Fan Letters: Contrasting views on Paddy Roberts & the right wing position now he’s here to stay

---

---

Dear Roker Report,

Is it time to rest Patrick Roberts?

14 games, no goals, and 1 assist. Is this an acceptable output from the right wing?

Patrick is like a gourmet meal - lovely to look at, has exquisite skill in the build up, but in the end is not very substantial.

I think his game has become predictable - get the ball wide, cut inside, beat a couple of players, and run into a brick wall. Jack Clarke has a similar game plan but occasionally varies by going outside, and he also provides goals and assists.

Sunderland’s strikers have yet to provide a goal - could part of the reason be that very few quality balls are delivered into the box early?

Not many will agree but that’s only my opinion.

Old Dave

Ed’s Note [Gav]: I’d be up for trying something else in that right wing position. I’m really keen to see Adil Aouchiche get a start in the team and I think if he was given a run of games he’d provide more goals and assists than Roberts is currently. That said, it’s not always about the end product with Roberts but what he offers the team as a whole, and when we are working the ball into tight spaces he’s usually the player at the centre of it all, helping provide room for others. But, his end product has to improve and the fact he’s signed a new deal doesn’t cloud my opinion of him — he’s one of the most technically beautiful footballers I’ve ever seen in a Sunderland shirt, but we need to get our strikers scoring and we may need to try something different at some point.

I have nothing against Roberts and really, really rate him, so I hope people don’t read this and think I’ve got it out for him. I’m just keen to see what Aouchiche can achieve with a run of starts, and some proper competition in Patrick’s position might be what it takes to get that little bit extra out of him over the long term.

Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images

---

Dear Roker Report,

It is a pleasure to see that Roberts won’t be leaving us by signing a new contract.

His football skill is pure magic at times equalling Clarke on the left wing.

He has the ability to score and regularly crosses the ball into the middle, which Clarke only does occasionally as he prefers to dribble past players and try to score instead of passing to a teammate, but they are both great wingers.

I think this team has the potential to go all the way to where we belong.

We can match and beat any team in this division with the players we have at present.

Bill Calvert

Ed’s Note [Gav]: Contrasting views to Old Dave, but still very valid! I do think Roberts is a lovely footballer. I wouldn’t want him to play his football for anyone else right now. But, now that he’s here to stay I think it’s time he really showed that he can go one step further and be a Premier League player, in the same way Clarke has done. Add some goals and assists to his game - and to be fair, he did this more regularly last season - and I think he’ll be singing. But with some proper competition in the squad, he may need to prove it sooner rather than later.

Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images

---

Dear Roker Report,

The way some of the players and at times whole team showed no fight in games that they could and should have won in past years - even with ten men they have won.

For me I can go back to the first game after the war, being a lad on the back fence in the Fulwell end beating Derby County, with our Raich Carter in their side.

Bobby Bland