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The Mail Bag

Fergie Sniffing Around Again

Our old friend Fergie is ?according to the press? sniffing around Everton again ? this time he fancies Jack Rodwell, and unfortunately who doesn?t. Alan Smith, Sky commentator and ex-Arsenal, was recently quoted as saying ?Rodwell will be the next Rio Ferdinand?.

Rodwell as we all know is currently with the England U-21s in Sweden and I?m absolutely sure that the likes of Milner, Agbonalor, Mancini, Onauha, etc will be telling Jack that his £8k a week is paltry with the going rate of £30k in the Premier League and you?ll be able to double that with a CL team ? Ronney all over again.

I?ve now noticed today that Moyes has gone out of his way to say Rodwell will be key to Everton next season and hopes to give him 20 odd games ? all designed to say bugger off Ferguson, and we love you Jack.

I believe Moyes missed a trick with not giving Rodwell an FA Cup Final appearance, even as a sub for 10-15 mins. The lad, if you looked at the pictures after the Final, looked devastated and Ray Hall also said in an interview last week that Jack was really down ? a Cup Final appearance is only likely to come around once or twice in a career.

Can we keep him?

Mike Oates, South Coast Posted 21/06/2009 at 13:08:10

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Mark Wynne
1 Posted 21/06/2009 at 16:59:26

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I was kind of hoping we could trade Rodwell to United for Gary Neville and a piece of cheese. Sounds like a typical Everton - Man Utd deal to me.

Gary Norman
2 Posted 21/06/2009 at 18:40:04

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Yes, agree... think Moyes should've taken Osman off at half-time as well as Hibbert and moved Neville over to right midfield and brought Jack on in Neville's role!

Alex Baker
3 Posted 21/06/2009 at 19:06:46

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Though I agree playing Rodwell in the FA Cup final would have been good for him, being honet it wasn?t ever really a valid change. Hibbert for Jacobsen was absolutely neccessary as a like-for-like substitution, and both Vaughan and Gosling were far more likely to produce a match-winning goal or assist than the more defensive-minded Rodwell. It would have been nice to see him play, but we needed a goal, and bringing Rodwell on was not likely to get us that.

Peter Roberts
4 Posted 21/06/2009 at 19:16:18

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We?re talking about a guy who dumped his girlfriend last year because she fancied herself as a footballer?s WAG.

I don?t think we should be that worried about the U21s rabbit on about the money. Jack?s a fairly level-headed kid and I?m sure he realises he?ll get a better shot at first-team football at Everton at this stage in his career than he will at United.

Tony Hale
5 Posted 21/06/2009 at 19:18:33

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This is a completely different situation from when he signed Rooney. For instance, Rooney had come roaring out the traps and was scoring quality goals for club and country. After World Cup 2006, Everton were favorites to be relegated, had lost a load of their "star" talent to rivals, and had only signed two Championship players who were unproven in the Premier League. Rooney was practically promised first team football at United, as they were going though a bit of a striking crisis themselves, rather than get broken into first team football slowly by a supposedly doomed manager.

Now what's Ferguson gonna say to Rodwell? "If you sign for us, lad, I promise you?ll replace Ferdinand, Vidic or Carrick". Of course he isn?t. He?ll put him in his reserve team and he?ll get a few cup games with equally unproven youth until he is able to replace his aging defenders. If he?s lucky, he?ll get off the bench in a Prem game...

At the momen,t we?ll be more of an attractive proposition to Rodwell because, with the size of our squad and Moyes?s tendancy to break his younger players in more and more each year. He?ll see that he?ll get more experience with us. I really doubt he?ll go with United.

Andy Crooks
6 Posted 21/06/2009 at 20:35:44

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Rodwell won?t go anywhere yet. He hasn?t done enough to warrant a huge fee and Everton certainly won?t let him go cheaply. Also, I cling to the old-fashioned notion that some footballers are proper men with integrity. Reading of the obscene greed of Ronaldo, Eto and others sometimes makes me feel I?ve had enough of football. Then, I remember Gosling?s goal against Liverpool and all is well. Jack Rodwell is at a real football club.

Stephen Doyle
7 Posted 21/06/2009 at 22:55:41

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For fuck?s sake, this was in The People of all papers, chill out!!

Garry Corgan
8 Posted 22/06/2009 at 01:12:20

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Tony Hale - do you just make things up? We were not relegation favourites after the World Cup in 2006. We had not lost ?a load? of star talent and Rooney had left two years previously!

If you?re getting confused with 2004-05, the season after Rooney left and we?d signed Cahill, we still weren?t favourites to be relegated ? not by a long way.

Revisionism to enforce your own point!

Sean Patton
9 Posted 22/06/2009 at 03:23:18

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I think you might be getting ahead of yourself Mike. How would those players you list know how much is the going rate for the Champions League as none of them have played in the competition. By the time this 6+5 rule comes in, Ferguson will have retired. As we are on the subject of the Under-21s, can anybody explain why Milner, who is 24 this year, is eligible to play?

Chris Dawson
10 Posted 22/06/2009 at 10:17:42

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Sean... Milner can play for the Under-21s as he was 21 at the start of the competition, which started with the qualifying 2 years ago, when he was 21... I hope that explained it as I almost confused myself!!!

Aiden Doyle
11 Posted 22/06/2009 at 10:11:46

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Sean, I?m not sure how the other federations deal with it, but in Europe players are eligible for the team if they are 21 (or less, obviously) at the start of the qualifying campaign. The qualification process for the tournament started in September 2007, so there undoubtedly a lot of 22-year-old representing their country & there could be several players who are 23, like Milner.

Phil Roberts
12 Posted 22/06/2009 at 14:36:26

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So Milner and Agbonlahor are with Villa, Onouha with City and Mancienne with Chelsea but on loan at Wolves ? well, apart from the fact that 2 were misspelt and one was a totally wrong name........

So if they can get £30k a week with CL sides, why the heck are three of them playing for teams which are below us in the league? If they are so keen on telling Jack who to play for, why are they not doing it?

What a lousy piece and typical of the Evertonians' fear. Grow Up, Mike!

Kevin O'Regan
13 Posted 23/06/2009 at 08:46:15

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I hadn?t see a lot of Rodwell this season so I was delighted to see him line up for the England U21?s last night against Germany.
I have to say I was very impressed by him ? although being the youngest in the squad, he not only scored England?s only goal, he was confident, lively,
In command and comfortable on the ball. At one stage he had a great run from the halfway line to the edge of the german area where he shot just wide
after passing out a number of german players. Definitely a prize asset in my opinion even if just based on limited sightings.
In terms of holding onto him -one hopes that history is a great teacher for all at EFC ? if you know it?
BTW those Championships in Sweden are definitely a decent stage for scouts ? some very good talent on view.

Ciaran Duff
14 Posted 23/06/2009 at 14:21:14

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Had another great game yesterday apparently and scored the equaliser. Looks quality and very cool and collected. Personally I thought he should have come on for the last 15-20 mins in the Cup Final. Jacobsen did well I thought but we went backwards when Gosling came on.

One option we had was to change to a 4-2-3-1 formation with PN & JR as 2 holding midfielders and playing Peanuts, Big Fella and Tim (on right) in front of them with Saha (later Vaughan) up front. To me, that would have been the best use of our best assets.