With the game against Swindon coming up, now would seem an obvious time to discuss Luke Rooney. How much, if at all, do you think we have missed him since he left? Personally, (and i think I said at the time?) I think we should never have let him go and that the team has lacked that special something since his departure. During those times when we have looked (or sounded) a little flat on the pitch, how great would it have been to have Rooney come off the bench, beat a couple of players and maybe do something special. At the very least I feel that he gave the team a much needed lift when he came on. Thoughts
Biggest mistake of the season letting Rooney go. I said it at the time and I still believe it now. Although hindsight is a wonderful thing, it did not take a genius to work out that at some point we needed back up for Gavin Tomlin, I was only thinking with the amount of running and effort Tomlin was putting in he was going to pull up sooner or later. Rooney ideally with the two players in the squad could have been that back up. What we received in one hand in regards to a transfer fee, has been lost with the other in failure. Costly, costly season.
He wanted away from the club, that much was clear. So it was in the best interest for Hess to get rid of a player who doesn't want to be there before he spreads resentment into the squad
The departure of Rooney wasn't the mistake, if anything I believe it was just the failure to replace him. Obita offered pace and width in a team that has been missing genuine graft and acceleration since Barcham departed but we needed to tie him down to a longer term loan. Even Obita didn't offer the creativity that Rooney appearances showed off, with Jackman as our only real creative midfield we lack ideas, especially when he's filling in at left back. If we somehow manage to get promoted, we will need to make as many acquisitions as we did in the last off season.
Very little time for Rooney. Showed promise but not consistently enough was always a bit part player. Petulant and completely out of sync at times. Typically however, has seemingly found his feet at Swindon.
Keeping Rooney would not have been the difference between an automatic position and where we are in ninth; the team has more deep-rooted problems. On the other hand, the club has gained a six figure sum that would not have arrived on Rooney's guaranteed departure this summer. The Swines are welcome to him.
It is annoying how he left us and how his attitude was and one think that is also pissing me off is that he seems to play better for the scum, he has got more consistent, he was great at times for us but he was also **** when he got a long run in the team.
Where is this notion coming from that the club was responsible for him going? He was made a decent contract offer but Dad and the brat had already decided they were off and so they went. The Gills acted entirely correctly but were never going to be able to match Swindon. They probably offered him front seat on the bus and a new playstation which would have clinched it. He did quite well becoming a first team regular at Gills and it was a pity he went but he was not worth a ransom and it looks like his star is waning now at Swindon. He played last night when di Canio castigated the team but before that he was slipping back into his impactsub role which seemed to be one of the reasons he left Gills.
