others.

I don't believe it is heresy to ponder whether or not a more mobile, selfless player (dare I mention Kane as an example) might actually benefit the team more than Rom.

Whilst we got excited when Martinez seemed to have broken the glass ceiling, it was a mirage as we flopped in the seasons that followed. Now some see Koeman's '7th' finish as a sign we are about to 'trouble the big boys' although there is a chasm as between Chelsea's 1st and what Everton has achieved this season.

As ever, there is a general assumption that next season will see an incremental improvement on our finishing position. But, and it's a big but, history tells us we are just as likely to see us back in the ranks of those who just make up the numbers.

For certain the loss of both Barkley and Lukaku and their replacement with the kind of iffy quality Koeman and Walsh have landed us with to date will result in us falling back into mid-table and yet another 'great' manager's bubble will be burst.

So, given the choice, I'd feel happier with staying with what we've got without having to find out that even more 'brilliant' signings are not quite what they were reputed to be!

Without Lukaku's 24 goals, yes that's 24 goals, we would still be in 7th position. What utter garbage.

No we would still be seventh.

This is because football games, like life, are too complex, with numerous interdependent factors, to say with any confidence what would have happened if any of those factors were changed. For example, if we go 1-0 down, and finish winning 3-1, some folks would say that if we hadn't conceded the goal we would have won 3-0, when in fact we don't know what the score would have been. Because the whole course of the game would have been different if the goal hadn't been conceded.

By the same token, beyond a bit of entertainment, it's futile to conjecture what we would be like if Kane played for us instead of Lukaku, or Lukaku instead of Kane for Spurs. All such things are mere guesswork.

All we know is that we have a striker who scores a lot of goals, a number comparable with the best. We don't know how we would fare with replacements for him, beyond knowing that Everton would go on, as Everton always does. Aside from this, we can 'reasonably expect' Lukaku to continue scoring lots of goals for us if he stays. We're not certain if this, but we can 'reasonably expect' it based on recent experience.

I would prefer to minimise uncertainty. We don't have Kane, Aguero, et al (and we never will), but we do have Lukaku, and if we wish, we can retain him for two more seasons. Whether you like him, loathe him, or are somewhere between those extremes, surely minimising uncertainty, and building on what we have, is the most rational way forward?

So Lukaku's 24 goals don't matter. A player scores 24 goals, and this does not make a blind bit of difference to where we finish in the league? I give up. Now I know why people get so agitated on this forum. The utter shite that is posted.

Lukaku has been our best goalscorer for years. Should we lose him, then it won't matter, because we will still finish in the same position, whatever that may be, because his goals won't matter.

We have a midfielder who has been promising for years and is woefully inconsistent. He has been 'misunderstood' by three Everton managers and three England managers. He is apparently ill-served by the lack of support and movement around him. He won't sign a contract, despite having only one year left and being 'one of us'. He gets a free pass.

I know who I'd rather keep.

Kane is a top lad great work/team ethic /attitude and I am glad to see he will get the Top Scorer accolade; it may just humble Rom somewhat too.

Not going to disagree, but whether it be six months or a year, Lukaku will soon be gone and, if the manager does not find a way to get 7th place without him, he will probably be out on his arse.

Something has to change.

Wow, the team in 7th who's leading goalscorer has 4 goals. Some going, that.

Good night folks.

And if Koeman doesn't get them and we don't progress, he'll be out and AN Other will be in.

He's done the easy bit by making the team more solid, now he has to get players who can win games and maybe even entertain us a bit.

I think we'll have a good idea by the start of the season and you may have more evidence for your existing ones!

Other scorers made the wins possible without Rom's goals; only in games like Sunderland away where he scored three, thus gaining us the three points, did Lukaku's goals count.

You would have to read the article, you most probably don't understand it the way I'm explaining it.

Dave Prentice is pro-Lukaku, by the way.

(In other news - Dartmouth and G K Chesterton 15/1 double today – back in the game :-)

Sleep well.

This is why it is a futile exercise to attempt to show what difference arises from subtracting specific goals. Without the 24 goals from Lukaku, nobody knows what league position we would have finished at.

That sounds about right. We've known for a while that Lukaku goes missing in big games when his goals are needed the most and he scores a load against the weaker sides.

I like the idea of selling Rom to Chelsea for cash (around 㿲M) and bringing in Tammy Abraham as a makeweight. We should also buy the young Nigerian striker from Man City who looks the best young emerging striker next to Rashford. The 㿀M figure banded around seems very good value.

Two young strikers alongside Rooney who can rotate between attack and the No 10 role, with Sigurdsson taking Barkley's role.

Four players in and two out and we'd still have the money from Barkley to buy a goalkeeper or a centre-back.

The odds are, without Lukaku's goals, we would have been hanging onto a lead, or fighting to get back into a game, but no ... because of Lukaku's goals, we won games. 'Proven fact'? – that made me laugh.

You can't say that we would have finished 7th without his goals, as without his goals, the games would have played out differently. You couldn't know if the opposition would have come back to draw or win games that we won when Rom scored.

It's ridiculous to go to such lengths to discredit 24 Premier League goals. Without his goals we wouldn't have got near the top 6. We may have ended 7th, but we would be back in the pack. A bottom 14 team instead of a top 7.

So basically, 3 out of the 4 goals that Kane scored last night were irrelevant because they didn't influence the result?

Edit: just read your post, Stan. Sorry to repeat.

Year after year, we have had to suffer the ignominy of him bleating to the press about needing to play for a 'big club' or in the Champions League.

Those fans who have a sense of what Everton FC is as an institution have been rightfully pissed off at this divas antics calling into question his ability as footballer and his contribution, other than being a Johnny-on-the-spot finisher, much to the annoyance of those fans so desperately starved of anything to shout about that they indulge this brat and his arrogant selfish ways.

I can't wait for him to go and pocket the exorbitant money that is being touted... I can't wait to watch him struggle with the expectations and egos at the supposed big club he will go to. I can't wait to watch a striker play for us who has an idea about leading the line and bringing others into play.

Trust me when I say this:- we will not miss him. We will replace his goals and more; we will see our team retain the ball , press from the front, bully teams.

I can't wait.

A proven fact?! Bizarre. The assertion that we would have finished 7th without Lukaku's goals is not a proven fact as it implies a scenario (not a fact – it didn't happen) in which somebody else would have been playing instead of Lukaku.

Who? How would they have played in each game? In the games in which Rom's goals were crucial, would his replacement have scored?

You can conjecture till Rooney comes home, but it's purely that – conjecture, not fact. It might be a reasonable guess but spare us the stupidity of calling it a proven fact. It's playing with stats (which, incidentally, some decry as a waste of time and misleading).

Are you actually going to tell me that the only thing that matters is he scores goals? If that's your stance, I'm afraid your football knowledge is very limited.

I suppose you could say it's a hypothetical situation, but it's most definitely not a fact. A fact is something that happens, this could never be proved if we would have finished 7th, higher or lower.

So it is fair to say, take away his goals and we would have still finished 7th as a mathematical fact – though I agree with Rob, Stan and Chris that in reality nobody knows how games would have panned out without Rom's contribution.

I prefer to wonder how high we would have finished had he not decided to wrap his tits with several games to go.

I played football at a decent level, so I think I have a very good knowledge of football. As far as I know, the job of a goalscorer is to score goals, something Lukaku seems to be good at.

I too cannot wait for the day he's gone so we can look forward to watching a team that presses from the front, something which he is incapable of, and when attacking, not being stopped dead in our tracks every time the ball gets anywhere near him.

I will repeat, he's the most overrated player in the history of Everton Football Club.

I think the number of points that the "Lukaku Goals" equation boils down to is 9 without them.

What are the number of points lost where we needed Lukaku to score in matches to get points and he didn't score at all in that match? Considering he is one of the most prolific, consistent goalscorers?

I won't bore you with the detail but I think there are 12 games in which he didn't score at all, which if he had (on paper by the same rationale as the first stat) scored just 1 goal, we would've turned a loss into a draw, or a draw into a win.

There are 12, 9 of them away, and had he scored one goal in each we would have got an extra 19 points and be very comfortably Top 4.

I totally accept the reality of how games would've changed in an instant had he scored, how and when; but what's interesting is 14 of those points are in 7 games where a goal by him would've turned a draw into a win. A proper winning goal.

Swansea, Man Utd x 2, Hull, Stoke, 'Boro, West Ham. Bar Man Utd – two have been relegated, one almost was and the others are also-rans.

These are games where he didn't score at all. There are another 4 games when he didn't score and it wouldn't have made a difference because we had them won anyway.

I'm sure there'll be a mistake in there or two but by my reckoning the principle is there's a decent argument that to say Lukaku is a great goalscorer but, when you need someone to step up and get the goals that get the points that really make a difference, he hasn't got "the minerals" as they say.

Some players thrive on it, some don't. Tim Cahill, as a recent example, did. I've seen nothing in Lukaku to suggest he does. Which is fine – you've either got it or you haven't.

An important goal scorer – not a scorer of important goals.

Stan if you want to talk about illogical, I will give you a perfect example of that on this very thread: "Kane could learn from Lukaku".

Marvelous :D

I am still waiting for you to explain what an "Everton Player" is and instead you now add to your area of expertise (as yet unexplained) to add that "fans who have a sense of what Everton FC is as an institution", and that they are "pissed off".

Please illuminate us as to what the qualities and points are since some of us might be or might not be "those fans", but just don't know which category we are in? While you are at it, could you please answer the questions in my first post? It would be much appreciated. Then you could maybe forward it to the squad since some of "them disloyal bastages" voted for Lukaku as player of the year. Guess they too are not either "Everton Players" or the proper sort of "fans" of the "Institution".

Honestly, do you stand in front of a mirror, wear a smoking jacket, one hand tucked away in a Napoleonic gesture, with a pipe in the other hand reciting this nonsense aloud before posting it? Other than you and maybe, Kevin Rowlands, who exactly are these other irate, pissed-off fans, and where do you meet to hand out the pitchforks and torches?

That's Rom dealt with. Thing is, I couldn't give a flying shite about Rom. That's not unfair, he couldn't give one about me or my fellow supporters either. I support Everton and want what's best for the club as a whole.

I'm ready for a change in how we play. We're so one-dimensional – Rom on the break or do nothing. Absolutely nothing. Those games are soul destroying!

Rom has 24 goals. Factoring in injuries, our next best goal threat is our right back! That can't continue.

Big money for Rom and try to get two or more players into double figures. That's not exactly the toughest task... and it makes Rom's goals completely replaceable. It also makes us more unpredictable, able to cope with different types of opposition, able to ride out individual dry spells.

I've been a staunch defender of Rom but it's time for a change in approach now.

Why not just call ourselves QPR and sign Rio Ferdinand and John fucking Terry?

Btw, both Ross and Rooney love and respect our club, that goes a long way with most of us, even if you don't understand that.

Rooney did nothing for Everton, wanted to get away to Man Utd before his 20s. He kissed the United badge while taunting the Everton faithful. Yeah, that's some respect shown by Rooney. What an Everton legend.

Oh wait, he's a United legend. I guess you can add another name alongside Kane for players from rival clubs that you adore.

I did the analysis and posted it on another thread. Can't remember exactly but I think the 'killed off games' total was only 3.

John Terry is definitely better than the players we have at centre-back and is a winner and a leader. Rooney is a better player than we have behind the striker and is a winner. If we also brought in 3 or 4 quality up and coming younger players then I would say both were good options for a season or two.

We are a club in transition and their experience and winning mentality could be invaluable in helping the younger players move forward. They would also be good for the club commercially as they have the global presence that our club and most of our players do not.

Also remember the game has changed; the players are a lot fitter now so this is not like Gazza and Ginola etc.

You stick to the ranting mate, and leave the logic to others.

Rooney and Lukaku are incomparable. One left a Champions League club at 21, the other joined one at 18 and had a Champions League medal in his pocket by the age of 22. Clubs would have queued around the block to sign Rooney from us had they had the chance – open the doors of Goodison Park today to let Lukaku's suitors in and the streets seem pretty deserted to me.

Rooney is to Maradona what Lukaku is to Prima Donna. They are light and shade.

We will never know how we will have fared in any of these games with someone instead of Lukaku, or any of those to come should he not be playing for us any more.

For me, it does add some weight to the argument that Lukaku doesn't turn up when it matters though. But then equally you could say the team as a whole don't turn up when it matters and you would probably be right.

Maybe we're just hoping that this 'new era' will change that. The devil being in the detail, maybe it's got to start with sorting out the mentality of the present team, to get a winning fighting mentality, Lukaku included.

Everybody has a valid point but I do think Kane has the edge and his workrate and link-up play help those around him get their glut of goals. Maybe if Pocchetino was our manager, Barkley and Mirallas would be in double figures too due to the way he sets his team up to play? Just a thought and possibly a load of bollocks!

Glad your horses went in; I'm still waiting for the tide to turn on my luck. I can't pick my nose at the moment, but the day's gonna come....

A player who allows himself to absorb the fabric of the club... someone who shows the pride we want in the shirt understands that half-arsed efforts are not acceptable

I've been fortunate to see such players in my time Reid, Southall, Watson, Cahill, Naismith, Ratcliffe, Weir, Ggough, ball.

Lukaku is so far removed from theit's untrue.

This is a sample of some comments in this very thread BEFORE he posted that claim:

Peter Laing @ 13: I'm glad that the Lukaku vanity project concerning the acquisition of the golden boot has all but gone.

Alasdair Mckay @ 17: Serves him right for switching off.

Ian Burns @ 20: Not sure I should be saying this on TW but there is a little something inside me which says "tough titty".

Peter Mills @ 22: a bit of this news about Kane scoring 4 and overtaking him makes me quietly smile about the attitude of both players.

Jason Bowen @ 43: There goes his golden boot... and what's the bet he doesn't get the move he wants either? Selfish sod, the grass ain't always greener.

Here are more posts FOLLOWING Kevin's claim @ 53 (which he repeated in his own later posts):

Pete Owen @ 56: Serves him right, he should have actually tried in the last 4 games, it ain't so easy to shoot with flipflops on, eh, Rom?

Peter Malone @ 59: Serves Rom right if he's slackened off at the end. Rookie error.

Peter Barry @ 64: That'll teach the lazy bastard for not really trying in the last five or six games.

Rick Pattison @ 69: Oh poor Anelka... I mean Lukaku...

Choose any synonym you like for the quoted comments – celebrating, rejoicing in, smirking at, relishing, whatever – but there is clear evidence in this very thread that a few Evertonians have taken pleasure in the fact that an Everton player has been overhauled in the pursuit of a secondary, but still prestigious award, by a rival player.

As I wrote @ 109, Bizarre. Truly bizarre.

As for Kevin's further claim @110 that I am “making things up” by saying that some Blues don't celebrate an Everton goal when Lukaku scores” I suggest he pays closer attention to what people post on TW. There have been such claims by posters that they refuse to celebrate when Lukaku scores. I could ‘out' a particular poster in this very thread who recently confessed the same, but I'll save him the embarrassment.

Again, in my eyes, that is bizarre and perverse.

As for Kevin stating I write only “complete bullshit”, no, I don't. I'm a devotee of rationale and logic. Unlike Kevin, I'm not given to throwing tantrums like the lisping Violet Elizabeth Bott in the Just William books: "I'll thcream and thcream until I'm thick. I can!" (Various interpretations allowed.)

Should I ever feel the need to employ bullshit in my posts, I know who I might first turn to for lessons though.

I, on the other hand, will go as far to say that I'm not happy he's going to miss out on golden boot. I'm delighted about it.

He doesn't love Everton, he has no desire to do anything in the shirt unless it profits him. So why should I want him to get an accolade when the team hasn't won anything? His ego already is off the scale.

I'm actually pleased that Harry Kane is likely going to get the golden boot. If you had a son who was going to be a pro footballer... who would you tell him to follow as a role model? Kane or Lukaku? there really is no thinking required for that but the answer probably makes you that uncomfortable that you will lie.

So yeah... there we have it. Thanks for 24 goals that had no impact on our league position, Rom... pity you couldn't be bothered in the derby pity you couldn't find the desire to help the team defend a 1-0 slender lead vs Man Utd. Those are the games that define the top 4... Ta-ra.

The VERY FIRST POST LISTED states:

"Peter Laing @ 13: "I'm glad that the Lukaku vanity project concerning the acquisition of the golden boot has all but gone."

Evidently, you employ selective reading techniques and only see what you wish to see.

Thank you for reinforcing my point with your own (unsurprising) view: "I on the other hand will go as far to say that I'm not happy he's going to miss out on golden boot . I'm delighted about it."

Bizarre and perverse, as I say.

Carry on!

Those attempts are accompanied by the usual tantrum throwing by some of Lukaku's critics.

No... it's called being an Evertonian who isn't bought in adoring a player like a lovestruck 10 year old who reads Roy of the Rovers.

When someone mentions Lukaku to me I tend to think about games like the FA Cup semi final the majority of derby games and indeed most big games we play as being a coward.

6ft 4in... 14 to 15 stone and he gets bullied yeah he's great at finishing, he especially loves games against the ever growing cannon fodder in a deteriorating Premier League.

I'm not perverse for wanting him to fail I'm just not a pathetic happy-slapper who thinks singing his name a week after he called us out as not being ambitious enough for him will get him to change his mind.

I'm sure you will get a full dose of the lad's true feelings when the club force him to hand in a transfer request to get his move. Just don't say I never told you so.

Delude and deceive yourself. It doesn't wash with me, nor, I am sure, many others.

Carry on carrying on!

It may mean that you don't have the bragging rights of a top goalscorer when you go into school and little Billy Stewart may have a Liverpool shirt with the name of a 20-goal striker on but don't worry – it's all about the team.

If I could see the Lukaku who Jim Knightley described the other day I would be over the moon if he stayed; sadly I have never seen that one, he was absolutely brilliant.

I long ago ceased to do so as it is an exercise in futility. It's too mind-numbingly tedious.

As I say, carry on carrying on. I won't be joining you in your crusade.

Fuck me, Jay. Thanks for that. I'm now going to be stuck reading your posts in a voice that's some mad mash-up of Mick Jagger on 'Sympathy For The Devil' ("Please allow me to introduce myself...."), Marlon Brando as Jor-El in 'Superman: The Movie' ("I'm not given to wild unsupported statements... ") and this big-eared Blue:

Link

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Fuck's sake. He didn't say that did he?! If so, that means somebody actually WANTS Lukaku not to score against Arsenal? Now how's that for loyalty to Everton?!

Imagine how many Evertonians would be fuckin gutted, mate? Because I know I would.

A winning mentality. To the point where other teams, including Liverpool, are of secondary or no interest to us. We need to forget about Liverpool, whether or not some of their supporters like to give us stick.

John D

Fantastic response

I wont be able to read his posts without hearing the voice of CJ – Reginald Perrin's boss

Bit presumptuous that, Jay. Surely not becoming of a self-anointed rationale abider to succumb to scurrilous rumour so readily.

I cut that shit out. Didn't like the side effects. 

I've not even touched those shiny pills you (seemingly) swear by:

Link

All I'm interested in is Moshiri fazing out the idiots sitting next to him pronto, trying seriously to find stars or unknowns who will join us.

Failing that, finding out if the likes of Dowel, Walsh or Connolly are good enough in the first team not just in squad. It's a cry in the dark because I don't think we have the mentality or are professional enough behind the scenes to even cause a ripple.

Nearly 50 years going the match has taught me that. Anyway c'mon the Gunners, onward and upward to the Docks... ahem!

What I would like is Lukaku to play the game like he did again at Liverpool and Man Utd away. By that, I mean I would like him to contribute the square root of fuck all.

I want him to do the usual and make a physically smaller centre-half look like he's smoked some angel dust and bounces off him like he's an electric fence. I hope he wears the same boots that had 15 kg studs screwed in that made jumping for a header an impossibility.

Hopefully he can also cause our defence to erupt at his continual inability to control a ball and press their players that will hopefully gift Arsenal 3 points whist Middlesbrough take a point or 3 off the Rednoses.

You see, my problem is I'm bitter. I hate Liverpool fans taking the mickey out of us so I'd love them to fail to make the Champions League I also dislike players of Everton who show no appreciation for the club, the fans .. it's because I love Everton.

I would love to see him commit his future to Everton and improve his first touch, his heading ability, his timing of jumping for headers, his harassment of defenders trying to play the ball out and, most importantly, his movement off the ball.

He and Barkley are the two most talented players on the books. Perhaps they could learn from each other on how to speak to the Press.

As for the Arsenal game weekend; I hope the away team wins the game across the Park and Arsenal win 27-21, Lukaku scoring 11, Ross 9 and a Baines penalty.

I'd rather finish 7th with our top scorer only banging in 15 if we actually beat the redshite for a change (has never happened with Lukaku), and better results against the teams above us. That's how you improve, not by getting hat-tricks against Sunderland or Bournemouth (or Burnley whoever it was). 1-0 wins vs Sunderland all the way up to Chelsea is fine by me.

Lukaku has been embarrassing for the past few months.