What has happened to Lualua?

Today at Watford, one time much worshipped striker Lualua had an ideal opportunity to show us all what we`ve been missing, but more importantly what Harry Redknapp had been missing. Sadly he blew it.

Before we begin, I would like to point out that I have written this article after seeing the the worst performance I have ever seen from a player in a Pompey shirt. It is also after discussing with many of the away supporters at Watford today where we all again congregated to get behind our players. It pleases me not in singling out an individual but this is as a result of pages and pages of notes taken from our own supporters at the match today after I interviewed so many of them.

It has been very well documented what has been distracting Lualua off the field over the past year or so and this site is not about to rake over those coals again. But it has to be said that Lualua`s performance today was simply atrocious and completely wasted. When you need players to roll their sleeves up and fight, you expect them to be man enough to take on that mantle. Pompey clearly showed their fighting spirit on Saturday when they beat Manchester United at home but even then Lualua looked as interested in the match about as much as Deirdre Barlow is of quitting smoking.

This display (or complete lack of) from such a talented striker has become quite a pattern of late and one that infuriated Newcastle fans too when he was there. The poor attitude, the dropping of the shoulders, the ambling on the pitch, his whole body language demonstrates clearly that he has no apparent desire to play. A couple of months ago, he publicly spoke out against certain Pompey websites after they aired their personal displeasures of his off the field antics, this site was not one of those involved and would never advocate such behaviour. It has to be said however that he does little to prevent such attacks when he cannot give the support to the side that is so clearly required, he also shows nothing but complete contempt towards the supporters who have paid hard earned money to watch such a pathetic performance from what is rapidly becoming an extremely over-rated player.

Writing this article gives me no pleasure at all, I do not believe in targeting one individual for a poor team performance generally, but this time it has happened once too often. With a strike force that is on current form the worst performing in the Premiership, we needed commitment and not what we got from Lualua. Indeed, it was left up to our midfield again to score, when are we going to see a goal from our awful front line? Perhaps when Todorov plays we may have a chance, but Lualua was given the nod over him and had the ideal chance to show us all what we once were so proud of him for. Long gone are the days when the entire ground was chanting for him to be signed after he came to us on loan from Newcastle; long gone has the time gone when he gave one of the individual performances of the season when he destroyed Southampton at Fratton Park in the excellent 4-1 win.

Gone it seems is the vibrant, effervescent, talented, hard working and talismanic Lualua of old - what it appears we have now is someone who is just happy to pick up his salary for nothing more than pulling a Pompey shirt on. This is not the Pompey way, he should know by now we only want players who work hard and give 100%, we do not like anyone taking the Club or the supporters for granted - if Lualua is reading this then he should take a good, long hard look at himself as I am but only one of many, many, many others who are now questioning if we need him any more. Sadly football owes him nothing and he will get exactly that if he does not pull his socks up.

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