Romelu Lukaku

[The Skipper 20,593]

When he was banging goals for fun at the start, every member including me and every pundit said that chelsea made a mistake.

Not everyone!

I remember a few of us said that loaning him was the right decision, regardless if he was scoring goals or not, especially considering Mourinho allowed it.

Lukaku's always been known as a goalscorer, his main problems lie in other areas, which is what I have said from day one, which is why the Everton loan spell is good for him because he gets to be number 1 striker at a top 6 club who are challenging for CL.

It is very funny how most that blasted a few of us for agreeing with the loan are now coming around though.

[bouletje 82]

Seems like a my cup is already full kinda guy sometimes, think he's a though kid to teach something.

And when I think back on how he was two years ago, can't say I see alot of improvement, just my opinion.

[Stingray 9,441]

I really question the fact he hasn't learned anything. I think he really does, but people don't seem to realize he will never look 'beautiful' technically. He is another kind of striker. Sorry to see this is biasing people's view on his effectiveness as a striker. A bias sometimes strengthened by his from time to time lacklustre bodylanguage when things do not pan out right for him in some games.

Also: the part about him not working hard is utter bullshit. I am very sorry. In pretty much every interview held by others in the NT (eg. KDB, but also the coaches) he is said to work harder than anyone else, staying after training to practise extra shots, continuously watching tape to study other strikers. In one of the interviews they called him the human football database.

He is big, fast, has excellent instincts and scores goals. He will never be good at his first touch, but it has progressed. At Everton his link up is being trained, as it should People who watched him at Anderlecht like I have will acknowledge this.

We forget he is mere 20 years old - which adds to the bias there already is. Team him up with a good striker and watch what happens. I remember more than one year ago people called me crazy for boasting about Eden - this guy is going to be our ugly but effective goal scoring machine.

What wisdom is there in writing off a 20 year old freak of nature like him.... Ffs.

[robsblubot 3,222]

Not everyone!

I remember a few of us said that loaning him was the right decision, regardless if he was scoring goals or not, especially considering Mourinho allowed it.

Lukaku's always been known as a goalscorer, his main problems lie in other areas, which is what I have said from day one, which is why the Everton loan spell is good for him because he gets to be number 1 striker at a top 6 club who are challenging for CL.

It is very funny how most that blasted a few of us for agreeing with the loan are now coming around though.

true from the player's perspective.

however, for the club, all it matters is whether Lukaku would be able to contribute more than Demba Ba, which is not that difficult. Lukaku has made a case that he could be more influential than Demba Ba in my view.

Well, I guess it's not all that matters... Difficult to know how disruptive Lukaku would've been as a 3rd striker had he stayed. Despite his technical deficiencies, Demba Ba is very professional and appears to be a team player (not to mention a good guy).

@Stingray, that's not bias as most if not all world class strikers have been very good technical players. His technical ineptitude will always hold him back, no matter how powerful and quick he may be. He still can improve technically, but it's the toughest area to develop.

[The Skipper 20,593]

true from the player's perspective.

however, for the club, all it matters is whether Lukaku would be able to contribute more than Demba Ba, which is not that difficult. Lukaku has made a case that he could be more influential than Demba Ba in my view.

Well, I guess it's not all that matters... Difficult to know how disruptive Lukaku would've been as a 3rd striker had he stayed. Despite his technical deficiencies, Demba Ba is very professional and appears to be a team player (not to mention a good guy).

Lukaku would've definitely provided more than Ba, but as you said, he wouldn't sit around here being 3rd choice like Ba is. He would definitely moan/cry about it.

He needed to go out for his development. IMO it's better that he's number 1 at Everton rather than number 2/3 at Chelsea.

[Fernando 6,376]

Don't say you haven't been warned.

Well KDB gone, and I bet Piazon as well.

He is of the similar mold of KDB.

Courtoius and Lukaku I'm not sure.

The club and Mourinho have a tough call on Courtois cause Cech is still good, and goalkeepers can be good till their 40's....

For Lukaku, if the guy can accept to be 2nd or 3rd striker depends on who we keep and who we buy then good.

If he wants the same amount of play time as Everton, then just like KDB and Mata he will be sold, sadly.

[bushman 2,043]

Not everyone!

I remember a few of us said that loaning him was the right decision, regardless if he was scoring goals or not, especially considering Mourinho allowed it.

Lukaku's always been known as a goalscorer, his main problems lie in other areas, which is what I have said from day one, which is why the Everton loan spell is good for him because he gets to be number 1 striker at a top 6 club who are challenging for CL.

It is very funny how most that blasted a few of us for agreeing with the loan are now coming around though.

Most of us still think Lukaku could have played for Chelsea had Eto´o was not bought. How about them cookies ?

[Stingray 9,441]

@Stingray, that's not bias as most if not all world class strikers have been very good technical players. His technical ineptitude will always hold him back, no matter how powerful and quick he may be. He still can improve technically, but it's the toughest area to develop.

I get what you are aiming at, but i mean bias in the sense that people ascribe him bad technical skills easier due to his physical appearance, height, bulk. I would actually say he is average-ok , and not 'terrible'. If you see the touches Torres misses (not to mention Ba).... Furthermore, he can really do it when he is ok mentally, which is probably true for most strikers.

So, being average technical, but having the instinct and the physical prowess makes him a powerfull weapon imo.

[The only place to be 11,313]

Not everyone!

I remember a few of us said that loaning him was the right decision, regardless if he was scoring goals or not, especially considering Mourinho allowed it.

Lukaku's always been known as a goalscorer, his main problems lie in other areas, which is what I have said from day one, which is why the Everton loan spell is good for him because he gets to be number 1 striker at a top 6 club who are challenging for CL.

It is very funny how most that blasted a few of us for agreeing with the loan are now coming around though.

I still think it was the wrong move. Ba simply isn't good enough and has contributed the square root of fuck all to our campaign, whilst Torres has been inconsistent and injury-prone. We needed another striker and Lukaku would have got plenty of minutes whilst playing and training alongside top quality players who might have actually improved his play and kept him in line off the pitch.

At Everton he's faced almost zero competition for a starting spot and I'm not sure how closely related their football is to our's. It was a bad decision and to be honest I think we could've done with a striker who has 'always been known as a goalscorer', don't you?

[petr.breu 1,618]

Wrong shirt at the wrong moment Romelu

[Jase 43,479]

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11668/9172278/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Roberto Martinez has said Lukaku will be back for Everton on 1st March to face West Ham.

[Shogun 721]

Since I last posted in this thread, Romelu Lukaku has scored 2 goals in 10 appearances in the Premier League (without counting his injury forced substitution away to Liverpool) having previously scored 7 goals in 8 Premier League appearances. So what we need to determine is whether his drop in goals is down to a drop in performance from Everton as a team or whether Romelu Lukaku has to take a large amount of, not quite blame, but acceptance for his own transformation into Fernando Torres.

I have to concede that I am of the persuasion that a decent part of the reasoning for Romelu Lukaku's loss of form is down to Everton's loss in form over the last 2 or 3 months. In my opinion, Everton haven't played well throughout a match since we drew 1-1 against Arsenal at the Emirates and that came 8 Premier League matches ago on 8th December. In that time, Lukaku has scored one goal.

Everton have been ravaged with injuries throughout the last couple of months (like some other clubs). Leighton Baines, Phil Jagielka, Sylvain Distin, Seamus Coleman, Gerard Deulofeu, Ross Barkley and much more recently Bryan Oviedo all missed numerous games in this period which will have affected the team as most of them are core players in the squad. Any team that is swapping and changing their team unwillingly are going to suffer.

However, there are a lot of players who would step up in that sort of time (Kevin Mirallas in particular did this for us) but Lukaku just went inside a shell and the goals dried up. It wasn't the hardest run of Premier League matches in the world, he has failed to score against Manchester United, Arsenal (they're the excusable fixtures), Fulham, Swansea, Sunderland, Stoke, Norwich and West Brom.

Perhaps you also have to take fitness and his stage of development into account. He is still young and has been used sparingly at Chelsea and was used fairly irregularly at West Brom despite his goal return, Due to lack of competition (which could also be a factor, though I don't think it is, he's a pretty self motivated guy), he has started 17 Premier League matches in a row before his injury against Liverpool. You only have to look at your own players recently such as Hazard and Willian who are suffering from fatigue and they have more experience in hand. Also, when you're scoring goals, your inadequacies are often ignored and vice-versa when you're not scoring. Despite the goals, he's always showed that he's a fair distance from being the footballer he wants to be, patience is probably the one thing he needs more of in terms of his career.

Unsurprisingly, it's a mixture of a drop of form from the player and the team that have contributed to his lack of goals but if I'm being completely honest, it was the team that was making Lukaku look good this season rather than the other way around as the media would have had you believe with their "what was Jose thinking" headlines. Lukaku is young, that should be remembered and he needs less of the Drogba comparisons and the media fuelling his ego. This break should help him as well as competition from Traore and Naismith who is doing well.

There's absolutely no way Lukaku is ready to lead Chelsea next season, nor is there much proof to say he'd be any better at it than Torres or Eto'o... yet.

[Thomas Williams 166]

nor is there much proof to say he's be any better at it than Torres or Eto'o... yet.

Key word there being 'yet.' I think Lukaku is causing the issue by rushing himself. If you look at the best teams in the world throughout the past, you will very rarely find a 20 year old as their stand alone striker. It's just too much pressure and too much expected out of a player that young. If Lukaku became our number one at 22, that would still be immensely young for a striker to play for a team with the quality Chelsea has. I understand that Lukaku is exceptional and he knows it, and he feels he is ready to start for Chelsea, but I don't think a couple more EPL loan spells would hurt him, especially because we know he'd get playing time. And because we can demand a loan fee, it would even be economical for Chelsea (we don't need to keep him as a backup because we're stuck with Torres, like it or not).

Just think Lukaku and the fans need to be patient.

[The only place to be 11,313]

Personally I think he's been run into the ground at Everton. He's played more games than Sturridge in a team who have the creative spark of a boyband member.

It was a stupid loan to make and it'll probably see him end up regressing as a player rather than becoming a player we could actually use in the near future. He's faced almost zero competition in a club whose season is probably over after this weekend (bar the cup competitions) and whose most 'distinguished' player is Gareth Barry.

He'll become a 'what if' for us fans who would've preferred to see him used as a third striker where he'd probably have made 25 appearances.

Oh, and despite all that he's scored 2 fewer goals than Eto'o, Torres and Ba combined.

[Thomas Williams 166]

would've preferred to see him used as a third striker where he'd probably have made 25 appearances.

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I would have liked that too, but I think it is unlikely that Mourinho would have given him that many games. Look how much playing time Ba gets as our number 3, Lukaku probably would have been lucky to get even 10 full 90 minute games, if that. Lukaku is still very young, we have plenty of time and can make plenty of mistakes with what we do with him before he's "regressed." I don't see how any playing time is bad, I think 9 times out of 10 playing full time is good for a young player in his development. And while Everton isn't perfect, you're going to be hard pressed to find a better EPL side willing to take on a Chelsea youth as a full time player.

This Everton side you're making fun of is ahead of United despite having had an ENORMOUS, and I mean ENORMOUS injury crisis the past couple of months--their football is not that bad. Last year we only had a couple more points after week 25 than they do now. They also play a 4-2-3-1, just like us, and Mirallas and Barkley are basically a poor man's Hazard and Oscar- not that different.

If you think about it, it was pretty much the perfect place to loan him, and definitely an upgrade from West Brom. When he performed well there, you guys complain that he should be here at Chelsea, when he performs poorly, you say playing there is ruining him. Fact is, he IS improving his game there, and frankly Mourinho didn't think he was ready yet to start for us. Lukaku wanted more playing time so he could improve, and he's getting it. Don't see what all the fuss is about.

[The only place to be 11,313]

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I would have liked that too, but I think it is unlikely that Mourinho would have given him that many games. Look how much playing time Ba gets as our number 3, Lukaku probably would have been lucky to get even 10 full 90 minute games, if that. Lukaku is still very young, we have plenty of time and can make plenty of mistakes with what we do with him before he's "regressed." I don't see how any playing time is bad, I think 9 times out of 10 playing full time is good for a young player in his development. And while Everton isn't perfect, you're going to be hard pressed to find a better EPL side willing to take on a Chelsea youth as a full time player.

For young players it's all about momentum. Look at players like McEachran who have stalled and are trying to get going again, and look at how well Lukaku did last season. The reason Ba doesn't play is simple - he's dogshit. He offers fuck all on the pitch. He's a bad footballer which is a shame because it's his chosen profession, but he gets paid well and has great seats. Beyond that he's an empty vessel.

This Everton side you're making fun of is ahead of United despite having had an ENORMOUS, and I mean ENORMOUS injury crisis the past couple of months--their football is not that bad. Last year we only had a couple more points after week 25 than they do now. They also play a 4-2-3-1, just like us, and Mirallas and Barkley are basically a poor man's Hazard and Oscar- not that different.

They're a decent side. But personally I'd have liked to have seen Lukaku train with world-class players and not pale imitations. I'd have loved to have seen him come off the bench and get 30 minutes here and there for us, a few starts and have Jose put his arm round him after each game.

If you think about it, it was pretty much the perfect place to loan him, and definitely an upgrade from West Brom. When he performed well there, you guys complain that he should be here at Chelsea, when he performs poorly, you say playing there is ruining him. Fact is, he IS improving his game there, and frankly Mourinho didn't think he was ready yet to start for us. Lukaku wanted more playing time so he could improve, and he's getting it. Don't see what all the fuss is about.

He's improving marginally, but I still don't think loans are the magical elixir some think they are. At the end of the day players are either good enough or they're not and Lukaku offered enough last season to deserve a season here.

And who gives a fuck what Lukaku wants? He's barely an adult and he's a footballer - two things that tend to make someone a bit thick. I just think we need to re-evaluate how we develop young players rather than sticking them in the Bank of Vitesse to cash in on a few weeks down the line.

[Shogun 721]

I think you're overrating your own players. How many 'world class' players do Chelsea have?

[The only place to be 11,313]

I think you're overrating your own players. How many 'world class' players do Chelsea have?

A few. Plus there's players like Cole, Terry and Lampard who have pretty much been there and got the t-shirt. No disrespect to Everton or Martinez but there's a whole different level of experience at Chelsea.

Not being funny but Everton's PR department couldn't even prevent him from defending a player accused of anti-semitism.

I think he's just suffered from the lack of competition and support in the striker's position. Maybe it's a good thing that he's played without much threat to his spot, but judging by his downturn in form he could've perhaps done with a rest here and there.