ADAM ROONEY

One of football’s greatest attractions is that it is the quintessential team game. Although there are individual battles going on all over the park, games are rarely, if ever, won by an individual.

History shows that the most successful sides are often made up of a patchwork of partnerships across the field, inter-connecting the XI from back to front and there are many fine examples of that in Aberdeen’s story. Take Miller and McLeish during the ‘80s or the forward line of Mills and Armstrong during the 1930s. Then you have Archie Glenn, featured elsewhere in this programme, who was part of the renowned half-back trio of Allister, Young and Glen who immortalised themselves in Pittodrie folklore after helping the Dons to their first league title in 1955.

Another trio who are well on their way to that iconic status are Hayes, Rooney and McGinn. Between them, they have now scored 160 goals and collected an even higher number of assists. Football moves so fast that sometimes, it is difficult to appreciate what you have at the time, it’s all too easy to take it for granted. But that would be foolish, for we would do well to recognise we are watching history in the making.

And so we spoke to Adam Rooney, a player who is rewriting the AFC history books. We started by discussing his partners in crime…

“Obviously Jonny and Niall were here when I arrived. Since then we have developed a good understanding over the years. I don’t exactly know why that it is or how it happens, it’s hard to explain really. Maybe it’s just because we are Irish! No one else can understand what we’re saying, which gives us an advantage on the field! But seriously, it is hard to explain. I think it really comes from playing games together, but there is also something that just comes naturally”.

Derek McInnes and his team deserve plenty of credit for piecing together that natural spark, working out which players outwith the club would fit well together inside it. Clearly he’s found the magic formula with those three.

“I had a good understanding with Jonny when we were both at Inverness and I scored a lot of goals up there off his crosses, so we have an understanding from those days. Then to be fair I think anyone could play with Niall. He is that good a player. As a striker, he is the perfect player to play alongside because he gets over so many crosses into the box and his delivery is spot on nine times out of ten.

“It makes it easy for me with two such good players on either side. I know if Jonny has the ball, even if he has two men on him, he is still more than likely going to beat them and deliver a ball in so I can make a run into the area.

“If Niall has the ball I know he is either going to put in a cross and cut inside for a shot. It makes my movement easy because I can gamble on getting across defenders or gamble on where they are going to put the ball. Or gambling on Jonny having a shot and miskicking it and then I get a tap-in! That has happened on more than one occasion! With Niall you get a bit more quality in front of goal!

“I think the shape of the team works with the three of us and it allows us to counter attack quickly. For me personally, it probably helps having Jonny and Niall there because they attract a lot of attention from defenders, which creates space of me to get in and around the box. I think the stats this season, when the three of us start, show we have lost very few games this season, and won a lot”.

Stats seem to have been at the core of this publication this term because we seem to be forever marking another Rooney milestone at present. He recently reached the 70 goal mark for the Dons in only 130 appearances. He is in 21st spot in the all time AFC goal charts and is also the Dons’ top goalscorer in the 21st century. Does he keep tabs on all these records?

“Not really! Andrew Shinie from RedTV likes to keep me updated and tells me if I am coming up to a milestone. I think Duncan Shearer is the next target on the all-time list with 79, which would see me into the top 20. When it comes about and it happens then great, but it is not something I worry too much about. Who knows what’s going to happen, it’s best not to tempt fate!

“It is nice though as I do embrace the history of the club. I do like that I am now the top scorer this century. That is a nice stat to have. Hopefully I can add a few more to that and set a target that will stay for a while.

“I do set myself goals every year. I decide what I want to achieve over the season and I always base that on goals. Obviously there is more to my game than just scoring goals, you have to try and get assists and offer some link up play. But at the end of the day, a striker is judged on goals.

“I know that if I hit a certain amount each season then I have had a decent enough campaign. The main target every year is to get to double figures by Christmas time. If I can do that, I can readjust for the second half of the campaign and kick on and set myself new goals. I think a couple of years ago I had double figures by September, so I had to readjust things.

“I hit my double figures target this season just about before Christmas. I have now set a new target. If or when I achieve that, I will tell you!

“You go through spells when you maybe don’t play as much as you would like, or you are not scoring as many goals as you want. But over the season, I know if I hit a certain figure I have done ok. This season has gone ok so far and I think there is a lot to look forward to.

“Obviously the League Cup final was a massive let down but it is a tough job just to get to a cup final, it is not easy. It shows what we are capable of doing and we still have the Scottish Cup final to aim for. Hopefully we can get to another one and although Partick is a tough draw, at least we are at Pittodrie. If we can do that and push on for second spot in the league, then we will be doing ok.

“I think because of how well we have done over the past couple of years, the expectation level has gone up year on year. For our fans, they are not interested in what is going on at other clubs, they just want to see us improving, and rightly so. As players, we want the same and I know the manager speaks about the need to do it year on year.

“I think you have to take a lot of things into consideration. It is a more difficult league now with Rangers climbing up from the Championship and with the budget they have. They spent £1.8 million on a striker in the summer, so that shows what they can do. Hearts have strengthened again after coming up the previous year and St Johnstone are a good side once again, so it is a more difficult league and I think it probably will be again next year if Hibs come back up and possibly Dundee United.

“The thing for us is that the expectation level will go up again, especially after getting to one cup final this year, and maybe getting to two with a bit of luck. Hopefully we can go and do well in the Scottish Cup, but next season we will again be expected to get to cup finals and win trophies. That is what we want to do. Players coming to Aberdeen now have to expect that, they are coming to a club not just to finish in mid-table or scrape into Europe. You are expected to go out and win every game”.

Looking at winning every game means competing with Celtic over 90 minutes, even if the budget they have means that there isn’t anything like a level playing field.

“Looking back at the League Cup final we never got anywhere near the levels we are capable of, the way we played at leading up to the final. I think we were on a decent enough run going into the final and we had a good week of training in St Andrews. I think in the past when we have played Celtic, especially when we have won, we have frustrated them early on and then gone on and done well. We have grown into the game

“You can’t really go out and go toe to toe with Celtic because they are such a good side and they will pick you off. If you concede early on, you can be in real trouble, so we had to be a bit cautious. Unfortunately, we lost a goal after something like 16 minutes. You then look at getting in at half-time only a goal down but we lost another, and then the game becomes very difficult.

“Celtic were on a great run at the time, they had not conceded a goal in ten hours of football so it was never going to be easy. When they got their opener with a bit of quality from Rogic, it did put a bit of a downer on it. Then when they got the second one it was very hard to get back into the game. They were playing with a lot of confidence and moving the ball about well. It was difficult to get near them.

“But the bottom line is that I just don’t think enough of us performed anything like we can on the day. It was a real let down because of the number of fans we had at the game. It was a real let down for the players, because we believed we could win the game. We were going there thinking we were going to win another winner’s medal. It was a massive disappointment

“All we can do is learn from it. You can’t dwell on it too much or you would be depressed. So you have to get on with it and use it as motivation for the Scottish Cup and go on and show we are capable of getting to a final and even winning a trophy. I am sure all the lads are determined to make sure there was no repeat of the League Cup final if we can get past Partick and we did get back there.

“As is always the case though, we take it one game at a time and we know the Partick Thistle quarter-final will be very tough. It is a home tie, so the draw could have been worse, but Partick are a good side and the three matches against them this season have been very close, even although we have three wins to our name”.

Finally, back to Adam’s goals. If you were to look at a map of all his AFC goals, they cover the whole of the penalty area and not just the six yard box. Is it unfair he has that reputation for only scoring tap-ins?

“Yes, I have had a couple from more than six yards! I scored against Kilmarnock from outside the area, I scored against Livingston outside, St Johnstone away, I don’t think there have been many more? The fact I can remember them suggests there maybe have not been too many! I have scored a few from long range in my time, but the majority are probably in and around the six yard box.

“Our video analyst Greig Thomson does all my goal clips and I will watch them from time to time to look at certain things, maybe little things that can help me with my game. I think there was a stage when five or six weeks in a row, I scored from half a yard out! I don’t think all the goals would have added up to six yards!

“I don’t care how the ball goes in though. Even if they are off my shin, I don’t care. I am a goalscorer and that is what I want to do. Even if we have won three or four nil, if I have not scored I will be a bit disappointed, I will not enjoy the win as much as I would if I had scored. I know that seems a very selfish way to look at things, but as a striker that is how you have to be. I want to score in every game. It is different is you are getting beat say 3-0 and then score a late consolation, because it does not count for anything.

“Scoring the winning goal in a game is always special. Scoring late on, in the last minute or two in the game, that is always special as well. Scoring the winner against St Johnstone in the League Cup quarter-final was a great feeling.

“My favourite part of the game is scoring a goal. Hopefully there are few more to come…”

“My favourite part of the game is scoring a goal. Hopefully there are few more to come…”