James: Benitez forced me out of Everton

Getting rid of him was one of the stupidest things I've ever seen in football. We would have been nowhere near the relegation zone with him knitting attack and midfield together.

Did the manager get rid of him or did his outrageous wages have a lot to do with him going seeng as how Everton were not spending any money at the time of his departure, I think it was 1.5£M that summer transfer window, and Benitez’s was following instructions.

I think it was a coalescing of two parties with the same idea. The club wanted his wages off the book and Rafa never liked him anyway.

I can't for the life of me think why no other premier league club in England or in Europe wanted him.

Massive waste of talent

I think Benitez was right to get shut. He went off to his home country after being sick for a while. then they didn't play him. I'm not sure his fellow professionals admired him for that.

Yes, a lovely, strange, transient phenomenon playing to an empty theatre. I think we can cherish him, sort of, for that; not an Evertonian at all, but a pure Evertonian unawares.

We looked great for a the first couple of weeks of that season, then Liverpool took him out of the game with some cheap shots. He (and we) never really recovered from that. Too bad.

Rafa was a terrible appointment, but this current team is screaming for someone with his skills.

There is another side to this story though. How often was James “injured?” When he was on-form, he was magnificent. He did things I've never seen an Everton player do before. But, even when he wasn't injured, he so often didn't turn up. It's been a regular criticism throughout his career. His disinterest and a lack of work ethic.

His comments about Lampard coming in, winning some games and saving the club are pretty laughable though. Lampard's record was worse than Benitez's. It was arguably the decent early-season form that got us over the line in the end.

Looking at our squad right now, you do wonder where we'd be if we'd kept hold of him, Richarlison, Lukaku and one or two others. Impossible task, I know, but still gut-wrenching.

But, we have been getting rid of talent for years.

We have sold or released Lukaku, Stones, Sigurdsson, Kean, Richarlison and James. And then squandered the £200+ million in transfer fees and additional wages saved on utter dross.

Unfortunately, if true, he had to go because we can't and should not be paying players that level of salary.

Gutted not to witness him play at Goodison in real life but he certainly made my TV brighter.

He was so right about the wrong decision to hire Rafa and yet Moshiri and Co believe they (the board) are fit for purpose and are doing a wonderful job. Here we go again...

Probably the most likely reason that you state but because it was under the reign of Benitez, it is all his fault.

If it happened under Lampard, it would have been the fault of the board no doubt. It amazes me sometimes how swiftly the blame can be shifted.

Just remember, for a while there we had James Rodriguez and were managed by Carlo Ancelotti.

Maybe that's one of the problems. But it was fun to dream a little bit.

Now we will have Dyche and Dwight McNeil.

I loved watching James play for Everton. True quality that we had been lacking and now lack, even if he couldn't play a full season. I just wish a lot of Evertonians could have witnessed him in the flesh as they would have really appreciated how good a player he was.

A high percentage of players don't play every match in the modern game. Our problem is that we have a paper thin squad when it comes to genuine quality. We have had for years and I've regularly griped about it.

City could probably put two teams out that could compete for trophies and European football. They rotate because of injuries and because they can.

We have good players, but when we scratch the surface of the 12-14, we are down to the bones and untried kids.

We complained because possibly the only true top quality footballer we signed since Kanchelskis, couldn't play every game. Not his fault that the squad was a result of years of poor and reckless investment.

But then Lukaku, the first real genuine goal scorer we'd had in years was moaned at because he didn't chase back and had a poor touch apparently. He scored goals though. Something we would crave for now.

Give me both of those players right now and I bite your hand off. And I know some don't like mentioning him, but how much have we missed Sigurdsson?

Rodriguez, Lukaku and Sigurdsson. I'll throw an ageing Allan into the mix because he was a talented footballer even though we only saw his declining last days due to the legs going.

Ancelotti. Serial and proven winner if you give him the tools.

We are on a different level now. The wrong one.

We threw the dice. We got it wrong and messed up. Now we have Dyche. Some will be content with that. I'm not as anti as I was with Allaydyce, but not my choice. But what choices did we have? Let's give the man a chance. He is in control of the team that I have unreserved passion and commitment for, so I want him to succeed.

Like Benitez, regardless of opinion, we go with it because we want our team and OUR club to win. Make us happy and send us home feeling good some of the time.

See you at the next one blues. Three points against Arsenal and then off to face Lucifer's Children in the Devils Cauldron.

"He was in a private jet or with bikini babes on his yacht."

You say that like it's a bad thing!
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How we could do with someone like James with his vision and skills now!!!

A common theme on this thread is people pointing out his wages.

What wages should a player be on who has won just about every domestic trophy available plus the World Cup golden boot?

If we signed Harry Kane or Neymar tomorrow, how much in wages would they demand?

If you go to the car showroom and want to buy a Rolls-Royce you pay Rolls-Royce money.

James was miles ahead of the other players in the team. He only ever trusted passing it to Sigurdsson.

Gordon wanted £100k a week.
Mina is on over £100k a week
Bernard was on over £100k a week
Tarkowski is on £90k a week
Mauphy in on £60k a week?
Rondon was on £40k a week?

It's all relative, isn't it?

"You say that like it was a bad thing."

I think you just said what most of us were thinking. What else are you going to do if you're injured or the twat manager won't give you a game?

If he plays 10 games then there's no relegation fears.

That control and volley against Utd away tells us this is a world class technician on the ball like Messi and Ronaldo, and he's still happy to play for Everton

This season, Calvert-Lewin, Gordon and Gray have contributed 9 goals and 1 assist between them.

Do the maths.

His vision was incredible.

James Rodriguez was by far the most talented player I've seen play for us (Rooney was good but he was 18 then 30something so we missed his top years), and that is also one of the biggest regrets for all Evertonians - having never had the chance to see him light the place up. Goodison would have been in raptures watching this kid play.

Yeah he might have not been arsed some of the time, and yeah he might have been injured a lot, and yeah he might have spent a bit of time on fancy yachts with women in bikinis, but isn't that what a superstar is meant to do? You can't really have it both ways and I for one applaud him for not really giving a fuck, and letting it all hang out.

I think society has become so downtrodden and fearful of anyone with any sort of maverick spirit, that we squash it before it has a chance to breathe - and that's one of the reasons football has become so bland. Personality, the ability to thrill and infuriate in equal measure has all but been removed from the game as I see it.

James was an absolute joy to watch, and sport is entirely about bringing joy to people.

We bought him knowing his injury record. Nobody expected him to play 40 games a season but we all knew when fit we had a match-winner in the team. Someone to excite and get you on the edge of your seat.

Every decent team needs a couple of Ferraris and Rolls-Royce type players to make the difference. Currently we have a team full of Ford Fiestas.

Tom Davies types we should give a very basic living wage like 500 quid a week. But outside of training give them on the job training in other areas of the club. Like teach them some basic office skills, filing etc. Spend some time in the laundry room. Mow the lawns etc to gain some work skills for later life. Then save the big money for the proper players.

Yes he got me off my seat a few times applauding his ability but had me deriding his poor attitude just as many times on and off the field.

Give me a player who is consistently good rather than a player who might have a great game now and again: but each to their own Rob, we’d never agree about Rodriguez except on his good days!!

Nevertheless I might be having the last word with you Karen, although I doubt it, how much would the goals,Duncan Ferguson, Tim Cahill and Andy King scored against Liverpool, be worth if your man’s one pass was worth £10M?

Versus

Get rid of him, incur transfer fees and wages on sub-average replacements, and be ina relegation battle. Our finances are opaque so, who knows, the total costs may have even netted out even

Keeping Rodriguez would get my vote by a country mile

My pocket would not be affected one bit... I don't know why people go on about the money (it's up to the club CFO to manage FFP)... good luck to him on his boat with the ladies... as long as he's doing the business on the pitch, who cares

What James did possess, which Rooney did not, was a footballing grace and elegance of the sort which many of us still think should lie at the heart of our club.

Several times when the opposition had the ball at the back or in midfield, he'd gently trot to and hold a strange position near and behind an opposition player not near the ball. A couple or more passes later the ball would come to that player and he'd sneak in and rob it.

One time I think, was against West Brom in the centre circle, you'll see it unfold if you ever watch the game back.

It was like he could see 10 seconds ahead.

Rooney gave us incredible fleeting moments, but he gave Bill Kenwright, the cheque that enabled him to stay at Everton, then lower expectations, then cease existing to win, and then even rejoice at becoming best of the rest.

Wayne Rooney being allowed to leave Everton, was one of the most disastrous moments in our clubs history, an unprecedented moment if you like, considering his talent, his deep-rooted Evertonian roots, and his age. His sale however gave our chairman, some good times.

What a deceitful man you are William Kenwright, definitely a player of the highest order.

Tony - I still maintain that if things had turned out slightly differently (with the private life and so on), there was another Maradona or more in Rooney. He got pretty close as it was - a staggering talent.

If only that could be bottled, trained, repeated reliably.

Perhaps that's the real magic, where the sum is more than the parts, and the football gods decide when to drip it into the play...

It's never talked about, ever, it's a sort of intuition you have.. like a safe cracker opening a safe when all the tumblers align..

For me and in no particular pecking order, Southall, Kanchelskis, Rooney, only we didn't see enough of him before we sold him, and Rodriguez, who we also didn't see enough off.

You know who my number one is but I won't name him!

long-learned, tuned intuition I suppose. Eerie.

Alas the process works when we're about to concede too, same thing but with that feeling of slow-motion dread...

Kanchelskis very good, Southall - the best.

The ball to Messi had just gone out of play when Rooney suddenly smashed him in his back, and when Messi turned around to remonstrate (why did you do that, it was already out of play) and saw it was Wayne Rooney, Messi ran away shaking his head, and clapping his hands, whilst probably thinking, “why have United got their best player chasing back like a lunatic?”

That’s how I read it anyway, but nobody can ever remember it, so nobody can agree or disagree with me.

Alex Ferguson turned Turk on Rooney, a player who often sacrificed his own personal talent for his team, and I’ve never been able to understand why

There's something to the thoughts you impute to Messi.

Rooney was too good at too many roles, too useful and too strong, just too complete a player. Ferguson couldn't resist. I saw a team mate, I think Scholes, saying that in training, Rooney was as good in any position as the holder of the role. Apparently the best 'keeper aside from the actual 'keepers too!

As we usually see in management, the better the player...

Maybe there'll be an exception one day.

I don't think he was ever the most committed player so let's not go overboard on Rafa Benitez’s involvement here.

However, he was a hugely talented footballer that we badly miss, that much is true.