Manager Brian Talbot said, “If they were still playing Internationals at the end of the season I wouldn’t renew their contracts. I don’t think it’s fair on the club, the fans or the team if two of our best players can’t turn up for matches. Personally I wouldn’t sign anyone else who played for a far-away country which involved lots of travelling. It’s up to Rodney and JJ because Oldham Athletic pay their wages and they should be available to play. They are both out of contract at the end of the season and I would recommend that we thought very hard about whether it’s wise to keep them. We knew the situation with JJ because he made it clear he would play for Jamaica, but it’s far from ideal."
"Rodney (pictured) was different. We didn’t expect him to be going away, but his Oldham career still hasn’t started. I understand it’s a fantastic achievement to play for your country in World Cup qualifiers, but I’ve learnt from this experience. It’s okay for the Premiership because their games get called off for internationals. Clubs at our level can’t afford to be paying players and not having them available. I’ve never understood why their associations don’t pay them while they are away and I’m also disappointed with the way Jamaica and St Vincent handled things over the weekend. Jamaica didn’t inform us until late that JJ’s flight was delayed and we should have been told immediately about Rodney’s injury.”