Brendan Rodgers
Patrick Roberts, currently on loan at Birmingham City, has quickly become a fan favorite in the Midlands, much like he was on Wearside. The 28-year-old winger played a pivotal role in Sunderland’s promotion to the Premier League last season. However, a decision was made to allow him to leave Sunderland temporarily during the latter stages of the summer transfer window. Since joining Birmingham, Roberts has impressed with one goal and one assist in his first six Championship appearances, helping Chris Davies’ side remain just three points shy of the play-off positions. Despite his current focus on aiding Birmingham’s promotion bid, Roberts took a moment to reminisce about his time at Sunderland in a recent interview with his new club’s media team.
Patrick Roberts said: “Every fan thinks their club is the biggest and the best, but like Birmingham, Sunderland really are a massive club, a huge fan base, and big expectations. When I first went there, they were at their lowest point in League One, and I just wanted to go and help them. They gave me the opportunity to play, and I wanted to give something back and help them to achieve what they wanted and give some joy to the fans. I enjoyed Sunderland, it was very similar to here and I think that what Sunderland achieved, so can Blues.”
Roberts continued: “With the experience of playing in this league and winning two promotions at Sunderland behind me, I’m looking forward to this season and seeing where we can go. It is such a relentless, difficult division to play in and I think having players who know what it takes is very valuable. You have to be physically right to get through 46 games, playing Saturday and Tuesday for long periods, but you have to have the right character and mentality too.”
He added: “However well you do in the end, there will be periods in the season where it gets tough, where results are going the wrong way. You will have bumps in the road, but at the end of the day, the main objective is to get promoted. You have got to keep that idea in your mind and if you do have a defeat, you learn from it and you move straight on to the next game and put things right. That is never easy, but that’s how successful teams do it.”
Interestingly, Roberts also reflected on what he considers the best stint of his career, which he revealed was not at Sunderland but during his loan spell with Celtic between 2016 and 2018. During his time at Celtic, Roberts experienced intense rivalries and the high expectations of winning league titles and performing well in the Champions League. This period, he noted, was crucial in developing his desire to win consistently.
Roberts shared: “Rangers came back to the top division in my first year there, so you had the derby game, which you have to win, then there is the expectation to win the league and the cups, and to do well in the Champions League. It is not a place where you go and if you lose a game, they accept it! You have to win game after game. That was where I got my first taste of the importance of that and where I learnt that real desire to win every game. That’s a good thing to get at a young age and I think that gets factored into the development of young players a lot more now, getting them out to play under pressure.”
Roberts also praised Brendan Rodgers and Chris Davies for their roles in his development during his Celtic days. He credited Rodgers for his focus on bringing young players into the fold and Davies for his supportive role as an assistant.
Roberts concluded: “Brendan Rodgers was fantastic. He was known for bringing in young players at Liverpool and then when he came into Celtic, he still looked to do that whenever he could. Chris Davies was there as well. He was starting out in his first assistant role, and he was great to work for. He was really good with me, and I learnt a lot from both of them and the players at Celtic. I really enjoyed my time there, it was some of the best football I’ve played.”
Roberts’ reflections highlight his appreciation for the clubs he has represented and the experiences that have shaped his career. As he continues to make an impact at Birmingham City, his journey remains one to watch.
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