2021/22 James Rodriguez

[Furey1878]

It's not exactly a strange tactic of people waiting to last minute and then things often falling through though.

We chased rondon all summer, only to sign him at the last minute when we could have got him in 2 months early and he might actually be fit now.

I assumed we got Rondon last minute because he was our backup if a better striking option wasn't available myself.

 

[Marius57]

I assumed we got Rondon last minute because he was our backup if a better striking option wasn't available myself.

We were linked pretty much from the minute Benitez was hired. It was never a surprise to sign him

 

[PaddyJames]

I wouldn't call that man management. Kicking him out isn't man managing him at all. It's a type of management yes, but man management would be to bring his ego into check and integrate him in to the squad successfully.

For the good of the rest of the squad it absolutely is man management.

 

[Furey1878]

We were linked pretty much from the minute Benitez was hired. It was never a surprise to sign him

Agreed, just personally think Benitez had him on ice if we needed him and other options weren't available / Kean could have been convinced to stay.

 

[BNJ1878]

Everton, PLEASE announce this so the mods can lock and he can be discussed in world football.

(I appreciate expecting Everton to be on the ball with announcements is naive in the extreme.)

 

[Marius57]

Everton, PLEASE announce this so the mods can lock and he can be discussed in world football.

(I appreciate expecting Everton to be on the ball with announcements is naive in the extreme.)

Reckon they will announce it? They know there will be backlash.

 

[trueblue84]

Reckon they will announce it? They know there will be backlash.

Going with the "pretend it didn't happen and let the media do the leg work" strategy, like they did with the appointment of el gordo.

 

[Stephen Gibson]

He's with the Angles now. :-(



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At least he's in a safe place now where the ignorant Kopite Oaf can't lie about him and ruin his career any further.

Godspeed Sweet Hammy Rodz, we hardly knew ye,
x

Interesting 5 a side team potential. I'm putting Michael Jackson in goal because out on pitch he's bad, he's bad, you know it. Princess Diana in defence dressed in full UN attire, Mother Teresa in a holding role because she looks like Allan. James Rodriguez attacking midfielder but keeping close to Teresa for when he gets injured. I'm missing a 5th up front so maybe Jimmy Savile because despite his age I've been told he has the touch of someone much younger. Having said that he's on a long term deal with hell.

Seriously though, i really am not fussed about James leaving. Great player when he wants to be but lacks the drive of a Messi or Ronaldo to be considered a goat. At the end of the day it's his fault he has found himself in the position he's in & why other players with his abilities have gone on to better things in the same time period.
Rafael needs to treat the fans with more respect though too. We are not mugs.

 

[Tubey]

Just glad it's over. It's a shame it didn't happen before the window was closed, but at least we save his £725k a week wages now.

 

[blueblue]

Why is it better for him with his national team if he is a poster boy in Qatar, just because the World Cup is there? The football is League One standard. He will be another year older, will likely have played circa 50/60% of games. Is that going to be enough to displace someone younger, fitter, playing in a better league? Colombian national team must be in a bad state if they’re relying on James. Will be good for his bank balance and Twitch stuff but I don’t see how it helps him get back in the squad, necessarily. I’ve said it before but serious football people have seen through him.

His international career is probably finished, he was going to be out the door at Everton in January or next summer at the latest.
He has apparently signed a three year contract in Qatar so it is a final pay day while still being semi retired.

 

[NilSatisOptimum]

I agree he should have been on the bench if he wasn't on the move, I dont understand not having him as an option when we can't field a bench. But him moving to Qatar says all you need to know about his attitude, or ambition, not sure which is a better word. He isn't arsed, hasn't been arsed since he missed the last game of last season jetting off away.

Keep him fit for potential suiters.

Happened with Rooney as well before he signed for Utd, Everton would not let him train, whatsoever.

 

[blueblue]

The manager SHOULD be making these decisions, why wouldn’t he?

Finance.

 

[Lord Buckethead]

At least we now have a paper-thin squad with no quality outside the first team, and no opportunity to get anyone else in to do something about it.

Well played Ballsack Benny
It's almost like he's doing his best to run us into the ground while he can blame it on others, so we will be thankful that he turned up to sort us out.

 

[BlueToff]

I agree it was a lie but and I don't trust a word Benitez says (I dont watch any interviews at all) BUT lets not forget there is a PR manager in his ear telling him what to avoid, what answers to say on certain things. We have just appointed a new PR manager after all so maybe he's influencing, as for whether its a good appointment I can't say I have a great opinion on him after working for the same club at the same time.

oh mate, fully agree. In no way am I putting this on Rafael. It was a convenient excuse for the club.

Yeah, I don't know enough about the guy. What I will say is that the PR manager will not necessarily be the press officer, however. The PO, as far as I'm aware, hasn't changed.

 

[BlueToff]

Why is it better for him with his national team if he is a poster boy in Qatar, just because the World Cup is there? The football is League One standard. He will be another year older, will likely have played circa 50/60% of games. Is that going to be enough to displace someone younger, fitter, playing in a better league? Colombian national team must be in a bad state if they’re relying on James. Will be good for his bank balance and Twitch stuff but I don’t see how it helps him get back in the squad, necessarily. I’ve said it before but serious football people have seen through him.

Of course it's better for him mate.

It's not better for him than staying here and playing in the PL but the club don't want him here, and rightly or wrongly I don't think James reckons he'd get enough playing time under Benitez (and I'm not saying that's on Benitez btw, JR might not be up for the fight, but then again, he could say well look at your other options, when we've got Iwobi and Gordon running down blind alleys).

So going to Qatar is far better for James than ending up in Turkey. The solution in an ideal world was the Porto deal. We'd have had to pay a chunk of his wage but it would I guess have gone towards the Diaz fee. But Porto moved the goalposts and wanted cash for Diaz. Then it was on James to take a wage cut to go there it seems, and he didn't do it. I imagine Everton for once showed some balls and didn't let Porto have their cake and eat it after they pulled the rug on Diaz being involved.