James Rodríguez

[Matt]

20 minutes ago, RuffRob said:

paying players £200k a week and who are only providing 'options' against weak teams sounds like a recipe for disaster for a club in our financial situation.

Not sure we are in a position to be paying that much to players form the heartbeat of the team yet. 

I also don't think he is the 'proven' match winner or the player that makes the difference against top 4 teams, he is equally a liability and the weak link in such games. 

Well were not paying even half of 200k, so not sure how that's relevant. Alternatively we've paid £30m+ for players on nearly the same wage or more without being any form of option. I'm being flippant now, but for the wage thing, this seems to be the easiest to read and seems to be spot on vs other online sources. 

https://www.spotrac.com/epl/everton-fc/payroll/

 

Don't get me wrong, James drives me nuts with his nonchalance and laziness. I remember getting slated for it by most of the forum when I said drop him because we didn't have a right back fit and he wouldn't track back. But i also love him and rate him because he's absolutely one of the most value for money players we have for the moments he does contribute to, I.e. match winning moments going forward, which is more than most in the squad do. 

He is proven to be a match winner. He is also a liability when someone doesn't pick up his slack. He's both, but had a  much more positive impact than negative. 

[pete0]

When he's on the pitch it's a 50% chance that he's the one involved with scoring a goal. Creative genius. 

[Matt]

2 hours ago, Matt said:

Why? £10m a year for an option actually sounds reasonable in this day and age. James is exactly the player to pick up points against top 4 teams, he's already proven that. 

Just to correct myself now that I've looked up his wages, £4.5m a year. 

[RuffRob]

37 minutes ago, Matt said:

Well were not paying even half of 200k,

Depends on what you read when and where. I have also read £7M a year and other figures. I have also read that the £90K is his COVID deferred salary - and his real salary is £140K and deferred amount has to be made up in better times (like the whole squad)!!

https://princerupertstower.com/2021/08/31/everton-luis-diaz-james-rodriguez-porto/

you or I don't really know his real salary - but he has been quoted as the best paid player at the club a few times. What ever it is, its a lot of money.

37 minutes ago, Matt said:

He is proven to be a match winner. He is also a liability when someone doesn't pick up his slack. He's both, but had a  much more positive impact than negative. 

And that is where the fine line is. Is he more of a 'match winner' than anybody else who would be in the side in his place - for example Grey. Who is maybe on half or even less money. Maybe not as cultured a passer as James, but effective and a match winner in other ways. 

You think he is a liability and doesn't pick up the slack, just like I think he has got a wand of a foot at times. We all love and hate what he does at times. Great player - liability of a player - unavailable player!!!. Hard to build a 'system' to accommodate him, and a mistake to try to hard too. He has to be an bench impact player in time when a plan B is needed. 

The undeniable truth is that other clubs do not seem to be falling over themselves to take him off our hands - even for free. This speaks volumes in itself.  

 

[Bailey]

9 hours ago, Shukes said:

An option when pace isn’t working. We don't have another player in the squad that can sit there and just ping a diagonal 40 yard ball to feet.

I would agree that having him and Iwobi as two options for changing the game, gives us a plan B.

How many times do we need to ping a ball 40 yards to feet from open play? 

Against Brighton there was barely 30 yards from our deepest player to our most advanced player!

[MikeO]

1 hour ago, Matt said:

Just to correct myself now that I've looked up his wages, £4.5m a year. 

He earns £10.4m a year, Palfy said it so it must be true

[Bill]

4 hours ago, StevO said:

I love you too Bill. 

Sorry Steve its just a saying.

[RuffRob]

14 minutes ago, MikeO said:

He earns £10.4m a year, Palfy said it so it must be true

https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/everton-fc-transfer-rumours/everton-james-to-porto-very-difficult/

and this afternoon it is now a shade under £135k a week. 

Personally - I think the £135k-£140k is probably realistic in what we are paying him (without the covid deferral) 

 

[barryj]

2 hours ago, Matt said:

Well were not paying even half of 200k, so not sure how that's relevant. Alternatively we've paid £30m+ for players on nearly the same wage or more without being any form of option. I'm being flippant now, but for the wage thing, this seems to be the easiest to read and seems to be spot on vs other online sources. 

https://www.spotrac.com/epl/everton-fc/payroll/

 

Don't get me wrong, James drives me nuts with his nonchalance and laziness. I remember getting slated for it by most of the forum when I said drop him because we didn't have a right back fit and he wouldn't track back. But i also love him and rate him because he's absolutely one of the most value for money players we have for the moments he does contribute to, I.e. match winning moments going forward, which is more than most in the squad do. 

He is proven to be a match winner. He is also a liability when someone doesn't pick up his slack. He's both, but had a  much more positive impact than negative. 

And we got it right in that we didn’t give him a long contract. The whole fan base would have moaned like hell if we only gave him a 1 year. 

[Gwlad]

If he is so good why is no-one in for him?

[Matt]

12 minutes ago, RuffRob said:

https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/everton-fc-transfer-rumours/everton-james-to-porto-very-difficult/

and this afternoon it is now a shade under £135k a week. 

Personally - I think the £135k-£140k is probably realistic in what we are paying him (without the covid deferral) 

 

I've also been looking and some say 90k (exclusively stats sites), some say 140k (nearly all fan forums and tabloids). I very much doubt any these sites take into account Covid deferral though, would be a ballache to maintain. Saw one that said base 90k but with 240k  bonuses for 12 goal contributions too. Maybe those things inflate the overall figure?

Regardless, can't really trust any of them. I saw some saying Kenny was on 50k too so who knows. 

What is for sure is there he contributes big time to our attacks and goals means points, points mean prizes. 

[Matt]

1 minute ago, Gwlad all over said:

If he is so good why is no-one in for him?

Maybe we're asking for a fee and no-one wants to pay a fee when we didn't?

[Cornish Steve]

It beats me why Benitez refuses to embrace his talents. The BBC site states that James is as out of favour with Benitez as out of favour can be. That's ridiculous, in my book. James is world-class. Coached properly, he can make a big difference.

[Bailey]

I have done enough research in the past to know that finding reliable player wages is as likely as finding a pig that can fly. They all just guess. 

Wages are also only part of the package, some players, will have significant bonuses as well. I imagine James falls into that category. Play 10 games and get a £100k bonus type of thing, not to mention possible goal and assist bonuses. 

[Shukes]

1 hour ago, Bailey said:

How many times do we need to ping a ball 40 yards to feet from open play? 

Against Brighton there was barely 30 yards from our deepest player to our most advanced player!

He didn’t play against Brighton though. We were set up with Rafa’s plan A, and it worked. I’m talking about when it’s not working, and we need someone who can change the game….. one pass can create a chance, as shown on numerous occasions last season.

How many times did James put a cross field ball onto the toes of Richarlison and set up a chance? Some of our best football was played with him on the pitch.
 

A good team will mix things up. 
Basic lesson of football, the ball moves faster than a player. Carlo also started of with a plan A, and it worked…. For a bit until teams figured it out. Carlo then showed he doesn’t have a plan B. I don’t want us to go through the same again. Mix it up, have options, be able to change tactics.

Im happy for him to be sold. I’m also happy for him to stay. 

[Shukes]

17 minutes ago, Bailey said:

I have done enough research in the past to know that finding reliable player wages is as likely as finding a pig that can fly. They all just guess. 

Wages are also only part of the package, some players, will have significant bonuses as well. I imagine James falls into that category. Play 10 games and get a £100k bonus type of thing, not to mention possible goal and assist bonuses. 

A friend of ours plays for Notts County. 
He gets a wage, a bonus for being picked in the squad, a bonus for being subbed on, a bonus starting, and a bonus for a goal or assist. 
Some of these guys could earn a fortune of all goes right in a game….

No wonder Richie wanted that penalty!

[Gwlad]

Would he have been docked money if he missed?

[StevO]

1 minute ago, Gwlad all over said:

Would he have been docked money if he missed?

No player would sign that.

[Palfy]

6 hours ago, Shukes said:

To be honest I have more faith in Rafa than I had in Carlo.

I feel that Rafa is getting more out of our players than Carlo did. I don’t see any reason why he couldn’t do the same with James? 
Him wanting him is another matter. But surely if he is managing it with the current team… there’s no reason he can’t get a little more out of James, Davies, Gordon and a string of others. 
 

If we sell him we move on. If he stays, then we use him as a different option. If he stays and doesn’t put it in… then I’m sure Rafa will act accordingly.

I’m sure Rafa could get more out of him but the player has got to be willing to listen, Rafa had him Real Madrid and dropped him but I’m sure he would have tried to work with him before that happened. 

[Newty82]

I'd like him to stay if we can get his mind focused. He was immense at the start of last season but faded a bit quickly. Mind, most of the team did.

I think a focused mind is the problem though. I just wonder if he's another one of these talented players who are blessed with talent but given any opportunity will miss a game. You see it plenty in footy. All the riches at the top level drain the motivation if the mind isn't properly focused. That's maybe why he likes Carlo so much - just do as you please type of coach. Where as Rafa will demand high levels of effort.

I just wonder if he's an expensive luxury that we can't afford, both in money terms and in terms of the gusto we need in the team. Looking at his history, it's a reasonable question I think.

[StevO]

13 minutes ago, Palfy said:

I’m sure Rafa could get more out of him but the player has got to be willing to listen, Rafa had him Real Madrid and dropped him but I’m sure he would have tried to work with him before that happened. 

During the season Rafa was at Real Madrid (he only did the first half of the season) James played 32 times. One less than Verane, one less than Ramos, one more than Bale. 
So, either Rafa played him quite a lot or Zidane managed to keep him fit for the whole second half of the season. I know which is more likely.

It seems only Ronaldo, Bale and Benzema scored more goals than him too. 
 

8 goals in 32 games, from a sick note, who wasn’t fancied by either of his managers that season. 
 

edit; Ronaldo scored 51 goals in 48 games. Ridiculous!!

[dunlopp9987]

2 minutes ago, Newty82 said:

I'd like him to stay if we can get his mind focused. He was immense at the start of last season but faded a bit quickly. Mind, most of the team did.

I think a focused mind is the problem though. I just wonder if he's another one of these talented players who are blessed with talent but given any opportunity will miss a game. You see it plenty in footy. All the riches at the top level drain the motivation if the mind isn't properly focused. That's maybe why he likes Carlo so much - just do as you please type of coach. Where as Rafa will demand high levels of effort.

I just wonder if he's an expensive luxury that we can't afford, both in money terms and in terms of the gusto we need in the team. Looking at his history, it's a reasonable question I think.

This pretty much perfectly sums up my thoughts on James. 

[Bailey]

1 hour ago, Shukes said:

He didn’t play against Brighton though. We were set up with Rafa’s plan A, and it worked. I’m talking about when it’s not working, and we need someone who can change the game….. one pass can create a chance, as shown on numerous occasions last season.

How many times did James put a cross field ball onto the toes of Richarlison and set up a chance? Some of our best football was played with him on the pitch.
 

A good team will mix things up. 
Basic lesson of football, the ball moves faster than a player. Carlo also started of with a plan A, and it worked…. For a bit until teams figured it out. Carlo then showed he doesn’t have a plan B. I don’t want us to go through the same again. Mix it up, have options, be able to change tactics.

Im happy for him to be sold. I’m also happy for him to stay. 

If we are looking to change a game, which for us has typically been against those packed defences, he isn't going to be pinging 40 yard cross field balls either

I get what you mean though, if you were to back one player in this squad to play the right ball when it matters, it would be him.

[pete0]

2 hours ago, Palfy said:

I’m sure Rafa could get more out of him but the player has got to be willing to listen, Rafa had him Real Madrid and dropped him but I’m sure he would have tried to work with him before that happened. 

See Rafa's treatment of Alonso. He wanted Barry over him rather than build round Alonso.

[RuffRob]

Well it looks like he will be here for the season and I am sure Benitiez is not as stubborn or blinkered as say Zidane and will make the best use of him that he can. We are not blessed with a squad bursting with quality, so I am sure he will be used as much as possible and as needed.

Once the window is shut them everybody's minds are then properly focused. I would like to hope James is professional enough to try and make the best of the situation and Benitez too. They are both professional and being paid very good money.

James will want to put himself if a shop window for next season, so should want to impress potential future employers as well as his current manager and us fans. 

As much as would have been happy enough to see him go this window (if a replacement was brought in!) - I will be cheering him on every time he lines up. 

[MikeO]

4 minutes ago, RuffRob said:

Well it looks like he will be here for the season and I am sure Benitiez is not as stubborn or blinkered as say Zidane and will make the best use of him that he can. We are not blessed with a squad bursting with quality, so I am sure he will be used as much as possible and as needed.

Once the window is shut them everybody's minds are then properly focused. I would like to hope James is professional enough to try and make the best of the situation and Benitez too. They are both professional and being paid very good money.

James will want to put himself if a shop window for next season, so should want to impress potential future employers as well as his current manager and us fans. 

As much as would have been happy enough to see him go this window (if a replacement was brought in!) - I will be cheering him on every time he lines up. 

Amen to that.

[SpartyBlue]

3 minutes ago, MikeO said:

Amen to that.

Yea I mean it’s not “bad” if we have James out there even as a part time contributor. I really expected him to go so it’s a little like a new signing for me.

[badaids]

13 minutes ago, RuffRob said:

Well it looks like he will be here for the season and I am sure Benitiez is not as stubborn or blinkered as say Zidane and will make the best use of him that he can. We are not blessed with a squad bursting with quality, so I am sure he will be used as much as possible and as needed.

Once the window is shut them everybody's minds are then properly focused. I would like to hope James is professional enough to try and make the best of the situation and Benitez too. They are both professional and being paid very good money.

James will want to put himself if a shop window for next season, so should want to impress potential future employers as well as his current manager and us fans. 

As much as would have been happy enough to see him go this window (if a replacement was brought in!) - I will be cheering him on every time he lines up. 

If he ends up staying I and getting some games I reckon he'll get a massive reception from Goodison AND HIS HEART WILL BE WARMED.

[Palfy]

Looks like he’s staying whether by choice or not doesn’t really matter I’m sure Rafa will give him every chance to play his way into the first eleven, and if this is the case I hope he try’s to do what is asked of him. Plus Shukes is going to see him in the flesh in a Everton shirt I don’t know who deserves it more Shukes or James enjoy mate. 

[Btay]

3 minutes ago, Palfy said:

Looks like he’s staying whether by choice or not doesn’t really matter I’m sure Rafa will give him every chance to play his way into the first eleven, and if this is the case I hope he try’s to do what is asked of him. Plus Shukes is going to see him in the flesh in a Everton shirt I don’t know who deserves it more Shukes or James enjoy mate. 

Yeah I agree completely with this above - he is our best midfielder on the ball and make something happen out of nothing!