MacDonald and Rooney

[oafcforever]

Agree totally Rooney is not a target man & when JCH played this role up front with him he scored 2. Rooney will score the goals if we play to his strengths.

[lancy lad]

The stick he is getting from the fans is a contributing factor to his confidence being so low, now before everyone jumps on me I'm not saying that the sole reason his confidence is low at the moment. I'm saying the stick he is getting from the fans etc will have knocked him a bit, when he gets minutes he needs us behind him.

Absolute rubbish, I have not heard one shout out having a go at him in the ground. Several have commented on a fans message board, thats all. Do you think he has the time to read comments on here? And while we are on it, he's a professional footballer who is paid a lot higher than you or me.......he shouldn't let a few fans hit his confidence (if that's what is doing it). His namesake has taken :censored: loads of stick at ManUre and has bounced back to be their best player!

 

No chance.

[lancy lad]

Couldn't agree more with SheffLatic.

 

Once you get to a point where the striker is actually backing into the defenders so to avoid having to go for the header because the size difference between himself and the defender is so large there's a problem.

 

Ball came to his feet and he did some nice flicks and passes - ball punted towards his head and he couldn't compete; instead trying to get fouls. I can't understand how some people can't see this.

 

He is not a target man. He holds the ball up. There is a BIG difference.

 

I would love to see Rooney with MacDonald in a prolonged run of games but Philliskirk deserves his place for the time-being. Just don't write Rooney off yet. When LJ learns how he should be played he will be a success.

Biggest load of wank I have ever heard.

 

Andy Ritchie was 5'10", and the best header of a ball I have ever seen at our club. It's about effort and jumping when the ball is in the air. I hope he proves me very wrong and bags 20 this season, but he will need a change in attitude.

 

Concrete boots!

[NewBlue]

Biggest load of wank I have ever heard.

 

Andy Ritchie was 5'10", and the best header of a ball I have ever seen at our club. It's about effort and jumping when the ball is in the air. I hope he proves me very wrong and bags 20 this season, but he will need a change in attitude.

 

Concrete boots!

 

Well we'll see, won't we.

 

In terms of goals I'd agree he's disappointed so far, 3 in 12 isn't enough, but we both have different opinions as to why that is...

 

However, I just can't believe your comment about comparing him to Robbie Simpson not too long ago. Simpson was a limited player who, at his first stint, was at his best. Rooney is a superior player who isn't on top form at the moment. There will be improvement rather than regression I'm sure.

 

As for Ritchie, I'm not old enough to have seen him play, but his physique looked different to Rooney's which probably benefited him when it came to jumping for headers. Rooney is more compact which should surely help with shouldering defenders about rather than jumping.

 

What's for certain is that if he comes good then we will come good. All we're missing is a prolific striker.

[Forte_Baby]

People will proberly disagree with me and still agree it was good business but felt especailly when watching him pre season Rooney played better with Baxter in the team.

Edited October 7, 2013 by oafctom

[lancy lad]

 

Well we'll see, won't we.

 

In terms of goals I'd agree he's disappointed so far, 3 in 12 isn't enough, but we both have different opinions as to why that is...

 

However, I just can't believe your comment about comparing him to Robbie Simpson not too long ago. Simpson was a limited player who, at his first stint, was at his best. Rooney is a superior player who isn't on top form at the moment. There will be improvement rather than regression I'm sure.

 

As for Ritchie, I'm not old enough to have seen him play, but his physique looked different to Rooney's which probably benefited him when it came to jumping for headers. Rooney is more compact which should surely help with shouldering defenders about rather than jumping.

 

What's for certain is that if he comes good then we will come good. All we're missing is a prolific striker.

It seems we also disagree on Simpson...

 

Limited footballer my arse, anyone who can pull the trigger like he does and run matches when he chooses to put the effort in are not limited. Look at Forest away, Chesterfield home and away and his great performance at Anfield. If Simpson was just "limited", he would be playing in league 1 or 2 right now. Instead nobody wants to employ him, due to the fact he was very lazy.

 

Wonder which way it's going to go with your new hero? Would you start him ahead of Philliskirk or McDonald, based in his and their performances yesterday?

 

As for Ritchie's build giving him an advantage...wtf??? You are suggesting a smaller guy than Rooney should win more headers? You have obviously never played yourself.

[lancy lad]

People will proberly diagree with me and still agree it was good business but felt especailly when watching him pre season Rooney played better with Baxter in the team.

Totally agree Tom, he did. There is a good player in there somewhere.

 

That's why I'm so pissed off.

[JonesyOAFC]

Other than a few muttered comments that in no way would you be able to hear on the pitch, I heard no abuse of him from my side of the MSP?

 

Where is this abuse of Rooney coming from during games exactly? i haven't heard anything that a player focusing on playing the game would be able to hear or register?

 

Maybe he has an account on here.

 

Hi Adam!

[OAFC_Ryan]

We have to find a better way of playing Rooney. Swindon were set to pay him 8 grand a week so he must have a bit more in his locker.

 

He's no target man and struggles to win the headers....hoofing it up to him all the time is such a waste and as in the Vale game at home if we can get in behind the defenders out wide he will bang em in!

 

We must be paying him a big wage and I am mystified as to why we employ him in that role whenever he plays.

it's evident the way Johnson is setting the team up, the wages would have been better spent on a target man.

[OAFC_Ryan]

The stick he is getting from the fans is a contributing factor to his confidence being so low, now before everyone jumps on me I'm not saying that the sole reason his confidence is low at the moment. I'm saying the stick he is getting from the fans etc will have knocked him a bit, when he gets minutes he needs us behind him.

Not seen anyone give him stick at a game, I highly doubt he reads up on here

[leeslover]

One moment that really worried me on Saturday was late on, when Rooney finally got the ball into his feet.

He had chance to turn and then run at the defence.

It opened up for him and he could have driven further on and taken a shot at goal.

 

He chose to pass to a CB, Kusunga, who had stayed upfield.

 

Unbelievable.

 

A snapshot in 1 moment on the pitch of where he is currently at. He chose to pass to a defender, rather than to take it on himself.

 

Worrying.

Just this was said to me at the time, and i was pretty much in line with where a confident striker would have placed it. He's clearly not on top of his game goals wise. I can't see himself as lazy though. Another handout moment was when we were breaking down the right and there was no defender in the LB quarter as we had nobody there. Monty should have gone wide but went further into a cluttered airfield calling for the ball. Rooney ended up going wide to give the option and draw a defender because it needed doing and he ended up on the touchline. We all know he need to be waiting to be on the end of moves but its not happening that way with the team as we are.

[Lukers1]

Rooney has done nothing wrong in the time he has had on the pitch - sure he could have been better at times, but so could the whole squad at varying points to date.

 

When he has played he has done fine by my book, taking into account the lack of proper service to him. He played great against P Vale and looked sharp, only to be droped 2 weeks later.

 

He needs backing from the fans and also the manager - chopping and changing your forward line and having Rooney partnered with another striker every game he has played in will have done him no god at all in being able to read movement and link ups with players around him.

 

He is NOT a target man and judging by the way he has played when the ball has been launched to him, it's not what he expected to be doing either when joining us.

 

He does need to be more physical and impose himself on defenders, but the abuse and vitriol he is getting on here and at the games even when he is nowhere near the ball or has no chance of winning a header against a 6ft 4 defender is pathetic and embarrassing.

 

He is our TOP SCORER FFS!!!

 

Play him as the main man, with either Mcdonald or Philliskirk alomgside. If we want to change it the other way then it is JCH who comes on for Rooney as the bit of bulk alongside the smaller nippier striker.

 

Rooney and CM or DP

 

Play them for the next 6 games come what may. He needs backing but also the chance to develop an understanding with a strike partner and the midfeiders.

You will soon see a marked difference in performance from all concerned.

 

It;s all about partnerships and confidence which Rooney needs at the moment.

 

The guy is a goalscorer - i hope we are not going to force him out through the moronic band of 'fans' abusing him game on game, i really hope not......

Are you his wife, holy smokes, that was way over the top.

[lancy lad]

Are you his wife, holy smokes, that was way over the top.