24-12-2018, 13:33
(23-12-2018, 20:51)BaggieMan Wrote:(23-12-2018, 17:37)The Quantum Enigma Wrote: villa 2-3 leeds
2-0 up at half time
then the ROOFE fell in
TAXI
Like many other players, we should never have released Roofe especially on free.
I think it made sense to let him go at the time. We were an established mid table Premier League side and he was nowhere near the squad. The club made the decision that he was never going to be a Premier League player, so there was no point keeping him just to play for the reserves.
He wasn't released on a free, he was sold to Oxford in League 2, which was his level at the time. We also had a decent sell on clause and made well over £1m when Oxford sold him to Leeds.
Of course, in the subsequent years, our mismanagement along with his improvement means he would probably be in and around our squad now at his current level. However, it was impossible 3 years ago to predict our demise. I also doubt he would be anywhere near the level he is now had he just been playing for our reserves for the last 3 years. The reason he has improved is because he's been playing league football.