Rocastle: The Forgotten Man

With Owls boss Paul Sturrock desperate for players to boost his depleted squad in the battle against relegation, we asked the Vital Sheffield Wednesday users whether they would welcome back forgotten man Craig Rocastle to the fold.

72 per cent of fans wanted to see the former Chelsea youngster back in the team after his recent recovery from an injury which saw him sidelined since the new year.

Paul Sturrock has made it clear that a central midfielder is high on the priority list to help the club in the battle against relegation - but so far his search has been unsuccessful.

Rocastle was told he could leave the club by Sturrock in the new year, despite only signing the midfielder in February of last year. He produced a monumental display in the Play-Off final at Cardiff, but has been questioned by fans on a number of occassions this season for his less than impressive displays for the team.

In light of the questionning, Sturrock backed Rocastle saying that would never get the credit he deserves because his role in the team involves doing all the dirty work. Despite this, Rocastle was dropped from the team and has yet to feature in the first team in 2006.

He made his return from injury recently and was included on the substitutes bench to face Cardiff City, but never got on the pitch. Rocastle then, may be just the type of player the Owls are looking for as they fight for every point for survival in the Championship. The poor form of Glenn Whelen also adds some weight to the argument that he should be given a chance in the team.

28 per cent of Vital Sheffield Wednesday users think Rocastle isn't the answer to the Owls problems, and shouldn't be considered for a re-call to the team.

Sturrock has said himself that he can leave the club should a decent offer come in, and has said that he wants experience in the centre of the park instead of youth. With the return of Steve Adams imminent, it could mean Rocky will drop further down the pecking order. Sturrock's new preferred 3-5-2 system will not help his cause.

The search for a midfielder will no doubt continue at Hillsborough, but the fans have made it clear that bringing Rocky back in to the team will be no bad thing - especially at this crucial stage of the season.

Click here to join in the debate on the club forum.