Will Rooney leave?

[Guest kiriakovisthenewstrachan]

Anyone else wonder whether Rooney might depart in January?

 

I thought at the start of the season that he would struggle to get into the team as McInnes seems intent on sticking with the one central striker and it seems to have panned out that way.

 

Had hoped to see Rooney hit 100 goals for the club because in my time following the Dons I have never witnessed anyone manage it.  He is currently on 81 so realistically probably needs another couple of seasons to make the ton.

 

Seems mad that we cannot find a place in the team for someone with Rooney's goal scoring record and it worries me that if we let him go we will then see him banging them in elsewhere.  I don't think he would be short of offers if he wanted to leave. 

[Ten Caat]

Dont think he will leave in January unless we have a replacement lined up ( I'd be offering Motherwell 300k + Rooney for Moult but don't think they will bite). He has been a terrific servant to us but the way we play now just doesn't seem to suit having Rooney in the team, May is obviously the starting striker and I think come summer we should be offering Rooney a free transfer if he can fix one up as thanks for his service.

[RicoS321]

Nope.

 

He's the top scorer this season and the best proven striker at the club. I think May is an all round better player and provides us with something that Rooney doesn't and so should start more often than not, but Rooney still has a huge role to play; certainly this season.

 

The only time we should consider getting rid of Rooney is when we have two strikers that are clearly better than him. That's a long way off at the minute, and if that ever happens within Rooney's contract, then he should be allowed to leave. I doubt that'll happen in January though. If we do get a striker in January (which I think we should) then we'd need to give the new guy at least 6 months before even considering letting Rooney go. Could you imagine we signed someone like Maynard and let Rooney go thinking we had his position covered? Don't think McInnes would make that error.

 

To add, we started the game with the same formation that has been an absolute success with Rooney at the front of it. It's been a long time since we've had that formation with Rooney up front (I don't think it's happened this season? Perhaps early europe before he got injured). We've been dicking around with two up front and 3 at the back with no support from midfield and so on, and it has been exhaustively shown that it doesn't work unless against poorer opposition. It has to be Rooney or May starting each game, not both. That'll get us a return from both players. If we're going defensive, with 3 at the back or whatever, then it has to be the more mobile May. If we're starting both then it has to be in 4-4-2 and they have to be closer together and get the ball to them quicker.

[Guest kiriakovisthenewstrachan]

Aye, agree about Moult.  Seems to be different class.

 

Rooney is a strange one.  Sometimes I think he just needs a run of games and is one those players that needs to know he is the number one striker.  It is only a few months ago that he was in the Ireland squad yet we can't find a way of getting him in the team.

 

Would be a shame if he gets pee'd off and wants away.  After Stockley, Maynard, Goodwillie, Storey etc you can see how hard it is to find someone who will pretty much guarantee you goals like Rooney does.

[1903_Redz]

Rooney seems to be marmite with our support. Personally, i like him but i always want more from him. I know people point out his goal scoring stats and ask what more does he have to do etc, but when you're watching him it's pretty frustrating to be fair. I don't need to point out his deficiencies, everyone can see them.

 

DM seems to have tried to replace him every year for about 3 years now but he's seen most of them off.

 

I'm a fan of Moult, who wouldn't be, and i hope DM makes a big effort to get him in in Jan and Rooney may well be the one used when trying to temp M/well into a deal. He'd obviously leave with everyones best wishes if it did happen. If we don't get Moult tho i'd keep him.

[Slim]

Play him through the middle and give him plenty of service like Hayes/McGinn did, then he'll score goals.

 

Force him to play out wide or drop deep to get the ball or have wingers who'd rather run up the South Stand stairs and buy the opposition full back a pie instead of trying to get around the outside of him and whip a cross in and he's going to be ineffective.

 

[RicoS321]

Play him through the middle and give him plenty of service like Hayes/McGinn did, then he'll score goals.

 

Force him to play out wide or drop deep to get the ball or have wingers who'd rather run up the South Stand stairs and buy the opposition full back a pie instead of trying to get around the outside of him and whip a cross in and he's going to be ineffective.

 

^^This.

 

Also, on Moult, we've clearly missed the boat. I, and others, mentioned at the time that the summer was the time where we had to buy Moult. He was clearly a player on the rise and the chance had to be taken then to capitalise on that rise. If we'd gone for it with our bid in the summer, we'd have probably qualified for the europa, perhaps the league cup final (definitely the semi) and would have had a player worth more than when we bought him. I really can't get over how poor a decision it was not to match Motherwell's asking price given the timing of the approach.

[Guest kiriakovisthenewstrachan]

Rooney must be wondering what he needs to do to get in team.  I'm certain he'll be off in the summer which is disappointing.

 

The last few games we have been struggling to get the ball in the net and our main goal scorer is sat on the bench until the last few minutes of the game each time.  What was the point bringing him on so late last night?

 

Strange how the team's style of play has changed from last season.  We have gone from scoring barrow loads and being defensively weak to actually being pretty solid at the back but not firing going forward.

 

Need to get a pacey striker in for next season.  Cosgrove is decent but never going to get more than 10 goals a season and May is looking more unconvincing each time he plays.

[donsdaft]

He'd be daft not to.

 

McInnes has repeatedly attempted to replace him , mostly with utter dross, and he usually has forced his way back into the team.

 

Playing him out wide is nonsense and looks like an attempt to break his spirit which has worked.

 

I'm not saying it was deliberate, just that it looks like it was.

[Ramperbamper]

Rooney has only ever been effective as a penalty box striker when we’ve had exceptional service into the box. Very difficult to effectively replace Hayes and McGinn at their peak, ergo Rooney has been less effective as a result.

 

Don’t think it’s a matter of the manager trying to replace him either - one of the most common gripes is the lack of a Plan B, so it’d be remiss not to look at other striking options, many of whom provide something different than Rooney, such as link up play etc.

 

Rooneys goalscoring record, while impressive, often makes people look at things too simplistically in the context of how we attack as a team. McInnes falls into that trap too at times when he tries to shoehorn him in.

 

Perhaps controversially, if a move was on the cards in the summer then I wouldn’t necessarily stand in his way.

[Ten Caat]

As I've said elsewhere, our style of play no longer suits us having Rooney in the team.....he is a square peg in a round hole and playing him on the left wing is a candidate for bizarrest managerial decision of the season award.

 

In view of his service he should be allowed to leave on a free transfer in the summer if his agent can hook him up with a new club.

[Jute]

Rooney would be off his head to stay as he clearly is 3rd choice now behind 2 non scoring forwards. I would think he is a perfect fit for Hibs as they are crying out for a penalty box striker and they have the players to supply him the balls in the right areas.

[Ernie]

Why would he leave?  He's unlikely to get a better deal anywhere else.

 

[LA-Don]

Why would he stay? He's not playing and not making a lot of money.

[Ernie]

He may well want to leave LADon but what I'm saying is we are talking about "letting him go" as a bit of a favour etc. but we may well have to sweeten his leaving IF the club want him to move on.  He has a contract with us won't get a better one elsewhere unless Hibs/Hearts offer him a deal which may, at a stretch, be as good.

[Ten Caat]

He may well want to leave LADon but what I'm saying is we are talking about "letting him go" as a bit of a favour etc. but we may well have to sweeten his leaving IF the club want him to move on.  He has a contract with us won't get a better one elsewhere unless Hibs/Hearts offer him a deal which may, at a stretch, be as good.

 

He is getting very little game time and unlikely to get much going forward. Sure he would get a nice signing on fee somewhere if we let him go on a free. Frees up a wage for us so both parties benefit.

[Ernie]

Possibly.  I'd rather keep him.  I'd prefer having a slightly past his best Rooney as an option rather than some lower league no mark on a free.