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Derby Down Under: Is Rooney DNA enough?
Derby Down Under: Is Rooney DNA enough?
Thursday, 25th Feb 2010 14:00 by Daniel J Sewart

For the last few days the media has been feasting on the news that Derby County is giving a trial to Macclesfield player John Rooney. As the younger brother of Wayne, John lives in a shadow that will require more than DNA to ensure he walks out into his own spotlight.

 

The press are reporting that 18 year old Rooney has impressed in Rams training sessions this week and will be given a second weeks trial plus a run in the reserves to prove his worth. He had been due to play in the seconds this week but the fixture was cancelled and it seems management are determined to see the boy in a match situation.

Whether or not he gains a contract with Derby or another club, while he takes his place on a football field, he will always live with eyes firmly focussed on him to see if he will also become a living legend. That is unlikely to occur but a player with a point to prove can be a dangerous animal.

If there was ever a man who must understand what John Rooney has to contend with, it will be the manager that initiated his trial at the Rams. Nigel Clough had to emerge in his own right from behind one of the most recognisable figures in English football history.

Brian Clough was an icon yet that did not stop Nigel winning cups, caps and plaudits as a very talented player in his own right. The fact he even managed to achieve some things even his father could not, is testament to his will power and desire.
The strength it took to even consider trying to excel in an area that his father has had tamed and mastered, must have been enormous and at times unbearably daunting.

Now as Nigel attempts to forge a career in management, once again he faces those hefty comparisons but if he goes about it the same way he played football then once again he may just hold his own against a legend he carries every day.

John Rooney faces a more immediate comparison as his superstar brother is playing and producing regularly on a near impossible level. No matter what John does it will always be hard to match or even go close to what Wayne produces at almost freakish rate.

If John chooses to do so, he could draw great inspiration from Nigel and instead of trying to live up to his brother, concentrate on forging his own place and proving to be a quality footballer in his own right. Not many would be better placed to advise the boy on how to cope with the expectation that comes just from sharing a surname.

When speaking to skysports.com, Macclesfield manager Keith Alexander definitely felt that John has the ability to improve on his current status as a League 2 player:

"He is a player that deserves to play at a higher level, but whether he will move on in the summer is a different matter".

"Some stay and some go when there is interest in them. He is a very, very, very good footballer and if he does move elsewhere in the summer then we will just have to make do without him”.

"He has gone there so that they can take a look at him and he is a very good player.

His form for Macclesfield this season has been impressive and it no surprise to anyone that a rise up the football ladder would draw attention. Now all that remains to be seen is whether the Rams staff believe that Rooney Jnr. has the ability to step up to the Championship and beyond.

Nigel will not sign a player on name alone but at the same time there is a long history of talent running through generations of sports people. If the Rams can tap into what may prove to be a rich vein of skill, then it could be another piece in the Rams unfolding revolution and evolution.

On the other hand if John turns out to be another in a different long line, that of players who never even go close to the achievements of a talented relative, then little will have been lost.

Derby needs a squad and if Rooney is good enough to earn a place in it then he is definitely worth a shot. The marketing and media potential would be undeniable and as long as he was not a total flop on the pitch, could become a valuable addition to the Rams rebuild.

It may take a little while as the boy is still young but at some point the magic that is an obvious part of his older brothers DNA may just happen to kick in.

Rooney v Rooney at the highest level, I would pay to see that.

And I have a feeling I wouldn’t be alone.

 

Photo: Action Images



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