Brutal truth about form displays a real Marc of the man!
MARC Roberts has vowed to show Birmingham City supporters his best after a searingly honest account of his first season at the club.
The 27-year-old started his first game for nearly two months on Saturday, when he not only played in the 2-1 victory over Sheffield United, but scored too.
Roberts’ first-half equaliser gave Blues the platform to go on and seal a win that has massively boosted their survival chances.
But the centre-half, who was a bigmoney signing from Barnsley in the summer, admits he can hardly be satisfied with that.
“It’s been an up-and-down season for myself. I have not hit the heights I have in the past years or what I would like to have done coming here,” Roberts conceded.
“I am disappointed in myself for that. I have sat out of the team and watched the team do ever so well. It’s a bit late I know but the chance I have got now I need to show the fans what I am as a player.
“I am disappointed in my past form but going forwards I need to show the player I am. Hopefully I can do that with the chance I have now.”
Roberts, who just three years ago was still playing non-League football, admitted his confidence has taken a dip at times this term.
“That’s natural. The way we have been as a team I think everyone has had ups and downs, everyone’s gone through rough patches in the season.
“For me it’s been tough. I am disap- pointed in myself for the majority. I have had good spells, I have had long bad spells. That’s uncharacteristic if I do say so myself from what I am used to.
“It’s tough at times. It has been tough, don’t get me wrong, you doubt yourself.
“And when the pressure’s on, you are at a big club, you have got that many fans wanting to see you do well.
“When you are not, it seems like the whole world is against you. As a professional you have just got to put that to one side and bring your best out as much as you can.
“I have not done it as much as I should have done, or would like to have done. It is what it is at the minute but the last couple of games we have got to do our best.”
Roberts’ 32nd-minute finish against the Blades was his first for the club and significant, both for personal and collective reasons. It also had a big effect on his former employers Barnsley, who are now five points behind Blues and in severe danger of going down to League One.
“It’s massive for me. I have never gone a full season without scoring. It’s not our job [as a defender] but it’s nice to help the lads after going 1-0 down, putting us back in the game is nice.
“I don’t care who scores as long as we get the result. They (Barnsley) have been my home-town club and that is where I was before.
“At this minute I am totally focused on us and that’s the way it’s got to be until the end of the season.
“Their fate is in their hands. Ours is in ours. At the minute I am a Blue and that’s all there is to it.”
With 13 points from their last seven games, Blues have thrived under new manager Garry Monk.
But, like Monk, Roberts insists there is more work still to be done before Championship football is secured for next term.
“I don’t want to speak about the past. The gaffer has said it – the past is the past, it’s gone,” he said. “But Garry and the team that has come in have been great, their ideas have been great. They are all together as one.
“The lads have taken to that, you can see that on the pitch. There is a clear instruction, a clear way of playing. And it just makes everything so much easier.
“You can see that out there, everyone knows their roles and everyone’s performing their own roles inside the team. We want to get it done as soon as possible. We never wanted to be in this position in the first place – but we are, because of us, the players.
“We have got ourselves in here and we have got to get ourselves out of it as quickly as possible. Hopefully we can get it done soon.
“We do believe in ourselves, we have got this belief that we are good players and I think we are showing it now.
“The team spirit is there and I think you can see it on the pitch. We fight for each other. That’s coming out.
“It’s a bit late now but we just have to do what we have to do this season. We are getting one step closer.”