2021/22 James Rodriguez

[Zezti]

Get a grip
He’s a bellend and better off elsewhere
This one is on that tosser Ancelotti
James could give a toss about us or Everton
Move on and forget about the plank

How can you can look at our bench on Saturday and think he's better off elsewhere??

 

[windymiller]

Dixie Dean has been dead for 40 years mate

Premier League era, Everton haven't had a lot of good players. We've had, really, three. Rooney, Lukaku and James, that are standouts a calibre above what the rest of the team were.

Then the likes of Baines, Coleman, Richarlison, Dom, Gueye etc who have grown and developed at the club each in their own way.

I'd add Kanchelskis and Southall to that list but otherwise it's slim pickings.

 

[tommytowne]

We are Evertoon. The usual maniacs will claim that that is nonsense but that is 100% what we are now. We're a mid-table club with a mid-table squad and a mid-table manager. We also have fans who make the cast of love island look well-balanced. The number of threads that are now just two groups of entrenched individuals shouting the same catchphrases at each other is legion (I accept that I am part of the problem on that matter, btw). The geordies believe they are the biggest club in the world and bang on about their big, shiny stadium and that they are only being held-back by malign forces both inside and outside the club. Remind you of anyone? They're us without the historical success.

Truth is that following Everton is now just a social outing.

 

[Cels]

I hope James takes his daughter to Qatar with him, I know how much he misses her. Seriously though, good luck to the guy. With a bit of luck, he'll make this move happen so he can get back to playing football again and we can all move on from the circus that's been created around him and Rafá.

 

[TonyT65]

Hahahahaahahahahahaha what?

Posted earlier.... check earlier pages.

 

[ForeverBlue92]

Get a grip
He’s a bellend and better off elsewhere
This one is on that tosser Ancelotti
James could give a toss about us or Everton
Move on and forget about the plank

I love @BlueToff but he's edging closer and closer into "an open letter to Ballotelli" territory.

Lad just needs to chill its all good.

You would think we were 16th with 1 win in 5 listening to some of our hysterical fans.

 

[miff]

How can you can look at our bench on Saturday and think he's better off elsewhere??

Because he’s a tosser and never ever wanted to be here - a self centred tosspot

 

[BlueToff]

I love @BlueToff but he's edging closer and closer into "an open letter to Ballotelli" territory.

Lad just needs to chill its all good.

You would think we were 16th with 1 win in 5 listening to some of our hysterical fans.

I've said tons of times mate, I'd accepted him going when we could use his wages immediately to bolster our squad. Had no issue with it and best for all parties that that happened.

But we now can't until January. So I'm not gonna be happy when we're lobbing Tosun on after his latest injury before his inevitable free transfer back to Turkey, or relying on Iwobi to play as a false 9 because Rondon has been on the pies for 2 years, or wondering why Andros Townsend isn't providing the creative spark in every match.

If this freed up money for January, fine, but it doesn't really give us any wiggle room with fees to go and get someone like Diaz, who Porto want mega money for. And it's just an acceptance of defeat from a club that absolutely loves to lose.

 

[Marius57]

Going to the middle east shows just how little he cares about football...
Could of knuckled down and forced his way into the team...
Chose to go earn a wedge playing against spoilt sheik's extended family with the odd washed up south American sprinkled among them

Are you happy with benitez and rondon who did exactly the same except to China?

 

[BlueToff]

I'd add Kanchelskis and Southall to that list but otherwise it's slim pickings.

aye sorry, I struggle with Southall just because his peak was the 80s but obviously an incredible GK, so fair play.

I never saw Kanchelskis play but even that situation shows nothing's changed with Everton in 25 years, doesn't it! One great season, then binned off the next was it?

 

[tommytowne]

Gathering a lot of momentum this is.
Sorry if he goes but only that I never saw him in the flesh. Honestly before he was rumoured to be coming here I had to dig back in my memory to recall who he was and of course was reminded he scored that goal.
All a bit of a circus now for a variety of reasons. Needs a line drawn under things now with an understanding that the move needs to happen for the benefit of both parties.

 

[windymiller]

Truth is that following Everton is now just a social outing.

I haven't had a season ticket in ages because I left the area for work. Pre-Covid I was still coming over for about half of our home games and would catch a couple of aways but during Covid I got into the habit of going to see my local non-league club (they were allowing fans in and social distancing is not a problem with crowds of 300!) and, all in all, I prefer it now. The footie is terrible but the atmosphere is great, there's no VAR, no diving, all the players are really committed and you know the money you are spending goes into the club and not to a bunch of millionaire man children and their agents. Oh, and you can drink in the stands! I'm not sure what Everton are to me now, I'm still delighted when we win and moody AF when we lose but it just doesn't feel the same anymore. Benitez arriving didn't help but I had started to feel this way before his appointment, I'm just not sure who top flight footie is for anymore but it's definitely not the match going fan.

 

[Groucho]

Honestly it was the sweeping generalisation that South American’s are somehow untrustworthy that was more damaging than the swearing.

Warned privately for that.

Just because you don’t see something doesn’t mean it’s not happened.

 

[windymiller]

aye sorry, I struggle with Southall just because his peak was the 80s but obviously an incredible GK, so fair play.

I never saw Kanchelskis play but even that situation shows nothing's changed with Everton in 25 years, doesn't it! One great season, then binned off the next was it?

To be fair to Everton, I think Kanchelskis had some serious money/gangster problems (the Russian kind, not the teenagers that Barkley is scared of) that meant he had to keep moving for the signing on fees. If you look at his list of clubs after Man Utd he didn't stay anywhere long. I had a season ticket in the Kanchelskis era and he is the player I have loved watching more than any other, a real off your seat player.

Your right about Nev, his heyday was the 80s but he won us an FA cup in the PL era so he's deffo on my list!

 

[ZissouBlue]

I'm sure that this has already been raised previously, but this stat from BBC is pretty wild:

"To illustrate the point, new wingers Demarai Gray and Andros Townsend are - after three league games - respectively just one and two sprints short of Rodriguez's total of 37 for the whole of last season." https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/58520473

While he doesn't need to run around to impact the game (clearly) our playing style is very different this season. It's probably for the best. I don't think it works to tell every other player they need to sprint and apply high pressure except for one. We'll be able to better plan our spending for the next year with this going through. Biggest issue is the timing, obviously. Should have been sorted two months ago because our depth is already shocking as is.