Who will be devastated when Pat departs?

[leonffc]

Devastated? No, it's not like he's been our top scorer or carried us for years.
He's a kid with great potential. If he goes, that's football unfortunately!! Similar to how Luton feel about us taking Woodrow!
It would be nice to see him stay and flourish with us but there's not much chance of that happening. The only devastating thing would be he him disappearing into Citeh's or liverpools U21 team for the next 6 years before leaving for Swansea or Villa, popping up briefly at Preston for a loan spell and the odd league cup outing.
Football is a harsh game. If he wants out, take the money and let him find out the hard way. He's not ready for first team action in the Championship, what is he really going to achieve at a premier league club that buys success? Clubs like that only want him to boost their 'homegrown' numbers. If he can't see that then it's his problem.

[filham]

I would be disappointed if he went. Kit has mismanaged him this season so I can't blame him for wanting out. I don't think he would stay for long even if he did stay and I doubt this will effect us too much as a club. However we are going to miss out on the odd bit of sheer brilliance and the odd performance that wins a game on its own. In fairness that's berbatov summarised and we don't seem to wish him back. Good luck to the lad

Well here we go again Kit has mismanaged him this season so I can't blame him for wanting out, so please tell me how he has been mismanaged, what do you know what goes on during training, how he performs, what he says, what his agent says, but hey lets just blame Kit.

I'm not just blaming kit. I do however feel kit has mismanaged him. There were many games that were calling out for him to be given 20-30 mins. I know I am not alone in wishing we had seen more of him. He was underused for the first team IMO but to not play for the u21s/u18's is mismanagement in my opinion. He probably has played less competitive football this year than he has in years. That's great management no? Is that the best way to develop young talent is it? I think he has played more minutes for england than any of Fulham's teams this season. I'm not suggesting that if he played every minute he would be breathing down messi's neck or that he would want to stay. Just think kits "protecting" of pat has protected him for man city. As I said good luck to the lad and good luck to kit.

In the late fifties good players were breaking their club contracts and going abroad for big wages. Charlie Mitten went from Man. U. to South America for £100 per week,

Haynes had a good offer from Italy but our chairman was able to raise his wages to £100 per week which satisfied Johnny and this together with  with his fondness of Fulham
persuaded him to stay.

I just get the impression with Roberts that both fans and club are making no effort to keep him , we have all thrown in the towel and said  the best thing for us is to take the money that is on offer and run away from the fight.

[filham]

Sorry, misprint above , no idea how much Mitten was paid in South America but I think it was more than £100 a week.

[cmg]

Sorry, misprint above , no idea how much Mitten was paid in South America but I think it was more than £100 a week.

However much it was, it didn't do him much good - although it did work to our advantage.
While he was in Bogota, Colombia joined FIFA and so, as he was contracted to Manchester United, he had to return home. The FA banned him for six months and fined him. Manchester United didn't forgive him which was how he came to play for us.
He did end up as manager at Old Trafford - but it was of the Manchester White City dog track which was close to the football ground.

The Colombia business also cost England the services of Neil Franklin an outstanding centre half - but this gave our Jim Taylor his chance to play for his country.

[SouthfieldWhite]

We got him from AFC Wimbledon in 2010, at that time we were the "bigger" club!

Now we hear that he might be going to join a "bigger" club

He's jumped ship before so why are we surprised that he might do it again?

Afc Wimbledon wasn't an academy when we took him

Pat played for AFC Wimbledon youth who were a grass roots team playing in the Surrey youth league.

Pats team at AFC were very good and won everything in Surrey and also went onto the national finals

[Skatzoffc]

Controversial opinion, but I wouldn't be bothered at all.

If he doesn't want to sign a fresh deal (and we're being offered £10m) we should sell him. Let's be honest, he has the potential to be a world beater but - so far - isn't even a useful Championship player. He's barely done anything in senior football and looks lightweight. He's clearly got talent, but (with his contract situation) he'll be worthless in 12 months time and we'll never benefit from his potential - we may as well cash in.

With £10m we could afford players of the quality of Demarai Gray (alleged £3m asking price), Lewis Dunk (around £3.5m being touted), Tom Lees (£1.2m) Kevin McDonald (£1m) and Jazz Richards (I know... But he's only £500k) and still have money left over. That bunch will have a far bigger impact on our promotion chances next season than an unproven Pat Roberts.

Even a sale of Pat to Man City to buy Gray would leave us around £7m better off, with and with a player who's proven in senior football, is also English, is only 7-8 months older than Pat (both currently 18) - he'll have a big resale value too.

Basically, it'd be good business to let him go - we all know he won't be here forever anyway, at least this way we can cash in and try to fund a promotion push.

:plus one:
I agree Craven

[RaySmith]

Fulham broke the maximum wage for players, through PFA representative Jimmy Hill, to make Johnny the first 100 pounds a week player - which opened the gates to players earning big money, rather than just an average wage.

Though, it was only the advent of the Prem and Sky money that top players became millionaires, with no need to work again after they retired.

But you can't compare Pat's situation today with Johnny's then. If he is ambitious you wouldn't expect him to stay long at Fulham - but it would be good, if seemingly unlikely, if he  stayed longer, and helps us get back into the Prem!

[St Eve]

If he wants to go then we have no choice, but I don't understand the argument that we could spend the 10 million on other players. Isn't our owner a billionaire?

What has his being a billionaire got to do with it?

The fair play rules restrict his spending but the fees received from the sale of players can be reinvested

understood but how much can we spend?

[Arthur]

I'll be disappointed if he leaves this window.

He won't want to hang around, however, just to tread water in our U21s all season long.

There should be a strategy to give him first XI experience. I believe that, coached correctly and used intelligently, he could have a telling impact upon the latter stages of games this season.

Pat's family are, it would seem, level-headed people. (That he chose to join us at all is testament to this.) What they will be wanting is for Pat to continue his development as a footballer. I wouldn't be surprised if they felt that, last season, his progression stalled somewhat. The club needs to show Pat that it knows how to help him.

Those who think that Pat's reputation will fail to materialise into a high profile career and that he won't ever play regularly for one of the bigger clubs will, in my opinion, be proved wrong.

By the time he reaches his peak as a footballer, he will undoubtedly be playing elsewhere. All the same, he has so much skill, even at this age, that I would dearly like to see him play for us for a few seasons and witness his fabulous skills and exceptional talent in a Fulham shirt.

In Mike Rigg, perhaps, we have someone with the acumen to resolve the situation. I hope he stays.

[westcliff white]

We wont get more than 10 million for him, and if we can get that in straight cash then take it, if he doesn't want to be with us then lets tale the max we can get now now rather than get a tribunal set fee in a years time. Also if the rumours are true that his dad want shim to have x% of playing time then even more reason to let go as no one should dictate when and how often they play (we have been there before i believe), as much as I believe Kit should have played him more often last season (short 20 minute bursts at the end of games) I can understand why he didnt play him as well due to the physical nature of some teams and the fact he is still growing etc.

Craven mad makes a good point although I think Gray will be more than the 3.5 million rumoured in the press and McDonald will almost certainly cost more than 1 million. But I like the logic he has gone through.

[Barrie]

Excellent post Arthur. 

I will be bitterly disappointed when Pat leaves, and for me, Kit's mis-handling of him would be a big factor in his decision. 

[McBride78]

I think it comes down to how good is he right now, and are we willing to give him the nod on the right side as a starter?  That is likely what it would take to keep him, as a bench with a larger paycheck and more prestige is better than a bench in the championship.  Is he good enough to start now as our first choice?  Should we accommodate him and can we put enough talen around him to cover if he is not?  Can we find a backup on the right side who is humble enough to mentor him, and sit behind him even if the backup is a better all around player at the current time?  These would be the questions i would be working to answer.  If he would sign a new deal under the conditions that he would be a first choice player and as a manager  I feel it would not hurt the squad to have him on the pitch, I think you pay the kid and offer those conditions.  Then find an experienced right side player to mentor him and back him up in case is slight frame does not handle the whole season.