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Rodriguez, how do we rate him after a year?


norwaysaint

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This'll probably come across as an attack on one of our more popular players, which won't go down well.

 

In the last couple of weeks I've seen his name put forward as one of our few players who wouldn't be out of place in the top 6, also as one of the first 5 or 6 names that should be on the teamsheet.

 

Now I don't get to go to many matches, so what I see, I see on TV and I know that, along with stats, doesn't tell the whole story.

 

But I don't really get it. He's got potential and had a run of a few games where he was great, but across the season he scored 6 goals in 33 games. This is not a great return when playing in a team that gets the majority of possession and is creating a huge amount of attacking chances. We usually had more possession and more shots than the other team, we constantly had the ball in attacking positions, but weren't scoring the goals. Now, across the season, Lambert scored enough goals, but later in the season he started dropping deeper, making JRod our main striker, in a team that on paper should be scoring plenty. Yet I have only seen praise for him and nobody giving him any of the responsibility for the ball not ending up in the back of the net. I'll leave it to somebody else to provide stats of our average possession and the amount of shots we had on or off target without scoring.

 

I like him and I hope he makes it, but why is he not blamed at all for a goals per game tally that would have us all calling for any other striker to be dropped? Once again, I don't dislike him, I just haven't seen anyone blame him for those games where we dominated but didn't score. Imagine Guly playing 33 and scoring 6, while we had over 50% possession, mostly in attacking positions. Ramirez was criticised heavily and got 5 in 24, which is a slightly better return.

 

For what it's worth, I hold him responsible, but I'd still pick him for the time being, hoping he improves.

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Should have scored more. Struggled at the start of the season. Came into it, scored a few goals, then didn't have a great end to the season.

 

Puts in a decent defensive shift and gives us a good outlet as he's got pace and runs all game.

 

Next year is a big year for him though. Needs to hit the ground running.

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This'll probably come across as an attack on one of our more popular players, which won't go down well.

 

In the last couple of weeks I've seen his name put forward as one of our few players who wouldn't be out of place in the top 6, also as one of the first 5 or 6 names that should be on the teamsheet.

 

Now I don't get to go to many matches, so what I see, I see on TV and I know that, along with stats, doesn't tell the whole story.

 

But I don't really get it. He's got potential and had a run of a few games where he was great, but across the season he scored 6 goals in 33 games. This is not a great return when playing in a team that gets the majority of possession and is creating a huge amount of attacking chances. We usually had more possession and more shots than the other team, we constantly had the ball in attacking positions, but weren't scoring the goals. Now, across the season, Lambert scored enough goals, but later in the season he started dropping deeper, making JRod our main striker, in a team that on paper should be scoring plenty. Yet I have only seen praise for him and nobody giving him any of the responsibility for the ball not ending up in the back of the net. I'll leave it to somebody else to provide stats of our average possession and the amount of shots we had on or off target without scoring.

 

I like him and I hope he makes it, but why is he not blamed at all for a goals per game tally that would have us all calling for any other striker to be dropped? Once again, I don't dislike him, I just haven't seen anyone blame him for those games where we dominated but didn't score. Imagine Guly playing 33 and scoring 6, while we had over 50% possession, mostly in attacking positions. Ramirez was criticised heavily and got 5 in 24, which is a slightly better return.

 

For what it's worth, I hold him responsible, but I'd still pick him for the time being, hoping he improves.

I'd agree with most of that. He's shown glimpses of potential, but not enough across the course of the season. Jury is still out for me. Seems to lack some of the confidence and arrogance top strikers have.
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Well, he's no Messi that's for sure or Suarez or Aguero. Maybe more of a Defoe. At least he has some pace and hopefully will find the knack of hitting the target one day soon. This will be his make-or-break season, no progress by Christmas and he'll be consigned to the nPC

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I'll stick to my opinion that I had of last season (which was a minority opinion that I copped a bit of flak for). I'd still prefer that last season we had spent on a striker with Premier League/top league pedigree, and added JRod this summer. Towards the end of the season when Lambert was flagging and looking dead on his feet, that's exactly when we needed a striker to step into those boots and do the business. I didn't feel Rodriguez was up to that; he's got potential but he's also got so much to develop, including his shooting where he often snatches at a shot.

 

So where do we go from here? Plenty seem to think we need a new winger, and plenty also think we need a new striker in the Lukaku mould (that's if we're to progress into a top 8 and upwards side). Can Rodriguez give us that? IMO, not as a starting player for us, no. And if he does become a sub, that's a big step backwards from this season where he has primarily been a first team player, if not playing in his preferred spot as out and out striker.

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Looks to have decent, but not lightening pace, an OK touch, average on the air, no great tricks, good movement at times and great direct running on the ball that really takes the pressure off our defence. I especially like how he was willing to put a shift in down the left side when asked by Adkins (although he's not the best defender in the world that's for sure). Once he got his goal at Old Trafford the confidence he gained really changed his season. From that game on he seemed to realise he was good enough for this league and just played with more freedom.

 

I'm not sure him and Lambert really have a good partnership going yet, but we don't really play with two up top so that's not surprising. Can he lead the line on his own? I don't think so. I think there might be more to come, but there needs to be. His finishing is weak at times having done a lot of the hard work. He's a bit of a scuffer. That is a result of not having that lightening pace to take you away from thre defenser and enable you time to set yourself before shooting. Lallana has the same problem.

 

There are better strikers out there for sure, but getting them here will cost a fortune. I wonder how he will react to a new striker coming in and taking his first team shirt.

Edited by Chez
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Looked average in the first half of the season. Looked very poor as the lone striker at home to reading

 

Got in his groove for a fair few games and against top opposition and played as a wider forward

 

Flagged quite a bit from WBA home onwards. Much like most of the team

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I think his non-stop running and work rate appeals to the fans and increases his popularity. His finishing wasn't great last season and overall it was a 'settling in' season for him. More will be expected next season for sure, especially in terms of goals when played up top.

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His potential is clear to see for everyone, so much work rate, good range of passing, good turn of pace and can have a world class first touch. He just needs more time to get comfortable/confident at the roles we need him to play and the standard of the league.

 

I feel he's £7m well spent but he has been playing with the weight of that price tag on him a bit too much and over the next 18 months he will really grow into a better player.

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What you have to remember about Rodriguez is that he wasn't just coming to a new league like the rest of the squad, but we has coming to a new team. He had a LOT of adapting to do, twice as much as most of the others. And I think that's why he improved in the second half of the season

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What you have to remember about Rodriguez is that he wasn't just coming to a new league like the rest of the squad, but we has coming to a new team. He had a LOT of adapting to do, twice as much as most of the others. And I think that's why he improved in the second half of the season

What about the last 6 weeks of the season?

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Tremendous footballer....

 

Good in the air..

 

Turn of speed...

 

Works hard for the team..

 

Links up well with those around him..

 

The more that Ramirez and Puncheon play in the side... the more end product will come from J Rod and Lambert..

 

Very good striker and soooooo glad he is in our team...

 

Looking forward to an excellent season for J Rod and the mighty Saints..

 

FFS Play Puncheon more often..

 

COYS:)

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What about the last 6 weeks of the season?

 

He was formidable until he got that illness which put him out for a game or two and he never regained that form. The whole team looked a bit tired and stale towards the end.

 

What point are you trying to make about his last six weeks anyway which would 't apply to a number a players anyway?

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He was formidable until he got that illness which put him out for a game or two and he never regained that form. The whole team looked a bit tired and stale towards the end.

 

What point are you trying to make about his last six weeks anyway which would 't apply to a number a players anyway?

Well the point I was replying to was that he wasn't great in the first half of the season due to 'settling in' but then improved in the 2nd half of the season. I'm just pointing out that was only half of the 2nd half of the season he really looked good. That's not enough from him so far in my eyes.
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Well the point I was replying to was that he wasn't great in the first half of the season due to 'settling in' but then improved in the 2nd half of the season. I'm just pointing out that was only half of the 2nd half of the season he really looked good. That's not enough from him so far in my eyes.

 

I don't think the last 6 games is proof that he didn't improve over the course of the season. Even in the last 6 games, he was still better than at the start, just not as good as he had been before that.

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For me, looks like a decent player, offers us pace in behind that we don't have from many players, decent finisher, young and has potential (which is not the same as "guaranteed to improve") but at the moment I think he needs to be stronger on the ball and take responsibility for holding it up more rather than some of the flicks, miscontroles and spins he tries at the moment, and show closer control when he's dribbling. He's pretty one footed as well, but he's got plenty to offer and has obviously shown a lot more than, say Mayuka, albeit from a lot more opportunities.

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I think that he - and AL for that matter - have shown that they they are more than capable of playing in the premiership but they both need to believe it. If they can develop a touch of arrogance about their play then I would expect them to both kick ass next year.

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Hes been playing on the wing with a free role, which hes adapting to, scoring 6 goals from LW/RW is not that bad in the prem.

 

Has potential to be a top class striker, if MP can find a way to allow him be more of a striker next season i think were see him score 10 goals plus.

 

My concern is Mayuka as far as our striking options go, i really hope he can produce this season or we can ship him on loan for 6 months to get some confidence, and allow Sharp a chance to have a few games in the mean time, we had times this season we needed a natural pocher and he would of grabbed some goals specially off Jay Rods runs and shots.

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Hes been playing on the wing with a free role, which hes adapting to, scoring 6 goals from LW/RW is not that bad in the prem.

 

Has potential to be a top class striker, if MP can find a way to allow him be more of a striker next season i think were see him score 10 goals plus.

 

My concern is Mayuka as far as our striking options go, i really hope he can produce this season or we can ship him on loan for 6 months to get some confidence, and allow Sharp a chance to have a few games in the mean time, we had times this season we needed a natural pocher and he would of grabbed some goals specially off Jay Rods runs and shots.

 

Once again, Sharp will not be a striker option for us in the premier league. Especially as we appear to have our sights set on some quality (and expensive) forwards.

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Once again, Sharp will not be a striker option for us in the premier league. Especially as we appear to have our sights set on some quality (and expensive) forwards.

 

Sharp couldn't even get a game for us with a manager who seemed to think he is the bee's bollix, no chance at all with a manager who probably knows what a PL striker looks like.

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Once again, Sharp will not be a striker option for us in the premier league. Especially as we appear to have our sights set on some quality (and expensive) forwards.

 

And rightly so. Mayuka has seen very little game time but he has at least looked a little lively in his games towards the end of the season. Looked ok against Spurs too. Sharp's level is probably upper Championship, lower Premier League at very best. An Adam Le Fondre type, if you will.

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And rightly so. Mayuka has seen very little game time but he has at least looked a little lively in his games towards the end of the season. Looked ok against Spurs too. Sharp's level is probably upper Championship, lower Premier League at very best. An Adam Le Fondre type, if you will.

 

Exactly, he is not the level of player which we are looking for at all.

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This'll probably come across as an attack on one of our more popular players, which won't go down well.

 

In the last couple of weeks I've seen his name put forward as one of our few players who wouldn't be out of place in the top 6, also as one of the first 5 or 6 names that should be on the teamsheet.

 

Now I don't get to go to many matches, so what I see, I see on TV and I know that, along with stats, doesn't tell the whole story.

 

But I don't really get it. He's got potential and had a run of a few games where he was great, but across the season he scored 6 goals in 33 games. This is not a great return when playing in a team that gets the majority of possession and is creating a huge amount of attacking chances. We usually had more possession and more shots than the other team, we constantly had the ball in attacking positions, but weren't scoring the goals. Now, across the season, Lambert scored enough goals, but later in the season he started dropping deeper, making JRod our main striker, in a team that on paper should be scoring plenty. Yet I have only seen praise for him and nobody giving him any of the responsibility for the ball not ending up in the back of the net. I'll leave it to somebody else to provide stats of our average possession and the amount of shots we had on or off target without scoring.

 

I like him and I hope he makes it, but why is he not blamed at all for a goals per game tally that would have us all calling for any other striker to be dropped? Once again, I don't dislike him, I just haven't seen anyone blame him for those games where we dominated but didn't score. Imagine Guly playing 33 and scoring 6, while we had over 50% possession, mostly in attacking positions. Ramirez was criticised heavily and got 5 in 24, which is a slightly better return.

 

For what it's worth, I hold him responsible, but I'd still pick him for the time being, hoping he improves.

 

Personally I don't believe in the 'blame game' !

He played his part in our season of PL consolidation, having scored a few critical goals and with a couple of classy assists too, like most of the others he took time to adapt and was inconsistent but he showed that he has some quality and might well kick on next season, particularly if we sign a top striker to either complement or compete with him !

IMO he is a big asset who is much more likely to improve than regress but I suppose that only time will tell !

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Has shown potential. Hope he can bring in some consistency next season. His 7 million fee looks about right in hindsight.

 

:facepalm:

 

Had a 3-4 game period where he was unplayable. Other than that he was either poor or very average.

 

Just when I was about to give up on this thread you come along and save it. I commend you for your honesty and impartiality. £7m down the drain as far as I'm concerned. Wouldn't shed a tear to never see him in a Saints shirt ever again. :facepalm:

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£7m down the drain as far as I'm concerned. Wouldn't shed a tear to never see him in a Saints shirt ever again. :facepalm:

 

They say that football is a game of opinions. You are entitled to yours regardless of how twisted/wrong it is.

 

Loving the double negative though.

Edited by Colinjb
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Inconsistant.

 

Think he went missing in games too easily for the first half of the season, and then in the 2nd half of the season (in combination with MoPo playing him in a better position) he stepped upto the mark and managed to score some vital goals for us.

 

His movement for the goal V Chelsea (H) and his awareness against Reading (A) was sublime. Hopefully he can push on next season.

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They say that football is a game of opinions. You are entitled to yours regardless of how wrong it is.

If £7m is about right, Falcao's recent £60m move to Monaco is the bargain of the century when you take into account goals to games ratios!

 

Lol, where have you been 110?

Busy with final exams mate, one more to go!

 

Hoping to get back to posting soon, though by the looks of it I haven't missed out on much...

 

And why the f**k was Bearsy banned?

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If £7m is about right, Falcao's recent £60m move to Monaco is the bargain of the century when you take into account goals to games ratios!

 

 

Busy with final exams mate, one more to go!

 

Hoping to get back to posting soon, though by the looks of it I haven't missed out on much...

 

And why the f**k was Bearsy banned?

 

Please don't.

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If £7m is about right, Falcao's recent £60m move to Monaco is the bargain of the century when you take into account goals to games ratios!

 

Based on the rest of the market, £7 million for Rodriguez was fine, especially when you consider the fees of £7.5 mill for Matt Jarvis, £5 million for Danny Graham and £12 million for Stephen Fletcher.

 

Young domestic talent commands silly money, at least Rodriguez has shown flashes of genuine class with his movement, ability on the ball and finishing. As others in the thread have said it will be crucial to see whether he can get some consistency... should it come the £7 million will be a bargain.

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If £7m is about right, Falcao's recent £60m move to Monaco is the bargain of the century when you take into account goals to games ratios!

 

 

Busy with final exams mate, one more to go!

 

Hoping to get back to posting soon, though by the looks of it I haven't missed out on much...

 

And why the f**k was Bearsy banned?

 

Good luck with the exams.

 

I think Bearsy was banned for PMing pictures of his junk about to various posters.

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Inconsistant.

 

Think he went missing in games too easily for the first half of the season, and then in the 2nd half of the season (in combination with MoPo playing him in a better position) he stepped upto the mark and managed to score some vital goals for us.

 

His movement for the goal V Chelsea (H) and his awareness against Reading (A) was sublime. Hopefully he can push on next season.

 

I think it was a fairly expected level of improvement based on previous performances in the Championship and the amount of time it was expected to take a player to adjust to the Prem, both in terms of getting used to the speed of thought required and confidence to play the kind of game at that level, plus just the all-round experience the team as a whole had already built up, and probably the support of the new manager and knowing he was part of his plans and rated at that level by a highly rated former Argentinian international...

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