Alex Alejandro "A-Rod" Rodriguez Gorrin

How was it playing for the Nix against Newcastle?

Do you like NZ?

Has a horse ever punched him?

Was the Horse good looking? Did it give him a good ride?

He ain't much of a talker.

On the park or off?

He's letting his performances do the talking. I like what he is saying too...

Off the park.

Shot down the approach in flames?

Na he was happy to do it. Just doesn't give particuarly long or interesting answers to questions, 

yeh nah, been in NZ too long!

Paulo Di Canio - a nice bloke to be around? Are his Mussolini impressions any good?

The Guardian 26/1/14: "Di Canio is still angry with Fletcher after the Scotland striker claimed he did not allow him to laugh or smile in training. "I don't like people fooling around when we're having a serious discussion about strategy."

I hope you didn't interview him dressed up as Bruno?

So wiki is in the process of deleting Arod's page - See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_fo...

People are fighting for it to stay, but looks like it will be deleted before the season starts and have to be recreated after he plays a game (Yet no one trying to get rid of Doyle's page LOL)

Doyle has played for the All Whites though so should qualify.

Not on his Wiki page he hadn't when I checked it (Seems it is just because Gorrin is actually known at a higher level (Silly really)

Who the fuck are the people who argue on Wikipedia about removing a page for a footballer - let alone in these circumstances? If you're that bored on the internet there's plenty of porn or funny animal videos to watch. 

Do you think these keyboard warriors look in their mirror before they go to bed and tell themselves they've done humanity a great service by ensuring that Mr Rodriguez/Gorrin doesn't have his own wiki page for the two weeks which are left until he plays a professional game?

I know it is pretty ridiculous, and the fact they have rules about how a player page can exist and not exist haha.

So a U21 player for a Premier League team can't have a page, but a International for Tahiti can? Totori can? Silly rules.

Oh my god, the world is ending, they're deleting a Wikipedia page! 

..is it really that big of a deal?

don't think anyone has claimed it as a big deal? 

More strange that someone would bother to ask for it to be deleted when he is going to be playing his first game in 2 weeks anyway.

Unbelievable, what a troll that person is

Ahhh **** it I can't be bothered.

Bump

A-rod should be re-signed. Discuss

Unless we can get someone better cheaper.

Or have the budget to get someone better, who is guaranteed to be better, and not a faux better Sarpong.

Which I don't see as possible or likely, so keep the guy. 

We've invested in him, hopefully we start to reap some even better rewards from that and hopefully he is enthusiastic to be here and feels well enough renumerated to be happy to stay.

I do want more out of the guy though.

I'm keen to see McG, Roly and A-Rod actually look like a cohesive threatening midfield, with A-rod given license to get further forward and working more effectively with the other two.  imho that means Roly being a little less the do it all yourself guy and a little more the inter-passing between the lines and get in behind guy.

When your team is second to last, that's the time to dream big.  Go A-Rod, be big for us.  Yuuuuuuge, even

Yes I am watching too much of the American Presidential primaries. 

I'd sign him, but I'm wondering if Ernie doesn't have him in his plans.
If we get a decent target man/ finisher to go in the middle of Roy and Kosta, that would push McG further back, pushing Roly further back and pushing A-rod off the park. 

                    Riera

            Roly

                     McG

Kosta                              Roy

              Magic man

You'd think we need A-Rod as a back up to Riera anyway though. Now that we don't have Manny, and Lia's a bit past it/not yet signed.

Could the not signing thing be part of a contract negotiations strategy? It's hard to know what his value is considered to be, but he might not be in the top 3-4 in the team, and perhaps as an import with his pedigree, he might consider that he might be worth a little more than the club, especially if the offer is multiple years, when he might start really hitting his straps.

Well he has some sort of +1 clause, You'd think that any wage increases would be baked into that.

As far as whether he's a good buy - if he's a replacement for Rierra then Reira isn't getting any younger - and he may be a kiwi next year anyway. Seems to be that Bonevacia won't be hanging around after next year - unless there is a significant improvement on reffing. And with the team we have whatever import player we get is likely to be on the bench.

We aren't going to get an import wing back, our midfield is fairly locked down, we will get a midfield striker, but our wide strikers are locked down, seems like our centre backs are decided. That gives us one import spot, and in the configuration above no first team spots.  With A-Rod we know we have someone that can do a job, and do it well. And you know, better the devil you know.

Of course players like Ridenton have come ahead in leaps and bounds and it could be that we don't actually need to use all our foreign spots in the future.

Formation wise, now we have Kosta  I'd expect Ernie to switch back to the shape we used when Burns was here: 2 fast winger/strikers, WeeMac as a false 9, A-rod and Roly behind him, and Riera at DM. Our free import slot could then be used on a defender where it's probably needed much more now with Siggy and Muscat going.

I'm strongly in the pro-A-rod camp and I find some of the criticisms of him confusing. I can sort of understand if people think the import slot should be used elsewhere, even if I don't agree with it. But the people who say he does nothing or can't pass forwards baffle me. I feel like they're watching different games to me.

Totally in agreement. His pass and move game is top notch and I believe would be better, if the team was on the front foot more often.

Stats wise, in the top 5 or 6 players in the league for passing accuracy, passes per game and passes that aren't going backwards. Age is also on his side. Definately worth an import slot. Needs to work on getting forward and at least testing the keeper a few times per game though.

It is not his job description to push forward into a scoring position, hence (at a young age) low experience at shooting on sight.

This sounds great

Reckon Doyle has come on enough to smash it in a formation like this

Unless he is playing his old enemy Newcastle United!