There should be a Shaun Rooney statue built in Perth, according to the St Johnstone legend’s double-winning team-mate, Craig Bryson.
After scoring the decisive goals in both of the Hampden Park finals a season ago, the fans’ favourite got himself on the scoresheet at the end of the last campaign when it was a different type of high-stakes pressure in the Premiership play-off.
The big defender leaves McDiarmid Park for Fleetwood a cult hero and Bryson believes his Saints story is beyond compare.
“Shaun will be a massive loss on the playing side,” said the veteran midfielder, himself parting company with the club.
“Off the pitch he was probably the heart and soul of the changing room.
“If we were a bit down or didn’t have a great result, everyone was looking to Shaun to lift the spirits.
It's that man again – Shaun Rooney nods @StJohnstone in front at Hampden.#ScottishCupFinalpic.twitter.com/Fz8MzIcdmO
— Scottish Cup (@ScottishCup) May 22, 2021
“I joked after the Scottish Cup final that there should be a statue of Shaun up in Perth.
“But I was kind of being serious because of what he has done.
“He scored in a quarter-final, semi-final, both finals and now both the play-off games.
“I don’t know too much about St Johnstone’s history but I can’t imagine anyone comes close to doing that.
“He is a great lad and everyone wants him to do well. I hope he goes to Fleetwood and is successful.”
A ‘rebuild job’
With Rooney already gone, Zander Clark set to follow and Callum Hendry and Jamie McCart also out of contract, Saints are in for a summer of transition.
And, in Callum Davidson, Bryson believes the club has the right man at the helm to re-shape the squad and make sure there’s no repeat of the recent relegation battle.
“It looks like it could be a bit of a rebuild job at St Johnstone,” he said.
“I think there is still the nucleus of a squad there that is good enough to challenge for the top six.
“They are going to have to go into the transfer market.
“The club should back the manager for what he has done.
“It was always going to be difficult to come back and emulate what we did in his first season.
“Europe took its toll on us a wee bit at the start and then we lost a couple of players.
“Callum is a good manager and a good guy. He deserves the chance to continue what he is trying to build.”
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