Loose Belgian Lips Expose Everton's Harsh Reality

We are very good defensively and stopping other teams playing but we lack creativity that was once provided by the much maligned Osman and Pienaar in tandem with Baines.

When the Belgian squad get together they all seem to talk of ambition and success but they let their undoubted talents down in terms of "achieving" success as a national team.

There is something fundamentally wrong with a Belgian mentality that recognises and shows so much talent individually but regularly fails to take on board the "team" ethic.

When I first heard LukakuÂ’s comments I was ready to rip into him but it has since been reported that he was asked if he would like to return to Chelsea "later" in his career to which he responded that he liked Chelsea but there are other top clubs in the world where he could fulfill his ambition "later" in his career.

That puts a little different perspective on it but it still doesnt change my view that he was never worth 28 million and on current form and ability is not even worth 8 million.

Especially this:

The fact that so much oxygen has been wasted in slamming him for missing that gilt-edged chance against Chelsea on Wednesday rather than acknowledging what was – to these eyes, anyway – a brilliant save by Peter Cech perhaps serves to highlight just how few chances he actually gets to miss.

Well Bill, we have a back bone for the future in Stones-McCarthy-Besic-Barkley-Lukaku now come on and fill in the gaps!!!

The key point is that he didnÂ’t have enough respect for his current employers to focus on them, his manager and his colleagues rather than himself. That has to be dealt with.

I think I would prefer to wait for something official before I go on a rant. If this turns out to be true then IÂ’d be seriously pissed off with him as IÂ’ve defended him till IÂ’ve been blue in the face.

Really though, the only thing that pisses me off is that heÂ’s come out and said this now. IÂ’ve no problem with players being ambitious but right now we need our players fighting like fuck to get us out of the mess THEY put us in.

Play as good as you can and put in the effort till the end of the season and then if you want to leave, leave. No problem. Coming out saying things like this (if he has) at this point does no favours to anyone.

Still loads of shite being typed on here though. WeÂ’ve got the same people telling us Lukaku is shite and he will never make it, never play for a big club but weÂ’ve got to give Barkley time because heÂ’s only a young lad. 6 months separates them in age.

I know whoÂ’s name IÂ’d put on the team sheet first.

Besides. If he lacked ambition to get promoted in his chosen profession he would most certainly get slated for that too.

Would I have I liked to have seen Lukaku finish by saying, "but I could achieve my goals at Everton" (which, to fair, is a caveat that Mirallas added, even if he probably doesnÂ’t believe weÂ’ll with the Europa League)? Yes, but heÂ’s always been ambitious and he was asked if he could see himself coming back to a club like Chelsea at some point.
If youÂ’re talking to media from your own country, youÂ’re going to say yes.

IÂ’m under no illusions that he sees us as a stepping stone if weÂ’re not going to make the step up to the next level.

Having witnessed Goodison Park become a strikerÂ’s graveyard over almost three decades as an Evertonian, itÂ’s agonising watching another striker seemingly being wasted by a rigid system in which his strengths are not being accommodated.

WeÂ’ve broken our transfer record a few times for strikers in the past decade or so - Beattie, Johnson, Yakubu and Lukaku.

Yet, we never seem to maximise their full potential. OK, Beattie turned out to be a bit of a knob but the others were all potentially 20+ goals a season strikers.

Johnson was sent off on diagonals into the corner, Yakubu was never the same after the achilles and a pie or three. Now we play a system that doesnÂ’t fully suit our main man.

Lukaku may have development issues - first touch and awareness - but I honestly think heÂ’s 20+ goals a season given a different system (faster, more direct / down the wings). Also, try Kone in the same team alongside him.

Ffs no one is asking these lads to to appear on University Challenge, just play football.

"Yeah but I really want to say..."

Fine, but speak to someone at the club first, get advice (Could this backfire? Is it wise? Etc).

The knee-jerk reaction Brian speaks of (12) wonÂ’t be confined to TW and now the player has put himself in the position of having to score in every game to avoid the barracking that will inevitably follow every missed shot or horribly controlled ball (bad enough sometimes before he opened his grid)

Dumb, dumb, dumb.

Of course, he has some good qualities but £28m?? Not really worth it IMO.

Every player at the end of the day with any bit of talent is going to want to play at the highest level possible so saying that Â’one dayÂ’ IÂ’d like to play for a top club is not really that bad - we all have to look in the mirror and accept Everton is not a top club (at this time anyway, havenÂ’t been one for a good 25 years!).

However, in saying that, I had really high hopes for Lukaku and whilst the service to him could have been much better this season, heÂ’s not anywhere near top class at the moment, let alone world class. His 10 odd goals have been handy but his overall play leaves a lot to be desired - admittedly this could be down to the system but things like first touch, winning headers and avoiding being constantly offside donÂ’t really have much to do with Â’the systemÂ’. That can be improved by training hard and concentrating properly.

HeÂ’s still young so will give him the benefit of the doubt and hope he can stick a few more in the onion bag - Â’bout time he got a hattrick for us and Leicester at home would be an ideal time to start.

Why? IMHO it is down to belief, have they bought into the Martinez way? No, Seamus has been average, Barry predictable, Baines clearly not at his best, Romelu frustrated, Barkley confused. So without being to obvious you have to ask why! And I keep coming back to the same conclusion: no direction!

Brenda from the "dark side" recognised that a system that worked last year was not working this year because his personnel had changed, so he found a way with his new players to establish what appears to be a formula that wins games. Unfortunately Martinez cannot fathom out how best we can get performances out of what is probably the best squad we have had for a number of years. It is apparent that, whilst likeable, he is inept, lacks direction and cannot manage at the level expected in the Premier League.

In my 55 years of following my beloved Everton, I have never before posted a comment, I have enjoyed the great 70s & 80s, endured the Gordon Lee, Walter Smith eras, but I fear that – unless someone considerably more important than me at Goodison takes note – we as a club are on the verge of the abyss.

LetÂ’s hope he has heard a little of the backlash and thinks he owes us some performances!

Or is a Â’Top ClubÂ’ a couple of plastic clubs that can spend a bob or two but havenÂ’t even won that many if you add their totals together?

The game has changed. And "if you know your history" is wearing thin.

However, I still think we could get more out of Lukaku with the current players around him.

My broad point was about the system employed which does Lukaku no favours given current limitations.

Tabloid paper with previous form with bullshit selectively quotes ambitious player at under - achieving club in disarray. Surprised?

Player who spent the summer waiting for a Â’better, biggerÂ’ club to come for him joined us in the absence of other significant offers. WeÂ’re not progressing, so if the storyÂ’s true, heÂ’s looking to move to club befitting his talents. Surprised?

Lukaku has completely stunk the place out this season. Its more than poor service and playing to his strengths. He canÂ’t control a ball, heÂ’s smaller when he jumps, doesnÂ’t use his weight effectively, shows a lack of spatial awareness and is as energetic as my whippets after an hourÂ’s running on the beach.

If he wants to go, let him go. Just sell him and bring in a striker who can do it now and/or a manager who can spot a good striker and play to his strengths. You don’t pay £20m for promise, you pay it for immediate impact.

Remember when Harvey was manager and the dressing room was split between his signings and Kendall Â’old guardÂ’? I wonder if things are similar now? At least theyÂ’d won a few trophies and weÂ’re entitled to doubt the new boys.

Wliiam # 20
I agree with what your saying about the dross we experienced with Lee as I had a petition signed by season ticket holders sent to the club to get rid of him.
as far as W.Smith goeÂ’s yes his teams were poor but if you read his story, after being interviewed by Sheffield he came to Everton because he was promised unlimited funds.

Perhaps if we were a few places higher in the table we would have had less of this shite but discontent is the norm in an underperforming team.

The hysteria shown in response to his comments should not have come as a surprise given that we have so called fans booing Ross Brkley.

Do we have any of that?

ThereÂ’s your harsh answer.

IÂ’m sure fans our age are just thinking " Grow the dreads back Rom and score some fucking goals you big pudding ! "

ps: The Live Forum seems to have been discontinued.

He said it, just as he publicised a month ago that the players had had a word with RM about tactics, because he knew there would be no sanction - not perhaps altogether surprising when the manager has told him he is worth £100m.

This says much about the present management weakness of our club but it says a great deal more about the bankrupt state of high level professional football and the deluded poseurs who play it.

I am one who believed that Martinez should have been sacked after WBA and, as I have said here, I think this reflects badly on him. Funnily enough though, I heard yesterday from one of those "well-placed sources", and contrary to other similar sources quoted on TW, that the manager remains popular within the club and that he will be backed with a long term plan to develop from youth level.

God knows if thatÂ’s true but this episode makes me hope that it is and that LukakuÂ’s overblown signing will be the last of its kind that we make.

Anything the scum prints I prefer to take with a pinch of salt. I means Sean Custiss (sports editor)? That fat Geordie prick has zero credibility IMO and his rag even less.

As we have realised, £28 mil is an extravagance we cannot afford.

HeÂ’s young and his value will hold up. But we will be doing well to get all our dollar back, as despite being a 15 - 20 league man the weaknesses in his game mean he just isnÂ’t worth it.

Looking to the future, the ball is in the players & buying clubs court approaching two years left on any deal. So we need to watch the Jimmy Mac situation as well.

But as for Lukaku IÂ’d be very surprised if a "top club" in England or Spain is going to want him. He will have to go to Italy or elsewhere to get his Champions League fix.

When a striker is centre of the goal, six yards out and has only the keeper to beat and hits it more or less straight at him, I put it down as a miss not a save.

Lukaku, like Mirallas and a few others donÂ’t want to achieve anything. They want to piggyback on other playerÂ’s success. ItÂ’s a cancer in the game and itÂ’s destroying the high level of fan engagement that is the foundation of the EPLÂ’s success. He did say those things AND he meant to say those things.
Did Brian Clough think that he couldnÂ’t possibly win the league with Derby or the EC with Forest? No, He went out their and gave his best shot at achieving something.

BK and our board of invisible men deserve all the criticism they get but... these parasites are handsomely rewarded by the club, they get their high wages by either our direct or indirect contribution, they are treated like princes and they are being interviewed by people because they play in the EPL. Far fewer people, worldwide, would give a flying toss of these two if they were playing for Wolfsburg or Olympiacos.

If the fans had the same level of engagement as some of the players then they would all be playing to half full stadiums, getting paid 3 grand a week, shown live on BBC 3 and buying a pub at the end of their careers instead of setting them and all their family members up for life.

They need us more than we need them. One season of fans asserting themselves on the game would completely change the nonsense around this former sport.

Almost 90 years ago William Ralph Dean, reportedly, ran most of the way from Prenton Park to Goodison park to sign for us. Mirallas and Lukaku, mostly just stand still waiting for a ball to feet that they may but probably wonÂ’t use effectively.

Lyndon, and others, we shouldnÂ’t be apologising for these players, they should be apologising to us. For abusing our hard earned. For not trying hard enough. For being poor imitations of legends. For stealing a living. For disrespecting our club. For being so evidently selfish in a team sport (how ironic). And, Lastly, for calling Chelsea a bigger club than Everton. HeÂ’s a c**t just for that comment alone.

I do not blame any player from wanting success and we should know by now that there is no such thing as loyalty except with those average players who nobody is interested in and they have no choice.

If these reports are true then perhaps BK should make it known he is open to offers for the Belgians come the end of the season.

Along with these there are a few others who donÂ’t seem to be in favour or are always injured so lets clear the decks and get some new blood.

Most of EvertonÂ’s good offence last season came from Seamus, Bainsey, Oviedo and Delafeou but many clubs have adapted accordingly to counteract Seamus and Bainsey and sadly RM has not had a plan Â’BÂ’ hence the poor showing this season.

I donÂ’t particularly care about him either. I care about the club.

ItÂ’s just a marriage of convenience.

Do your job. Get back onside, score some goals, and youÂ’ll make both of us happy.

Any way as he is playing for us at the moment, the important thing is that we need to get the best out of him. He is a goal threat and goals are what we need now that the manager appears to have sorted our defence out.

Perhaps the way to do that is to play Kone or even Mirallas in front of him. Lukaku needs to be running on to the ball - that is when his physical strength, pace and shooting ability come in to play.

Yeah, except he didnÂ’t. He is quoted as saying he wanted to one day play for a "top club" again which is one of the tenets of the article. (Actually, he would be right on either score because who could argue Chelsea arenÂ’t now bigger than we are?) Seeing as neither one of was in the room, weÂ’ll have to rely on the reported quotes and not put words in his mouth.

He, as someone was 1 year old the last time we won at Stamford Bridge, may see Chelsea has a bigger club than us in a historical and present-day sense but thatÂ’s not what he said. Most peopleÂ’s beef seems to be with the assumption he was saying Everton arenÂ’t a big as well.

What youÂ’ve done here Lyndon is sweet talk us into thinking this has to be about logic and balanced assessment rather than loyalty and behaving in even the most basic common sense way that might be expected of yes, even a very stupid footballer who cost our pathetically under financed but decent football club a shit load of money and probably gets paid an equally obscene salary......

Just how much does he have to crap all over us before we "forget" heÂ’s young, inexperienced and has often run off at the mouth to friendly Belgium journos ? How much rope do we extend because heÂ’s done this whilst "struggling" in a team that doesnÂ’t play to his strengths or understand his personal issues ?

What heÂ’s just done is a huge insult to us however "truthful" the analysis that we are not a "big club" anymore. You donÂ’t shit on your doorstep like this, whatever the apparent logic or even evidence. The club deserves better. We deserve better. And this matters. But your assessment seems to nullify the importance of what we "deserve", even tho we all here know your bloody furious with the idiot for doing serious harm to our club, your club.

It is serious isnÂ’t it ? How can it not be as we stare relegation in the face and fight to extend that five point gap. Lukaku has done real damage here because for many, me included, heÂ’s ridiculed his own part in this sad season and worse, opened us up to yet more rubbish from everyone with a keyboard, when this club is perfectly good at doing that with no extra help from thick footballers with zero understanding of "why" itÂ’s wrong to tell people that to him we were just meant to be a very short term boarding house whilst waiting for the mansion owners to whisk him away from all this grubby little community life up North.

Anyways it’s too late now or is it ? Truth is he has us by the balls and we know it. He might as well have said "why don’t you play in red and put up banners "in Kopites we trust". We made a huge rick here and somehow managed to think we actually are a mega CL club and could afford one half decent player for £28m when we so badly needed three decent ish players for a squad dreadfully vulnerable to aging players cocking up, terrible fitness regimes and a mgr who may yet come good but has had a shockingly bad seven months at the club.

So, we canÂ’t afford to lose ten mill selling this under-performing moron in the summer. Somehow we, the stupidly patient fans, have to recognise the no win situation that exists if we were to really show Lukaku what matters and what it is to be one of us. We have to put this aside and try to "encourage" the git to, er, perform like he can actually trap a ball and finish from three feet....and he can up his game, weÂ’ve seen it. Then maybe we can see Matinez remember we are Everton not Wigan and getting relegated whilst doing well in, or even winning the Europa League, is not going to have him hailed a hero here.

Cheers, Mark (Rustyman) of old.

If heÂ’s got time to look up, doesnÂ’t have to take it first-time, isnÂ’t static at this point (i.e. has no momentum coming into the shot) and the Â’keeper doesnÂ’t anticipate where heÂ’s going to put it, yes, maybe.

But Lukaku is 5 yards out and instinctively tries to guide it past Cech who saves with his foot. IÂ’m sorry, but thatÂ’s a good save.

Fans react to what they read in the press and often it is totally not what the person questioned meant at all. I resorted to written answers to questions which then could not be twisted, but I had time to do this, footballers do not. These kids are still very young and can be twisted around the fingers of snide reporters.

Lukaku and Mirallas have been our most potent strikers and it may not be a coincidence that they have been singled out. These reporters my just be stirring up problems for our dressing rooms. Just think about all the lies that have been printed in the past by our gutter press and donÂ’t just jump to conclusions which could damage the team.

The last thing we need at the present time is discord. Get behind all the lads wearing blue and take these comments with a pinch of salt until they are proven.

But in the next breath, these Belgians need to shut up sometimes! Is the Belgian press like the Hollywood parasites!?! Cant they just handle a "no comment"!? Fellaini did the same shit 3 years back. David Henen must be up next... "one day I aspire to be involved in a truly confusing and mindboggling three club transfer saga with a TOP CLUB"

I have visions of whippets wearing dreadlocks crawling around the sand.

Thanks for that laugh. mate!

Excellent, balanced article. One of the best IÂ’ve read

Thank you

I too believe we could be getting more out of Lukaku and hope and pray RM gets us attacking with speed and sometimes tries TWO strikers up top when at home. Imagine that!!!

Someone like Kone against the last defender battling for every ball and HELPING Lukaku

That, my blue friends, is totally heartbreaking.

Yeah, except he didnÂ’t. He is quoted as saying he wanted to one day play for a "top club" again which is one of the tenets of the article. (Actually, he would be right on either score because who could argue Chelsea arenÂ’t now bigger than we are?)"

As an Everton fan, Lyndon, I could argue, quite easily, that Everton are a bigger club.

Semantics and lost in translation excuses aside, he said he wants to further his career by leaving Everton and going to a club like Chelsea. As an Everton supporter, I think that shows a lack of ambition to achieve something for himself and from a player who would be languishing, occasionally, on the Chelsea bench for cup games if we hadnÂ’t given him an opportunity to re-launch his stalling career.

Three Premier League titles
The Champions League
The Europa League
The Cup WinnersÂ’ Cup
6 FA Cups
3 League Cups

It sickens me to acknowledge what their Gazprom money has bought them and their plastic leave-before-the-trophy-is-lifted fans but that is the reality of modern football. Without finding some way of cracking that glass ceiling, we canÂ’t hope to match them.

WeÂ’re experiencing similar tribulations that have visited the aristocracy of England. TheyÂ’re driving 10 year old Citreons and putting buckets under the leaky roofs of their priceless country houses. But they are still more deserving of their places in English high society than a Russian gangster who buys a house on Bishops Avenue.

I get your point. But, IÂ’m coming from a standpoint which believes our problem is more about our lack of assertiveness than our lack of cash. Although, we do need both.

And, by the same token, were Ambramovich to walk away and no Middle Eastern petrodollars come in to replace him, could they go back to mediocrity? Probably.

Unfortunately, by the metric by which these things are measured by most – trophies – they’re running away from us. Like I say, it makes me sick, but...

But on the question of the guyÂ’s ability, surely such a genius manager as Martinez can tweak his tactics to get more for his money than the pitiful antics that our record signing treats us to game after game?

Is Romelu really the least skilled player ever to manage double figures in three successive seasons? Or is he merely the latest to be interred in the Everton graveyard for strikers ?

A few quick thoughts off my head:

1. We fans never want to hear people saying that we arenÂ’t a top club. ItÂ’s an emotive statement, especially when we have such a rich history.
   

   However, itÂ’s also especially emotive because it riles us, as we deep inside us know that the club has fallen from such lofty heights, without a clear end in sight to this Â’mediocre malaiseÂ’.

2. LukakuÂ’s statements are ill-advised, especially so after a loss. This gives the fans more ammunition to gun him down with all kinds of accusations & criticisms.
   

   What Lyndon highlighted is true about us splashing the cash on Lukaku. At the end of the season, while there were critics, the majority wants us to splash the cash on Lukaku, both to get a player whom we thought will continue to grow from strength to strength (and he still might), and also as a statement of intent that we are prepared to go toe-to-toe.
   

   Hindsight is 20/20, as they say. ItÂ’s easy to say that we blew our budget on one player, and how foolish we were, canÂ’t wait to bite someoneÂ’s hands off if they offered cash for him etc.
   

   Everyone was well aware of the trade-offs. Blow it on one player who can potentially make the difference, or spend it on a few players who can strengthen the whole squad.
   

   We know that itÂ’s never clearly one way or the others, and there are numerous examples to back either position.
   So, a judgement call was made, and we are where we are at now.

3. This season is admitted a big letdown (I canÂ’t remember the last time I spent so little time reading and trawling the web for Everton news).
4. However, we still have a cup to play for, and the players whom have underperformed this season may bounce back to form after the "2nd season" syndrome. As such, I continue to retain optimism and belief - if not, IÂ’ll pack up my bags and stop being a fan.

NilSatisNisiOptimum

On holiday a couple of years ago, I noticed an old boy with Nil Satis Nisi Optimum tattooÂ’d on his heart. He was minding his own business enjoying his beer, so I left him to it. A group of Chelsea fans, having recognised the tattoo, started bating him. telling him about all the trophies theyÂ’d won. He eventually broke his silence and reminded them that thousands of Evertonians were in the Chelsea end at the cup final having been ripped off by their money grabbing counterparts, "Your fans believed the money was more important than the ticket." He told them "ThatÂ’s the difference between us and you, a club should be measured by its fans".

The point was completely lost on them and they started jeering when the old boy stood up to leave, "Ha Ha, cant you take it scouse ? Had enough ?" . ."Not at all" he said, "but I look so far down my nose at you nobodies, IÂ’m going to have to lie on a sun lounger to be able see you"

Lyndon,

YouÂ’ve railed against the Lukaku chance being described as a miss a few times now, insisting it simply has to go down as a great save from Cech.

True, the keeper showed great reflexes to stick out a leg when heÂ’d already started to dive the other way, but surely all Lukaku had to do was steer it anywhere but dead ahead and it would have been in the back of the net.

Instead, with the entire goal gaping in front of him, he put the ball in the one place Cech had a chance of connecting with it. Lukaku might not have had time to set himself, and was reacting to the chance on pure instinct, but it was still easier to score from that position than pick out the keeper.

If a Â’poachers instinctÂ’ is what sets quality strikers apart from less frequent scorers then Lukaku must have been possessed by the spirit of Elmer Fudd when his foot connected with that cross.

For me, it was best summed up in the match report on ESPN:

"Twice the Chelsea keeper denied former teammate Romelu Lukaku; the second was a fantastic reflex save. Still, 5 yards out, in the middle of the goal, Lukaku had to score"

Martinez isnÂ’t going anywhere as the man has a plan, as is evident from last season and one season wonÂ’t change that.

Say he does get sacked, whoÂ’s going to replace him? WhoÂ’s out there thatÂ’s a legit alternative to Martinez who can guide the ship right this year AND be able to live up to the fanÂ’s legit and rightful expectations of a top five finish? Just because you sack a manager and replace him with just anybody doesnÂ’t mean heÂ’s automatically going to make the team better because heÂ’s simply not Roberto Martinez. In fact, the situtation can get a heck of a lot worse than it is already if you can believe that.

"Wow, what a save. ItÂ’s pure reaction from Peter Cech... Great ball in from Oviedo and he does everything right, doesnÂ’t he, Lukaku?"

And later...

"And hereÂ’s the earlier miss from Lukaku. Was it a miss? Or was it just a great save? He does everything right. ItÂ’s fizzing across [to the] centre forward. All you can do is try to get it on target..."

IÂ’ve watched it dozens of times and havenÂ’t changed me mind so I think weÂ’ll agree to disagree.

We were a midtable team when I started, and, unless thereÂ’s a change in ownership, will remain a midtable team for the foreseeable future.

My beef with Lukaku and Mirallas, is they were brought in, at considerable expense, to be part of a squad that takes us to at least shouting distance of the "big clubs". If everybody at the club was performing even 80% of their potential, with the talent we have, weÂ’d be challenging for a Champions League spot right now. And I mean everybody, manager, physios, players. All of them.

For those two to be declaring themselves available, at this time of the season, is a slap in the face to every Evertonian. ItÂ’s curious that they have the same agent.

Nothing about what Lukaku said indicated he was making himself available now. He was asked if it he could see himself ever coming back to Chelsea and he said, not necessarily because there are other clubs but he sees himself developing and one day joining a top club like that.

If, in four years when his contract is up, we have not fulfilled MartinezÂ’s plan to become one of those "top clubs" and heÂ’s still banging goals in at a rate better than 1 every 3 games then we surely wouldnÂ’t begrudge him moving on to fulfil his ambitions.

And that, for me, is all he was saying in answering a question about where he sees himself playing in the future.

In other words heÂ’s the new Jelavic.

But look around Europe: the Milan clubs, are they not top clubs any more? They are 10th and 11th currently. Lazio?

Since 1950, only 4 teams have won the Spanish League, but Bilbao are 12th in the league and Valencia are 5th so we cannot count them as top clubs. the other 2 get supported by their respect local governments to the tune of £100 million each season.

In Germany, as far as I can see from his comments, Dortmund, Stuttgart and Werder Bremen are no longer Top Clubs either. Plus only one team has a huge budget but they tend to buy Germen.

That leaves France and Russia... Errrrr, I donÂ’t know where to go with that really as only one team in France has a big budget and you have Monaco, which would be a nice place to live, but they are not a top club. Rich, yes... but top? No. Russia? Well again, most very rich but black players donÂ’t tend to fair that well out there due to cultural reasons.

So Romelu, that will leave you with Turkey. They have 3 top clubs and they are top clubs in Turkey because they are the only 3 clubs that play in Europe each season – Plus you have Porto or Benfica maybe Ajax?

Everton do want to be in the Champions League and Yes we are a big club but it does not happen over night... every Evertonian will tell you we are having a shocking season.

To sum up, Romelu, you have about 10 clubs in the whole of Europe that could afford you but the question is: Would they want you????

It is not a Top Club you want – it is Rich Club. Choose you words carefully, young man.

Best post on here mate. Honest, logical sincere and strait from the heart of a true blue.

Please donÂ’t wait another 55 years until your next one.

All your points are valid mate, and unless someone gets the Spaniard in a dark room and lays the law down, we might see every bit of the undoubted quality we have at the club leave in the summer. And they wonÂ’t be commanding a premium the way we are playing right now.

Last one out knock the lights out please. By the way - stop lying about your age............LOL

ThatÂ’s not bad for a rubbish striker in a team that couldnÂ’t score if it played for a week solid. ItÂ’s not bad for a striker who is being played out of position every other game and is living off scraps in terms of service and chances.

Paying twenty eight million for a player is all well and good but if you put him in a team that has performed the way we have this season, what do you really expect in terms of results?

Is

It would be dangerous to suppress all criticism of the manager as some people are suggesting on here.

This one seems lethargic, has few attributes, could not score in a brothel and his value has halved. Also missing is the long hair... mmm.

To me, itÂ’s simple: the Club come first before any player. If you want to be a bit-part player at Man City, Chelsea, Barcelona, Real Madrid etc, then off you go!

We should put Kone out and bench Lukaku, then he could see what his future would be like playing for a "top" club!

This is all the more reason why players should just play football and keep their mouths shut! Based on this seasonÂ’s performances, Lukaku and Mirallas would be lucky if we could give them away!

Lakaku was brought in six months ago by Martinez as an important player to develop Everton into a "top club" again. What a hit in the face this must be for him.

Football players these days are so egoistic. I would love to hear a player stand up and take responsibility for a change. "I want Everton to become a top club again, and I want to be an important part of that". THAT is a challenge. To MAKE history. Not choosing the easy way and just be a number in an already winning team.

In my dreams, I guess...

You donÂ’t go talking the way he has without knowing that those words make the story, and will go around European media, TV, online or otherwise, much further than just your usual interview.

Standard tabloid-journo question on signing for a club "Do you see yourself finishing your career here?" To say Yes is pushing the mark; to say No makes you out to be a disloyal money grabber looking to get out at the first better offer. ThatÂ’s media training 101. How best to answer.

He will know what he has said is shop window stuff. May not be explicit, but it is code for come and get me.

Of course, in this day and age, an agent, and IÂ’m sure heÂ’ll have a good one, can do the bidding for him individually, but nothing like everyone wanting in to boost the offers.

He is though, with the right tactics, a monster player. He will have a huge career. Of course he wants out. He wanted to play for Chelsea growing up, CL football. We donÂ’t cut it, and two seasons with Martinez is making him realise that.

In truth, I believe the distinction between a great club and a top club is money and management. Everton has a fantastic history that makes it a "great" club who have a passionate supporter base, a traditional stadium that evokes that passion, and provide football with brilliant players over the years.

Since the conception of the Premier League, this club has been badly managed. At the top and at a player level. No matter how you look at it, poor boards elected poor managers and then failed to provide sufficient structures or funds to safeguard our status in the game and our ability to win trophies.

The incompetence, lack of investment and failure to exploit the name of Everton as a great club is solely down to this and previous boards of directors whose lack of foresight and business acumen ensured we have been left with a legacy of a second-tier club, one that never has the quality or the investment to win trophies.

Our past and our passion do truly make us a great club. But to become a top club you need investment and good management with a real vision and plan to get there. We are not, and will never be a top club until that changes.

No doubt after last seasonÂ’s successes, many had high hopes for this seasonÂ’s campaign. I had my doubts about Champions League qualification, as I have always believed we would struggle in the Premier League this season (although not to the extent we have). However, I did have high hopes for the Europa League. They are fading fast.

I can imagine Lukaku and others had a similar view to many of us and saw Everton as a good bet and duly signed up. We donÂ’t get a choice about staying on the Everton Rollercoaster, but players do. In the long run, thatÂ’s fair enough but what has riled me is that Lukaku is only six months into a five-year contract and is already talking about his next move. How the heck does a manager get the best out of players who have that mentality?

Lukaku needs to shut up and do his talking on the pitch.

Whilst I have in my 60-odd years taken great pride in our history, it actually counts for nothing at all in today’s financially-driven, media-driven game. We are respected and liked by many other fans and neutrals but it’s like being the the little boy on the corner who has his head patted by everyone who goes by.

I’ve just returned from 15 days touring Vietnam and, like on my many other global jaunts, I take interest in who the locals support, normally just by looking at who is wearing what. Done Thailand, Brazil, Argentina, China, and many other countries, and Vietnam where the same as the others and had a huge following for Man Utd (20 odd shirts, guide, coach driver, both Man Utd daft); Chelsea (12 shirts); Liverpool (8 shirts); Arsenal (3 shirts). Real Madrid, Barcelona (almost as big as Man Utd)... I even saw 2 Newcastle shirts which can only be down the Mike Ashley’s marketing skills. Everton: not one shirt at all. Those I spoke to, as is normal, didn’t know Everton were from same city as Liverpool! Other point: no Man City shirts.

We have and are losing out big time in not truly financially benefiting from Premier League brand, we do need to win something and build on that. Even Liverpool, who haven’t won anything for last 6-10 years, are still way way ahead but I think are declining vs Chelsea. We will be totally left behind if we continue as we do with mediocrity.

Having read the article 3 times I think on reflection he was expressing wishes to join a "Top club" which as you’ve rightly pointed out we are not, we are a "Big" club but so are Villa, Leeds and WHU, none of which have won anything for years.

It’s sad but big clubs do not attract big players anymore, successful clubs do and we are not one of them at present.

All this does not change my opinion that for the price we paid, he’s shite.

He isn’t at the level of Chelsea, Real, Atletico. Not a chance. Probably nearer the likes of Monaco or Roma. Someone like that.

In the John Moores era, we were a top british club every season guaranteed. Really this continued with Johnson, until he hit financial trouble, signing top players like Kanchelskis and Barmby and winning the cup.

Since then however, we have been in decline for 16 years, and players wanting to leave for top clubs seems to me to be the next stage. We are struggling this year with an ageing squad and our second top goalscorer probably leaving. I fear for our prospects next year with apparently limited funds, and a manager who always thinks his players will eventually come good.

Kenwright has had 16 years to sort out the finances and has failed miserably, as he has with ground moves and everything else. He should now make way for new investment and management.

Doesn’t explain why he can’t control or head a ball but does go some way to explaining his lethargy this season.

This season has been so, so disappointing for all us fans - we were so full of optimism at the beginning of the season. The club had just broken its transfer record to land a striker with a fantastic scoring record (bar none in fact for his age, including Messi, Rooney and Ronaldo). Barkley - our very own boy prodigy had a breakthrough season last year - and great things were expected from him. I had put down Lukaku to get 20 goals and Barkley 10. Sadly, they have both stunk the place out. Added to that, the injuries to Osman and Pienaar, the dramatic decline of Distin, and below par performances by Howard, Jagielka, Barry, Coleman, Naismith, McGeady has resulted in the position that we find ourselves in. The ’Martinez Out’ brigade will say that it all points to Martinez’ incompetencies, and to some extent they are right, but the players have to look at themselves as well. They are all professionals (like Martinez) and are paid generous amounts of money by Everton to perform, and they have let down the club and fans badly this season. However, the good thing is that they still have a chance to redeem themselves - at this point, most fans would be happy if Everton were to get to the finals of Europa and manage to end the season in the top half. I hope everyone at the club - the management, players and fans - stretch every sinew to achieve that goal. COYB!

There are reasons why Man City got the owners they did: a stadium provided for them by our taxpayers money!

To be frank, I find the EPL a truly depressing place to be, especially with the new 70% increase deal. The fans are the least important to most clubs and their owners. It’s all about the money. The greed that runs a lot of clubs affects the players and it apparently will not be long before we have a player on £1,000,000 per week

We have to be realistic as we are unlikely to get new owners prepared to invest until we have a new stadium as they would have to pay for it!

My hope is that, provided we stay in the EPL, we finally get the new stadium we deserve.

You don’t get what you deserve, you get what you get, and with this clown running the club we’ll never get a new ground. He made a complete hash of Everton’s big chance at King’s Dock then Kirkby. I don’t believe WHP is a serious venture, just a rouse for the fans. Where is the money supposed to come from?

We have had 16 years of steady decline under Kenwright and if he presides over relegation, this or next season, it will be the end of Everton as a major force.

In the world of football, we are not a top club and we won't become one in the very near future. To us fans, we are the biggest club in the world etc etc, but you are referencing a foreign-born player.

Lukaku doesn't actually give a toss about Everton so why we get hung up on what these players say to the media is a bit silly!

At this present time, we are shit; we have a shit manager and we play shit football. If I was Lukaku, with the shite tactics we play, I reckon I would want to be somewhere else too.

I don't know who you've been watching for the last two seasons, but I think that's the last criticism you can level at Lukaku. He's always the last one left applauding the fans after a game and he plays for the shirt.

You can't knock him for having ambition – he came to this club because he loved his time here and he genuinely thought we could push for the Champions League. If he's starting to think that's not realistic, he deserves to move on, but we'll still have a couple more seasons to get the standard of football he and Mirallas want at Goodison.

Stop living in a dream world where every player who pulls on an Everton shirt instantly becomes an endlessly loyal, blue-blooded Evertonian. We're better than most at getting players to fall in love with the club, but most players just see us as a moderately big club in the most attractive league in the world.

Lukaku loves the club, but he also has a very short career to do as much as he possibly can. He's not going to stick with Everton if we can't give him the level of football he deserves.

However, Colin keeps telling us not to be alarmed. Why not? I suppose because we've managed to win SIX games out of TWENTY FIVE, we've done better than Villa, Leicester and Burnley and should avoid relegation.

So why should anyone be concerned with that record, uhh?

Phil, Fergie struggled at Man Utd for a few seasons and didn’t turn out too bad did he? Remember the ’Tarra, Fergie’ banner at OT? I imagine you will be taking your white hankie to the Leicester game then.

Oh and yes, we will avoid relegation.

And still what Kev and Rom have said in recent days disturbs me, and not solely to just anger.

I want what they want, far more than they can possibly ever dream.

Big club.
Champions League.
Silverware.
Star studded squad.

They aren't wrong in wanting success.
I'm bloody sure that Brian Clough would have said that a player with no ambition for higher and greater achievements was of no use to him.

I still like Roberto, I just think that he needs to stop being everybody's friend, because when it does go wrong (and in football, it always does unless you retire... and I consider death as quite a setback), your friends will have evaporated before the club issues the "Sadly....dear John...etc".

Roberto, your two Belgian lads want what I want and what you want with Everton. Mates will not win you trophies. Our last manager was dead popular because he won fuck all! And he took a fucking long time to do it.

Your pretty football requires many things, however, certain factors are not within your control....

The opposition are allowed to behave like arseholes.
The opposition will behave like complete arseholes.
The opposition are complete arseholes.
The opposition does not solely include other EPL football clubs nor indeed other English football clubs...........some of these arseholes are Everton fans!

So go for it, mate, because in simple terms, "You're fucked if you don't!"

I am of the opinion you learn more from your failures than you do from your successes. The blame will be squarely at Martinez's door if he repeats his mistakes with this squad.

By contrast, Martinez inherited a very good squad (as demonstrated last season), still has that very good squad and has reduced it to dross.

When does a learning cycle begin and end? Only at season’s end...? Surely in the world of top flight football you have to react and readjust not only week to week, game by game, but also within games.

And it is only in the past month that Roberto has finally woken up to our plight and taken a more pragmatic approach to what is truly needed In our current situation.

There will be time and the inclination I hope for a deep and thorough root and branch review of all matters in the summer, but we needed Roberto to learn and recognize NOW how precarious our situation was becoming and thankfully, it appears he has.

In the modern era of tweeting and mass media consumption via the internet every word can be twisted and scrutinised.

The players in the modern era must surely know that what they are saying has consequences.

So they are either naïve, stupid, or they are being very clever in trying to place the first seed of discontent.

No-one should be appointed to this post whilst he is learning his trade or has to be awoken to the reality of the task. And certainly no-one who is more set on theories and philosophies than on delivering results.

Another season of this twerp in charge and Everton will become established as a Villa, Albion, Stoke or Sunderland rather than a challenger for top six. Just because Moyes 'turned it round' is about as relevant as the mess he later made of managing Man Utd!

My position has been consistent. I haven’t called for his sacking. I haven’t resorted to personal abuse or laid the blame for our obvious failings this season solely at RM’s door.

What I have done - and repeated in my post - was called for more acknowledgement of just how precarious our position is and for a more pragmatic approach to arrest it.

And at present that is ALL we have achieved - stopped the very considerable rot that was sucking us into the vortex of relegation.

No way have we yet turned the corner as many more optimistic fans wish to claim. Yes, the recent spate of clean sheets has plugged the sieve which was the defensive (hah!) side of our game, but on the offensive side...

7 goals in our last 11 PL games (30% of the season)...

5 of those 7 goals came in just 2 games, the 3-1 win to QPR and the 3-2 defeat against the barcodes...

Ergo, we have scored an embarrassing 2 goals in the other 9 games, dating back to 6 December...

Throw in the fact that we have failed to come back to win a game after losing the opening goal since 1 February 2014 - more than a year ago - and it doesn’t take much to work out if you score the 1st goal against Everton the worst result you can expect is a draw.

So no Phil, Sr. Martinez has a lot to do to convince me he is the right man for the job.

And to close on a point you made: "No-one should be appointed to this post whilst he is learning his trade."

I think it’s accurate to say both HK and Moyes fall into that category and they didn’t do too badly...

This is yet another example of a player who earns a small fortune and has been average at best this season having an inflated opinion of himself. Take a look at Diego Costa for Chelsea, who was similarly priced and contrast what he has contributed to his team. Admittedly, Costa plays with better players but you can't teach at 21-year-old to trap a ball and improve their hold-up play.

Unfortunately, Lukaku is yet another Everton forward who made a good start but couldn't handle our big club and expectations. If he wants to justify his opinion of himself, then he could start by learning the offside law.