Rodriguez, how do we rate him after a year?

[Dig Dig]

How about just not putting anyone on ignore and focus on replying to people you do enjoy interacting with?

[The9]

How about just not putting anyone on ignore and focus on replying to people you do enjoy interacting with?

 

Much easier to do when I don't have to waste my time reading stuff I already know will be pointless based on swathes of previous efforts.

[Mr X]

He didnt have a strong start or finish (like everyone) but He has contributed far more to the team than Ramirez so I consider it seven million well spent what he try's doesn't always come off but he's a willing runner and always looks like he's giving the required effort

[Lallana's Left Peg]

It'll be interesting to see what sort of player he ends up being. I said it at the start of the year but I still don't know if he'll turn out to be a Shane Long type of player who runs all day and hassles defenders, or if he'll be someone that likes the ball to feet and joins in with play. At the moment he seems to do a bit of everything and with varying degrees of success. He doesn't influence games and tends to play as well as the team however I can see a lot of potential in him I am just not sure how it will all end up. A very interesting player who clearly needs to play to have any chance of getting better.

 

I do like how direct he is with the ball at times and his ability to carry it - it moves the team up the field and lots of defenders don't like that. He has deceptive pace as well. Would prefer him to be more composed with his chances but he isn't the only one guilty of snatching at shots.

 

Plenty to be encouraged by but I haven't a clue how good he'll end up being nor what sort of player he'll end up being either!

[Saint_clark]

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.

 

Rubbish, for me it's his pace, great ball control and timing of both passes and runs. If people were impressed by just work rate these days then everyone would be saying Chaplow should be playing which, despite what some trolls would have you believe, they are not.

[norwaysaint]

....well I will only rate him on the basis of the last four months.

 

Since MP's appointment, he's begun to look like the kind of player I hoped he was when NA signed him.

 

This is the bit I don't get. People talk like he was some kind of revelation later in the season, but let's take a look at those last four months you want to judge him on:

 

February

 

Wigan, 54% possession 15 shots, Rodriguez scores 0

Man City, 51% possession 13 shots, Rodriguez scores 0

Newcastle, 43% possession 11 shots, Rodriguez scores 0

 

March

QPR, 55% possession 17 shots, Rodriguez scores 0

Norwich, 48% possession 15 shots, Rodriguez scores 0

Liverpool, 58% possession 17 shots, Rodriguez scores 1

Chelsea, 53% possession 13 shots, Rodriguez scores 1

 

April

Reading, 60% possession 12 shots, Rodriguez scores 1

W Ham, 58% possession 15 shots, Rodriguez scores 0

Swansea, 48% possession 9 shots, Rodriguez scores 0

W Brom, 57% possession 16 shots, Rodriguez scores 0

 

May

Spurs, 42% possession 10 shots, Rodriguez scores 0

Sunderland, 60% possession 15 shots, Rodriguez scores 0

Stoke, 52% possession 11 shots, Rodriguez scores 0

 

To me, that makes him pretty ineffective during those four months, especially as he was the striker playing furthest up the pitch. People have said that the whole team under-performed during the last couple of months, I'd say that's just not true. Our defence didn't leak many goals and our midfield can take credit for a possession rate that was usually between 50 and 60%, the only thing missing was someone putting the ball in the net, who takes responsibility for that? Are people going to continue saying he was out of position? I think that was only during the first couple of months of the season. He's got a lot of strengths in his game and will hopefully come good, but he really hasn't delivered this season and has to take a large part of the responsibility fr the points we've dropped.

 

Remember, Ramirez has taken a lot of flak for under-performing, yet has a better scoring record despite playing deeper. Also, looking at his history, Ramirez scoring rate this season was almost identical to what it has been every year of his career, so he has performed pretty much on par.

 

He's not a bad player, but let's stop criticising Guly and Ramirez, while giving Rodriguez no responsibility for our dropped points and saying he's a top 6 striker who should be first on the team sheet. He's still got everything to prove.

[Saints foreva]

Needs to score more goals.

[The9]

To me, that makes him pretty ineffective during those four months, especially as he was the striker playing furthest up the pitch.

 

Are people going to continue saying he was out of position? I think that was only during the first couple of months of the season.

 

Would be interesting to see if that's actually the case. WhoScored? will have match by match breakdowns of Saints' average positions. I wouldn't say Rodriguez was EVER our furthest forward striker whilst Lambert was on the pitch, no matter how much the latter dropped into the hole.

 

He was also on a different planet to Guly in terms of effectiveness, and I'm one of the ones who was still defending Guly's workrate at the start of the season.

[The9]

Just had a look at player positions for the Stoke (H) match and Lambert is marginally further forward than the trio of Rodriguez, Lallana and Steven Davis, with all of them operating in an incredibly narrow corridor in the centre of the pitch - though I suspect in practice this is due to Davis actually playing there in the middle and Lallana and Rodriguez switching wings, thereby averaging out in the centre.

 

Against West Brom (H), when we got thrashed, Lallana and Rodriguez were wider though still showing quite narrow, but again slightly deeper than central Lambert, with Davis sitting much further back alongside Cork in the middle and Schneiderlin deeper than both.

 

Against Spurs (A), when Schneiderlin was missing, Lallana played just in advance of Lambert overall, with Rodriguez in behind them, again all crammed into the central areas. Guly played in a RCM role and Davis and Cork held, but were still much further up the pitch as a pair. Shaw was much further forward than usual, on average in Spurs' half !

 

However, there is some evidence of Rodriguez "up front": the last away match we won under Adkins (at Villa), showed Rodriguez as the furthest forward player by some distance, playing in an outside right position, with Lambert in behind in the middle and Lallana and Puncheon in line as a conventional 3 supporting across the width of the pitch. That game also saw a centre-line 4 of Clyne, Shaw, Cork and Schneiderlin, as with all of these games the CBs have been a good 10 yards deeper than the FBs, on average.

 

If nothing else it shows that being the furthest forward player doesn't necessarily correlate with goals.

[tajjuk]

If he improves on his technique then he will be a very good player indeed. His finishing, first touch etc. aren't quite there imo and that let him down in situations where he could have and should have scored more goals. Agree with others he is a bit of scuffer at times, whether that is a composure issue or technique issue I'm not sure.

 

Physically he has it all to be a very good striker, disagree that he has just 'good' pace. He's very quick and was causing defenders all sorts of problems, he's also very quick with the ball which at times can better than off the ball.

 

Next season we will see whether the Jay Rod of the Chelsea, Liverpool games etc. is closer to his ability, cos if he can play more like that consistently he'll have a great season.

[benjii]

Just had a look at player positions for the Stoke (H) match and Lambert is marginally further forward than the trio of Rodriguez, Lallana and Steven Davis, with all of them operating in an incredibly narrow corridor in the centre of the pitch - though I suspect in practice this is due to Davis actually playing there in the middle and Lallana and Rodriguez switching wings, thereby averaging out in the centre.

 

Against West Brom (H), when we got thrashed, Lallana and Rodriguez were wider though still showing quite narrow, but again slightly deeper than central Lambert, with Davis sitting much further back alongside Cork in the middle and Schneiderlin deeper than both.

 

Against Spurs (A), when Schneiderlin was missing, Lallana played just in advance of Lambert overall, with Rodriguez in behind them, again all crammed into the central areas. Guly played in a RCM role and Davis and Cork held, but were still much further up the pitch as a pair. Shaw was much further forward than usual, on average in Spurs' half !

 

However, there is some evidence of Rodriguez "up front": the last away match we won under Adkins (at Villa), showed Rodriguez as the furthest forward player by some distance, playing in an outside right position, with Lambert in behind in the middle and Lallana and Puncheon in line as a conventional 3 supporting across the width of the pitch. That game also saw a centre-line 4 of Clyne, Shaw, Cork and Schneiderlin, as with all of these games the CBs have been a good 10 yards deeper than the FBs, on average.

 

If nothing else it shows that being the furthest forward player doesn't necessarily correlate with goals.

 

Villa away we played a pretty standard notional 4-4-2.

 

The fact is that Rodriguez has hardly played at all as a central striker. I would have liked us to have given him a go in that position a bit more towards the end of the season as Lambert was clearly knackered and/or injured and pretty ineffective. I think Rodriguez has all the attributes to be a very solid Prem player.

[Marsdinho]

He seems the type of player that will score 10 in 10, then go 10 games without a goal. Bit like Beattie.

 

Also, at times, it looked as though he was playing with the weight of the world on his shoulders (think its called Torres Syndrome!)

[The9]

Villa away we played a pretty standard notional 4-4-2.

 

The fact is that Rodriguez has hardly played at all as a central striker. I would have liked us to have given him a go in that position a bit more towards the end of the season as Lambert was clearly knackered and/or injured and pretty ineffective. I think Rodriguez has all the attributes to be a very solid Prem player.

 

It's the future. I think...

[alpine_saint]

Big season for him coming. Has the potential to be big, and a fans favourite. Also has the potential to disappear in a puff of smoke.

[Horton Heath Saint]

Bought I guess for SRL role in future, bedding him down this last year.

Ramirez and Rodriguez need to step up, big year.

[Lazlo78]

Not sure this has been posted here before - statistics for those strikers that are less prolific in front of goal:

 

http://www.eplindex.com/33893/worst-strikers-front-goal-1213-stats-analysis.html

[SaintSteve]

Big season for him coming. Has the potential to be big, and a fans favourite. Also has the potential to disappear in a puff of smoke.

 

Thats how I see it.. in fact, if we sign a European top class striker, he may not even get the chance and be a squad player this year.

[Toadhall Saint]

Good season. Played out of position at the start but like any good pro got on with it. Thought he came into his own in the 3rd quarter of the season but tailed off towards the end. He needs to improve and I think he will because he has the right attitude - or doesn't at least come across as a Billy big spuds.

[doggface]

Hit & miss year. He has all the attributes to be a top player, just needs to believe it more often.

 

That said when he played up top I wasn't massively impressed as he looked poor with his back to goal. Needs to improve his hold up play and strength and then we have a real player.