He is the type of player that our defence would struggle against, he is too quick and direct for our CBs, our fullbacks are as quick but he is too strong for them. Running at a defence with the ball he was pretty much unstoppable, the only only option for most CBs was to commit a foul and pick up a card. It was those surging runs that added another dimension to our slow build up play last season
I find it odd people's perceptions of how many goals a striker should get in a season. I particularly hate the phrase "we need a proven twenty goal a season striker" as though those grow on trees. If JayRod had finished the season undamaged and kept up the overall rate at which he scored, he'd have managed 17 goals. Over the entire past five seasons, the players who exceeded 17 goals are a pretty distinguished bunch: Suarez, Sturridge, Toure, RVP, Bale, Benteke, Michu, Rooney, Aguero, Berbatov, Tevez, Drogba, Bent, Lampard, Defoe, Torres. And the majority of those did it for one season only out of five. So, poor old JayRod was up at the tail of that list despite being "wasteful". What exactly do people expect of him? Vin
They call me Mr Caviar. If it ain't top draw, bin it. But in all seriousness, we don't have the luxury of the bigger clubs to wait and see. Either he signs a new contract or we need to get a fee for him this summer.
People are simply pointing out that, from that list you put Jay "at the tail of", he is closer to Michu, Bent and Defoe than to Suarez, RVP or Aguero. While the former are/were all valuable assets to their clubs, the latter are that exceptionally rare thing, strikers who only need half a chance. Before his injury Jay was good, but not in that category, not even close. To put it another way, players like Drogba or Van Persie would score goals at any level, playing under any system. Many of the others have shown their best only in a team that plays to their strengths. Ps. On reflection, I've paid Jay a massive complement comparing him to Defoe. but I can't forget the latter blasting one over the bar from 6 yards out at St Mary's, and nearly hitting the big screen.
I can't see why we wouldn't want someone who just scores given a decent opportunity.... And before you say it, selling him has been a suggestion on this thread. Suarez, RVP and Aguero are freakishly odd and have prices to match. Face facts, we're never going to end up with people like that; they are priced well out of our range. So, given that, JayRod is marvellous, because, in your words, he does play in a team that plays to his strengths. Why rate him lower because he might not fit in another system? The point I was making is that 17 goals in a season puts him in a pretty rare category, not that he's the same as Aguero. JayRod's problems were largely those of perception. He's very strong indeed but looks slight. He has a piledriver of a shot but, with no backlift or follow through, it looks weak. He was good enough for an England call-up so people not from Southampton seem to rate him. Vin PS. Did no-one notice Rickie missing from well inside the six yard box (was it in the cup)? How come if JayRod does it it's noteworthy (and has turned up twice on this thread)?
I'm not saying we don't want him. I'm saying that, if he doesn't want to stay, or if he doesn't recover to be the player he was promising to be, he won't be irreplaceable.
How much glue can you get from a human body? Absolutely, but again it shows how far we have come. We were frantic not to lose him in the summer because we had lost so many and I think we imagined we were losing an irreplaceable team, but we now know that you can replace most players and still have a good team. I want JRod to recover (mainly because I am a fine human being ), but I wouldn't be worried if he was sold if he doesn't see himself as a Saint. Ideal world...he recovers and regains form for us.
The main debate came when Saint Muppet said he didn't rate him much - harsh no matter how much room for improvement there is.
Jay isn't as close to returning as these articles keep suggesting. Ronald is actually correct. Jay's representatives are getting these counter-stories into the media.
This "is he" or "isn't he" is beginning to irate me, I believe Rk and JRod needs to get hold of his agent/representatives and sort them out before they queer his pitch altogether both with the club, team mates and us fans
Hard to see the reason they would do this...unless it is to keep JRod in people's minds. Perhaps his agents think that if he's considered a crock, all interested parties will start looking elsewhere. Still strange...unless they don't believe the medics at Saints, but that would be stupid.
It's that, definitely. Agent's are salesmen, players are products, and when the product is not in the shop window for whatever reason, the salesman wants to remind the market of it's existence.
They wouldn't do it without his agreement...must have explained their thinking to him. Now if only they'd explain it to us.
Exactly my point Fran. I only hope that Jay doesn't really do the dirty on us and get himself fit then clear off, either on the cheap, or for nothing. Let's hypothesise that he plays the last three or four games and then gets really for over the summer. He would then be fit and heathy and in the last year of his contract...
