4 hours ago, Scott Harris said:

£100m move to Chelsea (2nd time)

£75m move to Inter

£75m move to United

£13m move to Chelsea (1st time)

It's rare to see any player move 3 times for a such an insane amount of money, but for a player of Lukaku's limited quality, it's unheard of.

We just going to overlook the fact that he has 261 career goals in 536 appearances? 

For all the talk of tactics, formations etc. football is quite a simple game, score more goals than the other team and you win. Lukaku has a consistent scoring record that's why clubs are willing to pay big money for him. 

As for the large fees. There's plenty of players who have moved a times for big sums. Morata and Anelka being two former Chelsea strikers who immediately come to mind. Ibrahimovic, James Rodriguez, Higuain, Griezmann and Coutinho (if you include his large loan fees) have all racked up a decent sum of total money spent on them. 

Maybe it’s not a popular view here. But don’t you think Tuchel is also partly at fault here.

putting Sarr on the left one decent ball. Pulisic and Kai were playing on the wrong positions kai left and pulisic in the the middle with no foward passing. And to top all that using Kante as attacking midfielder were he didn’t pass to Lukaku at all or to late when there is a defender coming back.

on the right no azpi so there also no crosses from the back too. And why don’t play Kovacic in his rol instead of using Kante to pass forward. Zero Creativity…

did Havert give any ball or good pass to Lukaku ?  So if you want to blame Lukaku also Blame Tuchel for this lineup. We start to play badly when we lost both wings not of the Lukaku in the lineup and yes he is bad but that’s because he need the crosses and the passes from the wings. Tuchel need to find another way of playing 

4 hours ago, Argo said:

Which of his Uefa Champions League winning teammates is at fault for this @Hall?

 

I believe in you Romelu....

 

You can break this record!

24 minutes ago, Hall said:

Maybe it’s not a popular view here. But don’t you think Tuchel is also partly at fault here.

putting Sarr on the left one decent ball. Pulisic and Kai were playing on the wrong positions kai left and pulisic in the the middle with no foward passing. And to top all that using Kante as attacking midfielder were he didn’t pass to Lukaku at all or to late when there is a defender coming back.

on the right no azpi so there also no crosses from the back too. And why don’t play Kovacic in his rol instead of using Kante to pass forward. Zero Creativity…

did Havert give any ball or good pass to Lukaku ?  So if you want to blame Lukaku also Blame Tuchel for this lineup. We start to play badly when we lost both wings not of the Lukaku in the lineup and yes he is bad but that’s because he need the crosses and the passes from the wings. Tuchel need to find another way of playing 

The fact is we are a mess going forward.....well actually we don't...we pass backwards and sideways even though we have the momentum going forward; whoever has the ball stops, and then passes back all in the sake of possession and you wonder why we are struggling to create anything or create decent chances to score or put a game away.   TT being a pragmatic and manager that continually plays safe doesn't help with tactics and slow reactions to the use of subs.

34 minutes ago, Hall said:

 

but that’s because he need the crosses

Hate to break it to you but if he needs specific circumstances to perform as little as basic competence then he's a fundamentally sh*t football player.

Harry Kane today fed on scraps and guess what? 2 goals and 1 defense splitting through ball to get his team a win against the odds. 

As for Tuchel, he's very much at blame for continuously picking him.

8 minutes ago, Argo said:

Hate to break it to you but if he needs specific circumstances to perform as little as basic competence then he's a fundamentally sh*t football player.

Harry Kane today fed on scraps and guess what? 2 goals and 1 defense splitting through ball to get his team a win against the odds. 

As for Tuchel, he's very much at blame for continuously picking him.

Romelus situation combined with this:

14 minutes ago, CFCCAN said:

The fact is we are a mess going forward.....well actually we don't...we pass backwards and sideways even though we have the momentum going forward; whoever has the ball stops, and then passes back all in the sake of possession and you wonder why we are struggling to create anything or create decent chances to score or put a game away.   TT being a pragmatic and manager that continually plays safe doesn't help with tactics and slow reactions to the use of subs.

Is why I believe TT could well be gone by the end of the season. For sure he does not survive a full season next season if we keep playing this insipid way 

Edited February 19, 20224 yr by axman2526

3 minutes ago, axman2526 said:

Romelus situation combined with this:

Is why I believe TT could well be gone by the end of the season. For sure he does not survive a full season next season if we keep playing this insipid way 

He will get the next season unless we totally implode. If he was even in the slightest danger we would be hearing noises like we did with Frank.

19 minutes ago, CFCCAN said:

The fact is we are a mess going forward.....well actually we don't...we pass backwards and sideways even though we have the momentum going forward; whoever has the ball stops, and then passes back all in the sake of possession and you wonder why we are struggling to create anything or create decent chances to score or put a game away.   TT being a pragmatic and manager that continually plays safe doesn't help with tactics and slow reactions to the use of subs.

Yeah, let's go back to Lampard's cavalier style 😜 TT's Dortmund and PSG sides never had that issue. He has inherited someone else's side so I really hope the board backs him in the summer. If not, yes he will be gone and we can reset to yet another manager. 

Edited February 19, 20224 yr by RomansRoubles

14 minutes ago, RomansRoubles said:

Yeah, let's go back to Lampard's cavalier style 😜 

Imagine how many counter attacks Lukaku's first touch would have set off if he played in our 19/20 side.

23 minutes ago, ForeverCarefree said:

We just going to overlook the fact that he has 261 career goals in 536 appearances? 

For all the talk of tactics, formations etc. football is quite a simple game, score more goals than the other team and you win. Lukaku has a consistent scoring record that's why clubs are willing to pay big money for him. 

As for the large fees. There's plenty of players who have moved a times for big sums. Morata and Anelka being two former Chelsea strikers who immediately come to mind. Ibrahimovic, James Rodriguez, Higuain, Griezmann and Coutinho (if you include his large loan fees) have all racked up a decent sum of total money spent on them. 

Yes, I am going to overlook it, because goals from a single player doesn't translate to success on the pitch, especially in Lukaku's case. I would rather we focused on what we were already building than throw all of that away for the sake of one severly limited footballer.

He is one of the worst players in our squad in critical areas of the game. Touch, passing, link up play, pressing, agility, movement, dribbling, I can't think of a player that is worse than Lukaku at any of this. He's even awful at using his strength and he is bigger than any player in the squad. I would trust Jorginho to use his body more effectively than Lukaku does. So why the hell should we sacrifice everybody elses game for a player like this? Why can't it be Lukaku that is the one that makes a few sacrifices? Why can't he adjust his game to get the best out of Havertz, Mount and Werner, why is it on them to change their game to suit him?

1 hour ago, RomansRoubles said:

Yeah, let's go back to Lampard's cavalier style 😜 TT's Dortmund and PSG sides never had that issue. He has inherited someone else's side so I really hope the board backs him in the summer. If not, yes he will be gone and we can reset to yet another manager. 

He may have inherited someone else's side but the players he has are hardly sh*te. The French and German leagues can't be compared to the EPL in terms of intensity.  Look at the attacking riches he has, and he still hasn't got a tune out of either of them a year later. Is that bad management or unexplainably all our attacking players are out of form all at the same time...that is hard to believe.  The talent we have is the envy of many teams yet we struggle to break down teams or play with any creativity in the final 3rd which is where it counts.  Winning trophies is one thing, boring the f**k out of fans is another.  

Interesting debate on MOTD with 3 excellent strikers baffled as to why the team don't play to his strengths, his lack of intent and movement, and Shearers belief they don't practise playing to his strengths, i don't think Havertz Ziyech, kante trust him....??

Edited February 20, 20224 yr by Ballack & Blu

4 minutes ago, Ballack & Blu said:

Interesting debate on MOTD with 3 excellent strikers baffled as to why the team don't play to his strengths, his lack of intent and movement, and Shearers belief they don't practise playing to his strengths, i don't think Haverts Ziyech, kante trust him....??

Spurs weren't playing to Kane's strength today, result? 2 goals and a win against all odds.

Great strikers do it under any system, any manager, any circumstances.

2 minutes ago, Argo said:

Spurs weren't playing to Kane's strength today, result? 2 goals and a win against all odds.

Great strikers do it under any system, any manager, any circumstances.

Have to face facts. Unless we Taylor everything to him he is worse tha useless.  TT playing him and not doing so is not helping anyone.

So either drop him or make everything about him.

The fact passes he *could* have had are being overanalysed says everything in itself.

Go back and watch games with Diego Costa and they'll be many times he could have been played in but wasn't, even by Cesc, but it was never mentioned, why? Because he actually delievered when he got the chance. Lukaku got a perfect pass late on in the game but it was rendered meaningless because he couldn't be arsed to get back onside.

The calls to build out system around him is infuriating. Hazard, Lampard etc had to earn that right over time yet this guy should get the silver spoon from the off? Absolutely f**k off.

Speaking of Hazard, penny for his thoughts everytime he's been with the international team in the last decade.

Edited February 20, 20224 yr by Argo

26 minutes ago, Ballack & Blu said:

Interesting debate on MOTD with 3 excellent strikers baffled as to why the team don't play to his strengths, his lack of intent and movement, and Shearers belief they don't practise playing to his strengths, i don't think Havertz Ziyech, kante trust him....??

Havertz just feels lucky he is playing in the same team as Lukaku because it takes the attention away from his awful performances.

12 minutes ago, Ballack & Blu said:

Interesting debate on MOTD with 3 excellent strikers baffled as to why the team don't play to his strengths, his lack of intent and movement, and Shearers belief they don't practise playing to his strengths, i don't think Haverts Ziyech, kante trust him....??

They also played in a different era of the game. An era of two strikers, an era where having strikers was a necessity to win major titles. They can't seem to comprehend that by trying to adapt to Lukaku's game, it is hurting the players around him more, which hurts the team overall. They don't get it because they have an outdated viewpoint. I say talk to somebody like Fabregas, let's see what he would say about Lukaku, a modern viewpoint of the modern game.

This is why I don't watch MOTD anymore. It's an outdated show with outdated opinions. The likes of Lineker, Shearer and Wright still talk about the game like we are in the 90's. 

Play to his strengths they keep saying, what are his strengths i ask ?

He can't jump that high, he can't take free kicks, he's not quick enough to leave defenders, not strong enough to hold off defenders, not clever enough to create his own chances.

Ian Wright on MOTD said were mad for not playing to his strengths, but again failed to say what they are.

 

14 minutes ago, Scott Harris said:

They also played in a different era of the game. An era of two strikers, an era where having strikers was a necessity to win major titles. They can't seem to comprehend that by trying to adapt to Lukaku's game, it is hurting the players around him more, which hurts the team overall. They don't get it because they have an outdated viewpoint. I say talk to somebody like Fabregas, let's see what he would say about Lukaku, a modern viewpoint of the modern game.

This is why I don't watch MOTD anymore. It's an outdated show with outdated opinions. The likes of Lineker, Shearer and Wright still talk about the game like we are in the 90's. 

Shearer should know better as he had some rotten managers and "service" at Newcastle yet still became the EPL highest ever scorer.

Our pundits are generally pathetic though, believe it or not they were outdone today by Tim Sherwood throwing Varane under the bus to protect Maguire, can't even type that with a straight face.

 

44 minutes ago, Argo said:

The fact passes he *could* have had are being overanalysed says everything in itself.

Go back and watch games with Diego Costa and they'll be many times he could have been played in but wasn't, even by Cesc, but it was never mentioned, why? Because he actually delievered when he got the chance. Lukaku got a perfect pass late on in the game but it was rendered meaningless because he couldn't be arsed to get back onside.

The calls to build out system around him is infuriating. Hazard, Lampard etc had to earn that right over time yet this guy should get the silver spoon from the off? Absolutely f**k off.

Speaking of Hazard, penny for his thoughts everytime he's been with the international team in the last decade.

I agree I would rather we drop him all together, however I don't see that happening.

Hyperthetical one for you all. If we knew for sure it was TT and TT alone that is deciding Rom keeps starting and the only way he gets dropped is if TT goes what would you want us to do?

Edited February 20, 20224 yr by axman2526

This 'we should play to his strenghts' narrative doesn't seem to work. What actually are his strengths? His movement is poor, he wins zero aerial duels and he's not fast. Everything you don't expect from your 97 million striker...

30 minutes ago, coco said:

Play to his strengths they keep saying, what are his strengths i ask ?

He can't jump that high, he can't take free kicks, he's not quick enough to leave defenders, not strong enough to hold off defenders, not clever enough to create his own chances.

Ian Wright on MOTD said were mad for not playing to his strengths, but again failed to say what they are.

 

 

Just now, wizardous said:

This 'we should play to his strenghts' narrative doesn't seem to work. What actually are his strengths? His movement is poor, he wins zero aerial duels and he's not fast. Everything you don't expect from your 97 million striker...

Nah too easy to make the same pointing and moaning points again.

Erm he occasionally scores the odd sitter perhaps? This Lukaku I don't see any, the one that came lighter and played against Arsenal and Villa might have had some use, alas I think this Lukaku ate the other one.

29 minutes ago, coco said:

Play to his strengths they keep saying, what are his strengths i ask ?

He can't jump that high, he can't take free kicks, he's not quick enough to leave defenders, not strong enough to hold off defenders, not clever enough to create his own chances.

Ian Wright on MOTD said were mad for not playing to his strengths, but again failed to say what they are.

 

Unless he's being specifically instructed to never come deep and to just be stuck next to his defender at all times, then it's Tuchel but otherwise I fail to see how can anyone play with him at the moment.

Let's face it we won't be able to play a counter-attacking style against teams like Palace, I don't see what could anyone else do in this game to get him more involved.

Pulisic had a poor game but when he had the ball Lukaku wasn't open for a pass, same for Ziyech he actually took on players and tried multiple things but Lukaku was constantly out of the picture, Havertz also had a poor game but you see him trying to do something with the ball and while he's doing it Lukaku is nowhere near open for any play. It's one of those rare matches where if you ask me Lukaku almost literally didn't want to show up. I tried to remember all the instances where Lukaku just went behind his defender and was unavailable for the final ball and I think it was at least 4 times that I have seen it this last game.

Just look at the last 5 games without Lukaku, Palace has been one of our secure 3 point matchup, obviously now they got Viera so it's a different manager but at the start of the season when Lukaku didn't play in the opening game we comfortably won 3:0. This was Lukaku's worst game for us this season if you ask me and he didn't look like he wanted to use any of his ability, as if he was waiting for a perfect tap-in situation.

At the moment I'd have him up there with Bogarde in the "big lumps stealing a living" sweepstake although at least Bogarde spent most of his time on the bench? 

12 minutes ago, Gol15 said:

Unless he's being specifically instructed to never come deep and to just be stuck next to his defender at all times, then it's Tuchel but otherwise I fail to see how can anyone play with him at the moment.

Let's face it we won't be able to play a counter-attacking style against teams like Palace, I don't see what could anyone else do in this game to get him more involved.

Pulisic had a poor game but when he had the ball Lukaku wasn't open for a pass, same for Ziyech he actually took on players and tried multiple things but Lukaku was constantly out of the picture, Havertz also had a poor game but you see him trying to do something with the ball and while he's doing it Lukaku is nowhere near open for any play. It's one of those rare matches where if you ask me Lukaku almost literally didn't want to show up. I tried to remember all the instances where Lukaku just went behind his defender and was unavailable for the final ball and I think it was at least 4 times that I have seen it this last game.

Just look at the last 5 games without Lukaku, Palace has been one of our secure 3 point matchup, obviously now they got Viera so it's a different manager but at the start of the season when Lukaku didn't play in the opening game we comfortably won 3:0. This was Lukaku's worst game for us this season if you ask me and he didn't look like he wanted to use any of his ability, as if he was waiting for a perfect tap-in situation.

Lukaku does not want to be here, he made that perfectly clear in many ways and is probably still sulking Kai got the glory in the CWC final while he got subbed.

Anyone on here who can honestly, hand on heart say, they believe Rom wants to be here and wants to play for his "boyhood club"? Anyone?

Edited February 20, 20224 yr by axman2526