[Archived] Jason Roberts

[Blue blood]

Roberts won us that game on sat!

He was a totally different class!

Sam needs to make the best of what we have, which is deffo benni and roberts! He needs to put his personal feuds away and stop dropping them for no reason!

Roberts is very much like a striking version of Brad, very good at reaction shots, but not too brill when he has time to think about them!

Benni and Roberts up front every week!

How on earth can you compair Brad to Roberts? Brad's weaknesses were nowhere near as obvious, and the saves he made were of top quality. Brad consistently was one of our best performers for years, Roberts has been consistently mediocre at best.

As I said on another thread, when was the last time Roberts had a good game without McCarthy? If Benni isn't there Roberts is often ineffective, and as others have said he's hardly the model professional. One good performance doesn't give the automatic right to a place in any football team.

[M2XLY]

Thats because when hes on without Benni he is usually stuck up on his own! One up front just doesnt work for us!

I think Roberts has always done what is asked of him, fair enough he misses some one on ones, but he always creates chances and at least he gets in the positions.

Give the lad a break! If he was banging every chance he had into the back of the net, he definatly would not be in our Rovers team, he would be patnering Rooney or someone like that!

[super_arran]

Thats because when hes on without Benni he is usually stuck up on his own! One up front just doesnt work for us!

I think Roberts has always done what is asked of him, fair enough he misses some one on ones, but he always creates chances and at least he gets in the positions.

Give the lad a break! If he was banging every chance he had into the back of the net, he definatly would not be in our Rovers team, he would be patnering Rooney or someone like that!

It's not about banging in every chance, it's about at the very least getting some shots on target.

Most of the time Roberts couldn't hit the side of a bus with a hand full of peas.

One up front has worked pretty well at home for us this season. That's why we've won 4, drew 1 and lost only 1.

[unluckymorton]

It's not about banging in every chance, it's about at the very least getting some shots on target.

Most of the time Roberts couldn't hit the side of a bus with a hand full of peas.

One up front has worked pretty well at home for us this season. That's why we've won 4, drew 1 and lost only 1.

Roberts couldn't hit the side of a bus with a hand full of peas? I'm gutted I missed that. Was it at half time whilst I was contemplating staying in the Blues???

Seriously though you have a valid point, One up front winning 4 drawing 1 and losing 1 aint bad at all.

[M2XLY]

are you guys taking the mess?

1 up front is the worst formation we could play! We Should be beating the teams we have this season! Maybe Villa the exception!

With two up front we could have really got our goal difference into a not so bad position!

How can you say 1 up front is working for us!? look at the away results!!!

[unluckymorton]

are you guys taking the mess?

1 up front is the worst formation we could play! We Should be beating the teams we have this season! Maybe Villa the exception!

With two up front we could have really got our goal difference into a not so bad position!

How can you say 1 up front is working for us!? look at the away results!!!

Our game in hand could take us to 10th, we have played Man Utd, Arsenal and Chelski away in the space of a month and have beaten Villa at home with 10 men. How many of the teams that we have played and not won should we be beating? West Ham? yes I'll give you that, Man Utd, Arsenal & Chelsea? No. Man City? we didn't really expect to beat them did we, Everton away? I'd have been happy with a point, Sunderland away? yes I too think we should have got something from it. Not exactly as bad as people make out is it?

Things could have gone better for us but every year we could improve on our performances, signings etc but that is why we are not Champions League contenders.

We all seem to know better but none of us are Premier League managers or Chairmen. I wonder why?

[Hughesy]

are you guys taking the mess?

1 up front is the worst formation we could play! We Should be beating the teams we have this season! Maybe Villa the exception!

With two up front we could have really got our goal difference into a not so bad position!

How can you say 1 up front is working for us!? look at the away results!!!

The goal difference is skewed by the big 3 games....Take them out and our goal difference would be in a +

1 upfront worked against both Villa & Burnley and you cannot deny that!

[Hasta]

For a start Di Santo causes more problems than Roberts.

Controversial I know but at the moment i'm not sure I agree

Whilst Di Santo played well against Villa and very well against Burnley, his other starts have been largely ineffective. To be fair it has been against very good sides and I doubt Roberts would have done much better.

However I've yet to see that he is a genuine goalscoring threat. 1 goal in 450 minutes isn't a great return. Don't all jump all over me for this. He looks good and has done better than some of us may have expected. He could well prove to be a cut above the other strikers that we have got. It's just for me he still has to prove he can influence and win us games. He's certainly going to get enough chances to prove that between now and January.

[Blue n White Rover]

Controversial I know but at the moment i'm not sure I agree

Whilst Di Santo played well against Villa and very well against Burnley, his other starts have been largely ineffective. To be fair it has been against very good sides and I doubt Roberts would have done much better.

However I've yet to see that he is a genuine goalscoring threat. 1 goal in 450 minutes isn't a great return. Don't all jump all over me for this. He looks good and has done better than some of us may have expected. He could well prove to be a cut above the other strikers that we have got. It's just for me he still has to prove he can influence and win us games. He's certainly going to get enough chances to prove that between now and January.

I have to agree with you on that. Di Santo has put in a graft over the past few games and always gives 100% and you can't fault him on that. However, from the games this season I haven't seen him create himself a clear cut chance. I'd like to see Di Santo back up his performances with a few goals, however, it is too early to write him off.

[Exiled_Rover]

How do you expect Di Santo to score when he gets no service? He's plowing a very lone farrow most games. To be honest I'm impressed he's not thrown his toys out of the pram with how little support he gets considering the graft he puts in.

[Miker]

Don't forget that we played 4-4-2 in our first 2 games of the season against Man City and Sunderland. Although we played well both games, we lost.

[Hughesy]

And how many did we score? 1?

Different systems for different games. I quite like the look of a 4-3-1-2 formation.

[CrazyIvan]

IMO Roberts is a much better player playing in a 4-4-2 or a 4-3-3 and he can score goals. The third goal was pure skill and a genuinely class finish. The first was a poachers goal and showed great awareness and skill to turn the defender and flick the ball through James' legs. Roberts is fairly useless playing the Di Santo role. He tries hard but it really is horrible to watch whereas Di Santo looks brilliant doing it. I'd love to see Roberts and McCarthy up front on a regular basis, I think they'd score plenty.

[Hughesy]

How about Benni & Di Santo together - Di Santo is better in the air, and at holding the ball up. He also hassles defenders, without giving away too many free-kicks and he doesnt give up when he is being tugged like Roberts does.

Roberts is best as a last 30 minutes sub, when teams are tiring and we can then bring Roberts on who will run and bully defenders with his strength.

[LeChuck]

Different systems for different games. I quite like the look of a 4-3-1-2 formation.

I was looking at our line-ups from the end of the Hughes era, and it's quite remarkable how close we can get to that line-up still...

Emerton Nelsen Samba Warnock

Bentley Vogel Reid Pedersen

Santa Cruz Roberts

Maybe we could do something similar now, but with Di Santo replacing Santa Cruz, Dunn for Vogel, Emerton moving into midfield with Chimbonda full back and Givet left back?

Looking at those line-ups, I'd forgotten how often Vogel was starting ahead of the likes of Tugay and Dunn, and also how much McCarthy had also fallen out of favour back then as well.

[thenodrog]

The salient point being that a 4-5-1 should make us difficult to score against and currently nothing could be further from the truth. 4-5-1 was never designed as a system for chasing a game that a team is losing. It's a good system and we have some good players but for some reason the two do not mix and it is not working as logic would dictate it should.

[47er]

I have to agree with you on that. Di Santo has put in a graft over the past few games and always gives 100% and you can't fault him on that. However, from the games this season I haven't seen him create himself a clear cut chance. I'd like to see Di Santo back up his performances with a few goals, however, it is too early to write him off.

He created a clear chance for Dunn v Burnley though and Dunny took it! Beautiful layoff.

[RoyRover]

If Jason Roberts could finish he would be a world beater! He has a lot of good attributes; size, power, good pace, strength and gets stuck in, causing trouble for opponents. But his finishing has always let him down. He's a good option to have in the squad and is probably a the next option to Di Santo if he were to get injured or leaves in January and Sam continues to play a 4-5-1 formation. However, I wouldn't be relying on him to score the goals to keep us moving up the league. He's always played better with a strike partner, but when he plays on his own, he doesn't have the skill, touch or ability to do the job well.

[Miker]

Roberts and McCarthy were on fire playing together when Sam first took over and we played some of the best football ever under Sam. Then Santa Cruz recovered from injury and Sam broke up that partnership and it's never been the same. I think Sam should revert back to that setup because it worked before and it worked against Portsmouth, so I don't see any reason to do it any other way.

[unluckymorton]

Roberts and McCarthy were on fire playing together when Sam first took over and we played some of the best football ever under Sam. Then Santa Cruz recovered from injury and Sam broke up that partnership and it's never been the same. I think Sam should revert back to that setup because it worked before and it worked against Portsmouth, so I don't see any reason to do it any other way.

They both had a point to prove when Sam came in. If they had both started against Pompey you'd have seen the same old crap.

[Fife Rover]

Jason Roberts had probably his best ever game in a Rovers shirt on Saturday. He was on fire from the moment he set foot on the pitch and obviously felt he had something to prove which he then went on to achieve. It was just like the Roberts that played for Wigan with his partner Ellington; the two of them were absolute mustard in those days. And THAT is something we have very rarely seen (if ever) from Jason since he became a Rover. It is just ridiculous for people to write Roberts off as a useless striker; his record with Wigan proves that he is a natural goal scorer...he just needs to do it instinctively and without too much thinking time.

However leaving all that aside, the point is that it shows he can still do it if given the chance and with the right partner. The right partner is an on form Benni for sure, but posssibly/maybe Di Santo or even Kalinic. Surely these are some things that Sam should be trying out in training. We have at present got 4 decent strikers on the squad, along with Dunn able to play a very good feeder role behind the strikers. Benni also can play the feeder role and maybe Hoilett too? (though still to be proved). So there is no shortage of combinations for Sam to try out to find our best formation, and it will also give so many permutations that the opposing teams managers are going to be kept guessing as to how best to combat our possible line-up.

Just everyone get behind Sam and the team and SUPPORT them not constantly ridicule and knock them. A little patience and understanding is needed right now. Personally I am in the pro-Allardyce camp and I am convinced that he is by far the best manager for us as things are right now. Just forget the golden days; they are gone for now, but if you live long enough you will see that everything to do with Rovers FC comes in cycles and the good, bad and indifferent times all come along in turn and all pass away in turn.

Oh ye of little faith !!!

[T4E]

For me J-Rob's best Rovers game was the 2-2 draw at home to City last year that we should have won. He gave the City defenders a torrid time, he was brilliant that day.

[RoyRover]

his record with Wigan proves that he is a natural goal scorer.

Jason Roberts is many good things, a natural goal scorer is not one of them.

[bellamy11]

Jason Roberts is many good things, a natural goal scorer is not one of them.

Indeed you are correct, Roy

All in all, J-Rob has a record of a goal every three games, but this is mainly because of good spells in the lower divisions, particularly his Championship season at Wigan alongside Ellington (who most here wouldn't touch with a barge-pole) and Bristol Rovers.

He started reasonably well in the Premiership with Wigan but even then went on a significant drought. I'd be surprised if his scoring record at the top level was much better than Heskey's, if at all.

[Montfort]

Jason Roberts had probably his best ever game in a Rovers shirt on Saturday..... It is just ridiculous for people to write Roberts off as a useless striker; he is a natural goal scorer...he just needs to do it instinctively and without too much thinking time.

However leaving all that aside, the point is that it shows he can still do it if given the chance and with the right partner. We have at present got 4 decent strikers on the squad, along with Dunn able to play a very good feeder role behind the strikers.... So there is no shortage of combinations for Sam to try out to find our best formation, and it will also give so many permutations that the opposing teams managers are going to be kept guessing as to how best to combat our possible line-up.

Just everyone get behind Sam and the team and SUPPORT them not constantly ridicule and knock them. A little patience and understanding is needed right now. Personally I am in the pro-Allardyce camp and I am convinced that he is by far the best manager for us as things are right now.

Oh ye of little faith !!!

Great post and one that I wholeheartedly agree with