Ross Barkley

[Badge1878]

Time to sell.

Why do you want to sell Barkley? Let's pretend for a moment you are the Manager, you have sold Barkley, who do you bring in...what price have you paid, what position does he play, how much are you paying, can he play 8 or 10, is he a kid or top drawer?

Your call kidda?

 

[ilikecheese]

If Koeman sells him I don't think I could forgive him.

 

[Badge1878]

Where does the 'try him at Central midfield' come from? His work rate is almost as bad as Deulofeu. He lacks the footballing brain to track people's runs. He can't tackle.

For me, he just hasn't progressed the way he should have. Maybe that's down to his leg break a few years ago, maybe it's a confidence issue. I just don't know how we'll get the best from him.

It's not been great for the club recently, I'll give you that. However, You say Ross hasn't progressed the way he should have. Help me out mate...where has his progression let you down? Who would have done better in your opinion, what is so wrong in Ross' contribution and give us a viable alternative.

 

[Wizard]

I don't think it's going to happen but if we sell Ross I'll be furious. Only Rooney leaving would compare to it for me. Actually Ferguson too.

I'd like to clarify I'm 31 so that is why they are my references.

 

[Saint Domingo]

Barry hasn't got the legs any more in that position to track runners and I feel Ross doesn't have the knowledge or discipline to play that role further forward. Get in schneiderlin and Gana alongside him and get two wide players with pace ahead of him, who make runs off the ball. Ross and the whole team will benefit.

Doesn't matter the quality of your wide players of the midfield can't give them the balls in the right positions on the pitch. The best teams have creativity from deep positions (Fergie's United) or have scintillating quality upfront on the counter attack (Conte's Chelsea). At the moment we're trying to play possession football with really poor footballers and our genuine quality in Lukaku is not getting the device he needs. Barkley at 10 is not the answer.

 

[BurnhamBlue]

It's not been great for the club recently, I'll give you that. However, You say Ross hasn't progressed the way he should have. Help me out mate...where has his progression let you down? Who would have done better in your opinion, what is so wrong in Ross' contribution and give us a viable alternative.

The player we saw, running the game at Newcastle and Swansea away. Running the length of the Newcastle field and slotting top right corner.

Now he gets the ball, turns towards his own goal and slows the play down. He doesn't drive forward, and lacks getting in the box enough. On the defensive side, he doesn't read the game enough. Watches people glide right passed. Doesn't press enough and simply cannot tackle.

 

[onlyme]

The player we saw, running the game at Newcastle and Swansea away. Running the length of the Newcastle field and slotting top right corner.

Now he gets the ball, turns towards his own goal and slows the play down. He doesn't drive forward, and lacks getting in the box enough. On the defensive side, he doesn't read the game enough. Watches people glide right passed. Doesn't press enough and simply cannot tackle.

He slows the play down cos he only has Lukaku surrounded by 3 defenders to possibly pass to.

 

[Simon baker]

The player we saw, running the game at Newcastle and Swansea away. Running the length of the Newcastle field and slotting top right corner.

Now he gets the ball, turns towards his own goal and slows the play down. He doesn't drive forward, and lacks getting in the box enough. On the defensive side, he doesn't read the game enough. Watches people glide right passed. Doesn't press enough and simply cannot tackle.

Paul's scholes was slow couldn't tackle &
Had asthma

 

[Tel001]

Paul's scholes was slow couldn't tackle &
Had asthma

Also had ginger hair and no agent

 

[sarath]

Give Ross better quicker players around him and he'll start to improve again. People slate his decision making ability, but that's because there's literally no one to pass to cos everyone's static. He's also very low on confidence partially due to this and everyone jumping on his back.

People say he's lazy and should listen to Koeman. Koeman would've told him to press more and in the derby Ross ran more than any other player.

With real moveable players and a run in in a side with a few wins on the trot, Ross'll be back to violating the Newcastles and Swanseas of the world.

 

[rochdaleblue]

Doesn't matter the quality of your wide players of the midfield can't give them the balls in the right positions on the pitch. The best teams have creativity from deep positions (Fergie's United) or have scintillating quality upfront on the counter attack (Conte's Chelsea). At the moment we're trying to play possession football with really poor footballers and our genuine quality in Lukaku is not getting the device he needs. Barkley at 10 is not the answer.

So where would you play Barkley then?

 

[Badge1878]

Fair enough mate - like you, I was probably there when he scored them goals too. You may as well add in Norwich away, Bournemoth, QPR, Hull and many others for the record.

You reckon he slows us down and doesn't press, or tackle. You know what....I could level that accusation, in a given selective memory, against many of our players. Barkley has a bandwagon in our support, sing one minute he's a diamond when we win, the next he is a dog if we lose. Does my head in. I know his weakness at times, I suspect many do, but don't exaggerate it as if 'he ever can't tackle, can't press' ....because you know what, I've seen him do that well, many times and sometimes more than once in a match (home and away). Doesn't make him great at it either. It's his job to do all this from midfield.

Our fans are fickle, 'lacks a footballing brain'....no offence, but where did that come from? Not many who have the ability to be a Premiership & International footballer submit to this forum, so perhaps an unfair opinion, unless you are one. He probably sees things different to us...and vice versa. I've said before that Barkley takes too big a slice of nonsense on here...but I'd rather have him in our team than any other.

Opinions will vary, no doubt he has a lot to improve but he isn't the only one in our team.

 

[Saint Domingo]

So where would you play Barkley then?

Deeper, you'd have a proper defensive midfielder next to him (presumably Gueye), then a proper number 10 ahead of him. His responsibility would be to go box to box and get us playing. People wail 'oh but he's not got any defensive discipline' whenever this is suggested. What I say to that is currently we have one of the slowest players in the premier league being ran past with ease playing there. Also, when did it become mandatory to have two holding midfielders? Whenever McCarthy plays there he tends to press up leaving the covering to Gueye, when Barkley does this its derided as defensive indiscipline though. He is the one player we have in our team with both the passing range and the pace to either dictate play from deep or drive box to box, yet we stick him practically upfront chasing centrebacks around all match getting knackered. It's not his game.

 

[toffeejack]

i doubt it's in koeman's mind to sell him. With kenwright still a prominant role i can't see him allowing it. Rooney's sale was because of lack of funds, now we have then i think he'd put up a big fight for us not to sell him and so he should. Bring the right players in for the team and then see if he's still struggling. Just needs a bit of an injection of confidence, as does the whole squad, as does the whole club. Bring in 4 or 5 top first teamers this season and let's go on a run, think we'll start to see him a bit happier then.

 

[rochdaleblue]

Deeper, you'd have a proper defensive midfielder next to him (presumably Gueye), then a proper number 10 ahead of him. His responsibility would be to go box to box and get us playing. People wail 'oh but he's not got any defensive discipline' whenever this is suggested. What I say to that is currently we have one of the slowest players in the premier league being ran past with ease playing there. Also, when did it become mandatory to have two holding midfielders? Whenever McCarthy plays there he tends to press up leaving the covering to Gueye, when Barkley does this its derided as defensive indiscipline though. He is the one player we have in our team with both the passing range and the pace to either dictate play from deep or drive box to box, yet we stick him practically upfront chasing centrebacks around all match getting knackered. It's not his game.

Ok fair enough play in a two with Gana as cover, but the signing of schneiderlin suggests this isn't going to be the case. As schneiderlin is more the box to box midfielder, a position you feel could get the best out of Ross. Or either schneiderlin will be in a two as a defensive midfielder with Gana.