Benteke's record for Villa was around 1 in 2 which suggests that when used in the right way in the right system he will do what's expected of a striker.
In terms of chances created, yes he was. Yes - buying Lallana was stupid. I agree. Just as much as signing Benteke was.
It's relatively alien to me as well. We start every game with at least 4 players being played out of position.
Comments like this are not only factually incorrect, but they make you look completely delusional. FYI Messi scored 11 more goals last season, than Firmino has in his entire career. Even mentioning his name in the same breath as the likes of Messi, Suarez and De Bruyne is batshit mental
You really can't keep banging this drum any longer Jimmy. They didn't give Rodgers £300mill to spend. They gave the committee £300mill to spend, Rodgers was part of the problem but only part of it. As a "committee" they all played their parts in spunking it up the wall. FSG must take full responsibility as he was their manager and it is their ridiculous system that hindered him instead of helped him. This notion that "Rodgers bought all the ****" is a nonsense and I suspect deep down you know it. We now have a manager who used to work in a similar system yes but the big difference is it was a system set up to take the club forward not to reign in the managers ineptness (the manager, let's not forget, FSG appointed in the first place). Dortmund got themselves a good manager and surrounded him with good people. FSG got themselves a moron and surrounded him with people who think Football Manager is a scouting tool.
Me talking nonsense? I think you'll find it's you mentioning the flop that is Firmino in the same breath as Suarez, De Bruyne and Messi mate. 10 assists he got last season btw, in a poor league, in the same division De Bruyne managed 20 plus 5 in the CL. Similar? ****ing lol.
It's the fact we are even having to discuss him as an option that makes me weep mate. Not the worst player in the world but someone who hasn't made it at any club he's been at. If we wanted another average striker we should have gone for Austin, at least he shows some fight and desire. Instead we are talking about the guy who's being pushed out of that team because he was nowhere near good enough. A player who would be so far down the pecking order at any top club he'd be lucky to make the bench a few times a season. It's the fact that despite all we've spent we have so many holes in the squad in every single area of the pitch. We have 5 strikers on the books we pay wages to and yet we rely on playing an attacking midfielder up front and a centre half as our go to man off the bench We flogged a decent keeper for buttons and signed three since who are all worse. We have signed two centre backs for over £40 mill neither of whom would walk into a top four team, we have a midfield of work horses but very little creativity and not a brain between them. Worst of all in my eyes we have absolutely no one coming through the Academy worth a punt, not one young lad who's better than the mid table cack in the first team. Not one local lad we can throw a few games at and say "here you go son, now's your chance to show up the big time Charlie's". Rant over
good points though... I dunno is not any young lad is accurate or not... theres no gerrards or owens for sure but i have to say there are a FEW, (very few) that look like they might be worth a go. None are guys i've been waiting for 3/4 years on like when an owen or sterling were there but... Kent is decent, wilson is decent, ojo is decent. all 3 very similar is a big problem. Brannagan and randall and rossiter are it as far as local lads who've been at the place for 10 years goes. If anything everton have earned the rep that if you are young lad and local go to them cos you won't find yourself at 15 or 16 suddenly pushed out by global signings of yuong lads for all over... look at brooks lennon come in this summer for example... and so forth.
actually you'll find by paying attention a) he's only got 1 in 3 at LFC now. b) he stifles no-one cos they have plenty of chances to play without him and **** it up.
good. have a nice life jerome. he wants to go to spain apparently cos he wants to go for "free" so he could very very eaisly end up flipping burgers in mcdonalds i n5 years time. It means actually he didn't get what he wanted here and the tribunal fee puts of the english clubs cos he's done nowt so he wants to go find some club to take him on for 6 months them come right back to england.... best of luck there kid.
It's not just local young lads going to Everton either. It's lads from all over the country. I was working for a family who've just relocated up from London as their lad is now at Finch Farm, had a choice of five different clubs (Arsenal and Liverpool amongst them apparently) and they chose Everton for EXACTLY the reasons you've just stated. The same reasons I've been banging on about for the last ten years Our youth system is scattergun and ridiculously unproductive and our scouting system woeful. I might have been a tad harsh saying no talent coming through but in terms of actual visible results I'd say the facts speak for themselves in terms of young players produced over the last decade. So...Shane Long it is then....
