http://www1.skysports.com/transfer/...oberge-prepared-to-scrap-for-sunderland-place Valentin Roberge has no intention of turning his back on Sunderland, with the defender prepared to fight for his future. The French centre-half arrived at the Stadium of Light as a free agent in 2013 after running down his deal at Portuguese side Maritimo. He found first-team football hard to come by throughout his debut campaign in England, starting just nine games. It has been suggested that Roberge could be tempted back to his homeland this summer, with interest said to be mounting, especially as Gus Poyet remains in the market for new recruits. "I hope to play more games this year. I donât know what will happen with the managerâs decision. But all I can do is work, work, work." Valentin Roberge The 27-year-old has, however, vowed to stick around on Wearside and prove his worth. When asked if he has contemplated moving on, Roberge told the Echo: âNo, I knew coming from Portugal that it wasnât going to be easy to adapt. âI could have made the easy decision and stayed in Portugal, but my dream was to try something different. âThe best things donât always come too quickly. I played, I didnât play, I played, I didnât play. But I just had to stay strong in my head and work, prepare well for every game and show the manager what I could do. âItâs the league that everyone wants to play in. âLast year was good preparation for this year. I had to be patient, which was not easy. But itâs a new season and I just want to work hard and then see what happens. More games that matter âI hope to play more games this year. I donât know what will happen with the managerâs decision. But all I can do is work, work, work.â Roberge also hopes that by remaining on Sunderlandâs books he can continue to benefit from the vast experience of those around him â such as Wes Brown and John OâShea. He added: âTheyâve both got so much experience. âA lot of times last season, I just watched them. Iâve learned a lot and now I hope I can play more with them. âThere are obviously several things I need to improve in my game â physically and in the air. But I worked hard on them last season. I hope that I can continue to improve.â ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Might be something to do with we are probably the biggest club he will ever play for but it would appear to be the same as Giacc in terms of wanting to fight for his place Need more players with this mentality!
I'm not against the lad staying, he looked ok in the few games he played and does look like a CB who can play a bit of football. I'd imagine he's on a low enough wage and as such is worth giving a wee bit of time to see how it goes.
