Luax2 Burns his Bridges?

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I doubt the Toon hierarchy will be exactly thrilled by some of Luax2's comments in the following report on Reuters. However, it provides some real, and in some respects touching, insight into the lad - actually more than we've had in all his time at the Toon:

SIKASSO, Mali (Reuters) - The heat is sapping, there is dust everywhere, the athletes' village is only half-built and he had to defy orders from his English premiership club to be here.

Yet Democratic Republic of Congo striker Lomana Tresor Lua Lua says he has no regrets about leaving Newcastle United's premiership challenge to play for his country in the African Nations Cup.

Lua Lua has not been back to Africa since moving to England with his family as a boy 15 years ago. The 21-year-old striker says he is relishing his return, especially the freedom he has been given on the pitch by coach Louis Watunda.

"I felt so relaxed, I felt so comfortable -- free" he said after making his international debut in Sunday's 1-0 defeat by defending champions Cameroon. "There was nobody shouting at me, nobody telling me what to do all the time" he said.

"I think in England, managers sometimes put pressure on players by shouting at them all the time. Sometimes you should just let them get on with their game, give them their freedom. That's what I've got here. The Manager just gave me that freedom, he said just go and play your football".

"Here it's so nice."

Despite being brought up and educated in East London and speaking English as his first language, Lua Lua said he has always wanted to come back a play for the country of his birth -- something his father, who was also a footballer, never got the chance to do.

He was so determined that he rejected a call-up from England's under-21 team to play for the former Zaire.

"I'm just happy to come back to Africa, I don't know how to express my feelings, it's something I've always wanted to do. Just to be here is amazing" he said.

"This is Africa, it is where I was born, and it means the whole world to me to come back and play for my country. At the moment the only thing I am thinking about is doing well for my country and being recognised. Hopefully I can do something that might make me remembered in five or 10 years' time."

"When I left to come here, I had an argument with the Newcastle Chairman because they didn't want me to come. It's a bit hard really, a long story. I say if you want to play for your country, play, but other people don't see it that way."

Lua Lua stands by his decision and not even the difficult conditions in one of the world's poorest nations have made him think twice. "It is completely different here, sometimes it's frustrating, and the weather doesn't help. But I was man enough to make my decision to come here, now I have to be man enough to step up and play my own game."

"It's all part of Africa and that's why I'm enjoying it. England gets boring. Sometimes you want a new experience, experience other things in life."

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2002

Answers

African, and proud of it.

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2002

Something Bahamianesque in this lad

Just wonder if this will ever mean he will fit into any system any side could work to

Forever a super sub?

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2002


Possibly, Pete. He sounds a bit of a free spirit and more power to him if he's happy. It wouldn't be such a bad thing if we've got a player on the bench who can change games when he comes on. Though I wonder if he'd get frustrated at never being a consistent starter if his style doesn't conform to the rest of the team?

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2002

Just read the following unsympathetic response on ".com":

"So, let's get this right: having left a wintry England on a free trip to warmer climes a week ago, and having played one game for a side who appeared to have no organisation or tactics whatsoever, our hero decides that this is a good thing.

Regrettably, the club that pay his wages require something approaching commitment and a team ethic from their players, in common with most professional football outfits. The only place Luax2 would find the artistic freedom he appears to crave would seem to be at the circus....."

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2002


Would they say the same about Asprilla?

I just remembered the Tino interview in Four Four Two recently (last month?) where his attitude seemed similar. He just wants to go out and enjoy himself and isn't really into having to conform. It's just the way with artistic personalities. They can be very successful, as long as people understand they have their own ways of going about it.

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2002



....or Laurent Robert?

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2002

I hope alot of it has been taken out of context. However with the exceptional professional standards need to succeed in the premiership someone with an "artistic" attitude will just not fit. Wouldn't be so bad if he set the premiership alight, but he hasn't. He had a great opportunity to score against leeds (elland rd) and didn't even hit the target. IF I am bobby and read that he's tired of being shouted at then I'd tell him to bog off and find a sewing circle. Ingrate.

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2002

That would be putting a rather negative spin on his statement. I wonder if the same would be said if he'd said, "It's so nice to be someplace warm for a change. I get so tired of scraping snow and ice off my car all the time." ? It probably was just a statement and not meant as sinister as the spin is likely to be.

Remember he is still relatively young and inexperienced. He's got talent. It's a matter of whether he'll be able to develop enough to be worth keeping on. Not every player can start every match, but if he can prove himself good enough to be a super sub, I don't think that's a bad thing. No doubt Bobby will get rid if he thinks the lad's attitude or work-rate aren't good enough.

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2002


Constant shouting from the touchline can have different effects on different players.

When I played for M/C Uni - back before the Boer War - we brought in a former pro (former Man City player called Roy Partridge - no, not Alan Partridge!) as Coach to "take us up a level". His style was to constantly bawl and shout at us throughout the match.

While it may simply have been that as amateurs we had never been used to such an approach, but I wasn't the only player to find it incredibly off-putting. I found it extremely difficult to concentrate on the game with his constant bellowing. He wasn't a success, and eventually we got rid of him.

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2002


I reckon that Lua Lua is looking for that bit of glory to get him noticed on a larger scale - as he says "something people will remember in five or ten years time"

Once this has happened, I think he could do things for us, he has the ability, but nowhere near the brain to succeed at the moment. His heart is definitely in the right place, but nufc.com have a point, you can't just be a free spirit and do what you want in the Premier League. He was probably Congo's best player in the game against Cameroon, but that isn't saying a lot.

The way he can beat a man is a talent we should try to nurture and add that little bit extra into his game to make him into a good player. You can teach anyone tactics and teamplay, but you can't teach anyone those sort of skills. You either have them or you don't.

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2002



I like the lad and I still think we will make something of him

Lua Lua is on my shirt

Shearer is my God - but something drew me to this unpredictable fella

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2002


.... it's probably that Rastafarian spirit, Pete! ;o{]

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2002

I think Lua x2 has to be careful. He's already upset the hierarchy by going to the competition. Saying negative things about the club ain't the right way to continue. Somebidy needs to take him aside and have a quiet in his shell-like.

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2002

I like how there's some support for Lua. He's obviously passionate about his country, and he always seems to give everything at SJP, IMO.

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2002

I don't think we should be too harsh on him, his comments were fairly inoccuous. Aside from anything else, we need to accept that players are going to want to play in these tournaments and we shouldn't try to stop them. Yes, we pay their wages but the club knows what nationality they are when they offer them a contract so there's no point in grumbing about it after the event. Aside from anything else, given that LuaLua is largely used to run down the clock in the last couple of minutes (which, to be frank, I could do - I can waste time with the best of them as my current emplyers will testify) is it really going to hurt the club if he's away for a few weeks? If anything some first team games at a good standard could benefit him and therefore us. I think it might have been a different story if he was a first team regular, he might have preferred to stay to make sure he kept his place, but he's not so it's harsh to blame him for wanting to go.

As for him being a free spirit, well I think we pretty much knew that too and as has already been pointed out, he's not the first free spirit we've had at the club and some of his predecessors have been worshipped.

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2002



Personally I think he was a waste of money. Unpredictable players don't cut it in the EPL. It's fine that the opposition don't know what he'll do next but niether do our players. Hence he will never become a starting 11 player. The money wasted on Lua*2 and Gavilan could have been used to get the lad from Forest. When our starting 11 is so threadbare, especially in the middle, wasting millions on outer-outer fringe players is folly.

-- Anonymous, January 25, 2002

"Sometimes you want a new experience, experience other things in life."

That would explain his daliance with ballet then.

"I have to be man enough to step up and play my own game."

That would be the game when you beat 2 players magnificently and then turn your back on goal and give the ball away?

"Hopefully I can do something that might make me remembered in five or 10 years' time."

Lomana, after that game against Southampton last season it's assured.

-- Anonymous, January 25, 2002


He's obviously felt under pressure. But that's normal and to be expected and came hand in hand with being given the chance on the bigger stage of the Premiership. It's dangerous reading too much into these second hand statements, but on face value it indicates he needs to change his attitude. It's not enough to have natural ability and a bag of tricks. It's a team game and a tactical game. If he's trying to learn but get's shouted at out of impatience, I have some sympathy, but if he refuses to listen and keeps on doing his own thing, then the writing's on the wall. How's about that for 2 + 2 = 375. And a 1/4.

-- Anonymous, January 25, 2002

The money we could have saved if we'd bought a new ground instead of developing SJP is apparently about £20m. I wonder what we would buy with £20m today?

-- Anonymous, January 25, 2002

Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua Lua = £20m

-- Anonymous, January 25, 2002

Aye, but Billy Smart's Circus would be a lot cheaper and more varied.

-- Anonymous, January 25, 2002

That would be a good value shirt print.

-- Anonymous, January 25, 2002

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