The Adam Hepton Column

Wednesday 16 January, 2002

Robbie Blake: A Final Goodbye

I'm sick of doing these pieces. Whenever the pocket maestro from Teeside is "definitely leaving Bradford City", I get the call from BfB and on my soap box I go again. Blackburn? Forest? Burnley? It doesn't matter. Robbie Blake has continually been linked away from the club and yet he never seems to leave.

So why should we care?

Because Robbie Blake has been one of the most important members of the Bradford City playing squad in recent years. He's stayed to fight for his place. He's taken criticism when it's been levelled at him and answered with goals and silky play. He's been a legend at the same time as being labelled a villain. He's had drunk driving convictions and nearly been kicked out of the club.

Like it or not, Robbie Blake IS Bradford City. He's a player that's great one day, awful the next. Nobody ever knows what to expect. People don't know whether to love him or hate him. He doesn't want to be stuck in a rut. He has ambition. He's willing to at least try and do what he can to succeed.

Robbie Blake IS Bradford City. He's not a superhero like Stuart, he's not the flair of the team like Beni, or the grit of the team like Molenaar. He's an above-average player who shows flashes deserving of complete adoration that make you, regardless of orientation, want to pick him up, hug him and snog him all over. And that's why he's Bradford City personified in one little package. But this time Robbie, you'd better leave. Because we don't want to think of Bradford City like that. Not that we don't love you, as I've said, in parts, we do. But we want to have a Bradford City that personifies success, that screams passion and that is instantly recognisable as being the best.

Good luck at Burnley Robbie. For one, I've enjoyed you and I'll miss you, but it's time for both us that you left. And Burnley seems like the best place for you in my eyes.

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