Thetownend.com

Apparently considering retirement due to his injury?

Blimey, I am slightly surprised by that but fair play to the bloke.

Free up some needed wages for the first team.

tis a shame. when fit he was one of our better preformers last season

Gutted for him really. hope he doesn't slide back into alcoholism etc.

where did you hear this Gaz?

UPDATE: Apparently... (not confirmed) Roberts is in talks with STFC to cancel his contract, it is nearly finalised and if it is he would leave at the end of September. The doctors however have NOT said his injury definitely means he cannot play again.

Apparently it is in the Western Daily Press I dont have the paper but someone very reliable (up to you to believe me) says it is. Can't see it online though. so i'll see what I can find.

Im not disputing you Gaz.

JPC you heard anything?...

does not look like the WDP online site carries swindon news anymore?

i dont know.

if he had to retire due to injury he wouldnt be able to play pro football again anyway i dont think?

No they binned us off online over the summer.

Would be a shame.

This is true, it's on the backpage of the Western Daily Press (along with a picture from Saturday's victory). The article says that negotiations have been going on for a while now, and doesn't suggest that it's the injury that has forced the decision. Maybe he has just fallen out of love with football? It would explain why he wasn't in the team photo.

If he doesn't feel he can play anymore then fair play for not just seeing out his contract. The guy has given us some great solo moments and in my opinion is one of the most talented players in our squad (as well as the most frustrating!). I hope he can over-come his demons.

t'would be a shame but no big loss. the likes of marshall are the players we ought to be looking at nowadays.

i hope he finds himself a nice club back in wales, type of player who'd relish being a big fish in a small pond

feel sorry for the bloke. He probably just can't be arsed now and may have started doing other things now?

he was talking to the club about this last week, didnt know the press knew though

I has a suspicion his injury would see him do a Gurney and drop to semi-pro. Has to be said it isn't definite it is his injury that is forcing him to retire.

Good luck to him, I hope he has kept/can continue to keep his demons away.

Yeah he could go into Non-Leage or League of Wales pretty easily.

Good luck to him if he's going to retire.

it's on the back page of the WDP.

What gave you that idea?

Roberts off the wage bill and Parkin in.....

makes perfect sense.

such as drinking?

I have come to the conclusion I fucking love Christian Roberts. Even if he is infuriating.

Can't bring myself to wish him well yet because I hope we see him again in a town shirt. If he does come to the decision to leave and call it a day, then I'll certainly echo the above sentiments.

I agree with Dave.

I think it was the goal at Swansea last year that did it for me. Can't not love him after that - and the celebration was magic.

It's a shame that he won't be able to repay the club back with all the faith they've shown in him. Would be a shame if he drops out of the game because it sort of proves the point he was never a good option to keep on.

That said if he goes elsewhere and does well (as long as it isn't against us) it'll show that Onuora and Wise were right to keep the faith. I hope he does what he feels best for him as I always thought he seemed a decent enough bloke, problems aside.

He had a half decent season the year we were promoted.

This makes perfect sense to me. We cant afford JPM and Roberts (the two most inconsistant players in the squad) battling for the same position. Time for him to move on, either to someone like Newport County/Wrexham maybe, or get into something else outside the game.

You have to wonder though. Someone like Gazza's real problems only started once he left the game.

Obviously all the best of luck to him, but you cant help but feel sad and dissapointed about a talent wasted. For us and for Wales. We held on in there for him, hoping things might come good, but its not going to happen now.

I'd be gutted if this were true, I'm a big fan of Roberts. Been a lot more consistent since we got relegated and never deserved the stick he got IMO. Was occasionally lazy yes, but so is McNamee.

Hope it's not true, would like to see him back in the side.

Would be a shame. Things just haven't worked out for him here really.

This would be a real shame. Since he's moved onto the wing, i think he's grown into an incredible winger on his day. As a winger i think he's one of the most talented players we have. I'll remember his mazy Maradona run at Cheltenham away last year the most.

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/wdp/sport/Roberts-looks-set-finish-career/article-298842-detail/article.html

Seems a bit odd to me. Why call a day on your playing days at 28 when it seems that medically he's alright?  It cant be that he just wants to leave STFC, we all know he's a Cardiff boy and he's not going to get a pro club closer to home, other than the Gasheads

As someone else said, it could end up being a real problem for him and his alcoholism. not having to get his arse into training every day and keep his fitness up could send him down a dark road.

It could be he is not medically alright, even if a final diagnosis hasn't been formalised.  The way he was talking before the op made me think it was a career threatening injury.

Or maybe he needs out of football for other reasons.

Who knows though. Hopefully he will explain all if/when he retires.

Some may say we never saw it enough, but an on form Roberts (physically and mentally) was probably the best player out on the pitch.

I blame Malpas.

We never ever saw the best of him and with his style of play i cant see him getting anyware near his best,its a shame because he could have become a legend here,as for his problems he will have to take it one day at a time,the FA have lots of things in place for ex pros if they need help,i hope ime wrong but i dont think he will play for us again.

The bloke hates me ha ha ha ha never had a shave in his life or so he said!

never delivered here apart from the odd game and is no loss at all.shame, but that's the way it is.

He said he would like to go into the media and stuff? I hope hes OK and doesnt turn into another Gazza

no!!!!!

 all we'll be hearing is 'you know!'

Will be a shame if he call's it a day, obviously we don't know the circumstances behind his injury and it may be that he feels he will not be able to regain the fitness that he has shown previously so has decided instead of coming back and being one of these that tries and just can't make it, admit defeat and move on.

If he does have his contract paid up then I'd imagine it would be due to his injury in which case surely the club wouldn't be paying up his contact but he would have an insurance payout which would surely pay him what he is due plus compensation so stfc wouldn't need to negotiate ?

I blame TCP!

He may have been the way he is (alcoholism) due to football, maybe leaving the game will do him good.

I'm surprised there has been no official word from the club on this either confirming or denying

A fit Christian Roberts would be in my team at this moment taking into consideration the alternatives.Good luck to the bloke

Always liked Robbo, hope he doesnt go back to his illness.  Takes a big man to admit it and get through it

word

I will always remember his decimation of Walsall when he switched to wide right

jewdus

No to mention the Wendies at home, 2-0 down, 20 to go, and we pushed him up top. Patrick Collins probably still has nightmares about it.

Oh, If he does retire it'll be a shame. I really like the fella! He was only sat a few rows from me at the Col U game the other week. I was looking forward to his return :(

Thanks Charlotte ;)

Saw him in Oceana last week in Cardiff, dont think he was drinking, but then i was bollocksed so couldnt really say

According to yesterdays non league paper he has retired...


So is he going to become an agent or something??

Its excellent he has something else to get his teeth into so quickly. Good luck Robbo, it's gutting but if the knee could end up proper fucked its the only decision he could make.

That's probably a good job for him. Considering he's been through a lot of issues in his career perhaps he can help out other pros.

Good luck to him.

Such a shame. As much as people gave him stick he was a good player. You just have to look at some of his better performances to see what he was capable of. I've liked him as a player ever since he joined us and can only wish him the best in the future - he deserves some stability after pulling himself through difficult times. Would be nice for him to get a decent send off from the CG if it's official before Saturday

This is real bad news... what with Roberts all but gone and Pook,Sturrock and McGovern all out of favour, who can we nominate next for the abuse-a-go-round?

Christians. Bloody lion food.

funny hows its in some press but nothing from the club?

or maybe there is and Ive not seen it?

I do seem to remember something on tinpot local radio where Shaun Hodgetts asked Nick Watkins basically saying that it was still a private matter between Roberts and the club. I guess this was early last week...

Roberts did not want it public knowledge and is livid with the wdp. The adver did not run it as they were asked not to

did he think we would just forget he ever existed?

I guess he probably wanted to wait until it was all official before anything got out

Is that why he's not in the official team photo do you reckon? 

The gash heads will be disappointed, we may not have an ex-shit head in our starting line up by the time we play them.

Scott Murray is coming in on loan.

Breaking news.

whhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaattt

Shouldn't that be

Bullshit.

Or in Sky Sports News style:

...NG NEWS: Scott Murray is coming in on loan...BREAKI...

His sister is his mother....

Is he really?

Or setanta sports news style

In BBC news style:

Breaking News: Scott Murray signing on loan for Swindon within 15 minutes...

Or was it 45 minutes? I may have sexed it up even more than the beeb did.

I'm confused :(

I think Michael is to.

Somebody must have told them, who do we know who appears to have all the inside info?

Nah wasnt leaked ronnie roberts apparantly asked it to stay off the record but the wdp obviously didnt want to

Not exactly a secret,and not really news.....wish him well though.

hes a top bloke, not suprising news really as he hates football, doesnt enjoy watching it or anything

It was when the wdp printed it though leefer

Someone was bound to wonder where the fuck he was eventually though !

I'm just imagining the conversation on here in March when Roberts hasnt even played for the reserves but was due fit 6 months ago

Aljofree?

aljofree i reckon. bennett has already set the trend of shouting lots of abuse at him.

Does he not? How did he get into it? Or has he just fallen out of love with it?