Adam Rooney

[Spike Mandela]

The guy is on fire. Great goal for his 20th of the season last night.

I know he spoke to Hibs and Aberdeen before choosing Aberdeen and we lost out which is disappointing.

I know IF is a big word( IF yer auntie had baws she'd be yer uncle and all that) but IF we had persuaded Rooney to sign for us do you think we would have stayed up last year?

[andrew70]

The guy is on fire. Great goal for his 20th of the season last night.

I know he spoke to Hibs and Aberdeen before choosing Aberdeen and we lost out which is disappointing.

I know IF is a big word( IF yer auntie had baws she'd be yer uncle and all that) but IF we had persuaded Rooney to sign for us do you think we would have stayed up last year?

Yes but we'd also still have that clown Butcher as our manager.

[Smartie]

The guy is on fire. Great goal for his 20th of the season last night.

I know he spoke to Hibs and Aberdeen before choosing Aberdeen and we lost out which is disappointing.

I know IF is a big word( IF yer auntie had baws she'd be yer uncle and all that) but IF we had persuaded Rooney to sign for us do you think we would have stayed up last year?

He might have taken one or two more chances than Collins but that's about it. To be honest it may well have been just about enough to keep us up.

There were a million things wrong about the way we attacked teams last year, I don't think one player - even Messi - would have papered over all those cracks.

He would have undoubtedly have contributed more than Danny Haynes though.

[Pretty Boy]

It's hard to say. The service he was and is getting at Aberdeen is on a different level to what he would have been getting at Hibs under Butcher.

If we had him this season under Stubbs, 25+ goals a season in the Championship imo. I was a fierce critic of James Collins but I reckon he would have scored goals with the chances we are creating and the number of crosses into the box now.

Neither Fenlon or Butcher set out their teams to play to the strengths of their strikers.

[AlbertK86]

It was a no go as Rod refused funds to buy and would only offer a loan deal.

Think he would have kept us up but as mentioned we may still have been watching Butchers eye bleeding hoofball

[Broken Gnome]

Doubt he would've have meant we played a different way. He's not quick, so would still have spent ages chasing shadows.

Never thought he was the type of player that would have improved things at the time to be honest. We'd still have plodded along and been howfing to watch. El Alagui would've been a better bet to change things.

[Spike Mandela]

It was a no go as Rod refused funds to buy and would only offer a loan deal.

Think he would have kept us up but as mentioned we may still have been watching Butchers eye bleeding hoofball

Butcher was a disaster undoubtedly but I wonder if he adopted last years style of football based on his assessment of what he had at his disposal.

If we had held on for a further 30 secs or so and stayed up there would have been a clearout and his own signings brought in. And it may have been a far more expansive team for all we know.

I know for a fact Hibs first interest in David Gray was when Butcher was there so perhaps many of our eventulal signings were already on the radar.

I think the signing of Rooney would have kept us up but as somebody pointed out above the amount of service Collins got was limited so signing somebody like Scott Allen would have been even better for our chances of staying up.

[PatHead]

Maybe Rooney didn't want to play under Butcher as he had experienced him before?

[NORTHERNHIBBY]

That was a great goal that he scored last night. Big Dons following as well.

[NadeAteMyLunch!]

We still would have been awful to watch but I think he would have kept us up. Just

[Northernhibee]

The guy is on fire. Great goal for his 20th of the season last night.

I know he spoke to Hibs and Aberdeen before choosing Aberdeen and we lost out which is disappointing.

I know IF is a big word( IF yer auntie had baws she'd be yer uncle and all that) but IF we had persuaded Rooney to sign for us do you think we would have stayed up last year?

No, the sole reason for our relegation was the other side of the touchline from the players.

[HibbyAndy]

Was it no something stupid like we only wanted him on loan ?

[easty]

we'd still have been playing ***** football, creating almost nae chances, with a defence that couldnt defend.

He'd have got a few goals probably, but doubt he'd have been the difference between staying up or going down.

[Smartie]

No, the sole reason for our relegation was the other side of the touchline from the players.

I disagree.

A major contribution to our relegation came from the guy who ended up on the other side of the touchline from the players, but ultimately it is always the players that dictate results.

Several managers and many players had a contribution towards our eventual relegation and it can't be put down to one manager. But the biggest contribution came from the person who appointed all those managers and provided questionable backing for them.

Compare that to what we have now - night and day, led from LD down.

[Bronson]

We can't really compare how he's been at Aberdeen to how he would've been for us. He walked into a team brimming with confidence and had good, creative players setting up chances for him. He has since kicked on and has no doubt vastly improved his game, looks the part these days.

Had he signed for hibs, I fully believe he'd have flopped because he would've had nothing like he has at Aberdeen. If you compare his goal return at Swindon to James Collins', Collins actually had a superior return and goal:game ratio and he was getting picked over Rooney when they were in the same team.

[DH1875]

Was it no something stupid like we only wanted him on loan ?

Think the difference ended up being around £500 per week.

If we had signed him, there's no danger we would have gone down.

[Andy74]

I seem to recall Butcher saying it was his decision about only wanting him on loan. Something about better options being available in the summer.

[easty]

I seem to recall Butcher saying it was his decision about only wanting home on loan. Something about better options being available in the summer.

He did. But it just became one of those things that was Rod Petries fault as he wouldnt spend the extra 65p, or something, needed.

[HoboHarry]

Think the difference ended up being around £500 per week.

If we had signed him, there's no danger we would have gone down.
You can't possibly say that if you are being honest. Our strikers had no hope of scoring freely the way we were set up under he who shall not be mentioned. I wouldn't want to swap James Collins for those we have now but that doesn't change the fact his scoring percentage with us was the worst of his career. Look at his stats - the last couple of teams before us he was at one goal in three games and he is currently just short of one in two with Shrewsbury. He was at one goal in six with us - the service was the problem.....