'I'm shocked he's gone, I certainly didn't see this coming'

Blackburn striker Jason Roberts has admitted his surprise after Sam Allardyce was sacked as Rovers manager yesterday. "I certainly didn't see this coming but we've got new owners and you're never 100 per cent sure of what's going to happen. I'm shocked by the decision but this is football," Roberts told TalkSport.

"We've got new owners and there's a transfer window coming up and you never know what's going on behind the scenes, but I'm shocked. When he came into the club we looked like we were going to get relegated and he took us to 10th, so you can't level too much criticism at him.

"Maybe at times it wasn't pleasing on the eye, but we're in the results business and we want to win football matches, that's the most important thing. Everyone has their own views on how the game should be played and it may not have been for the purists but we did OK doing it."

Roberts did not always see eye-to-eye with Allardyce during his reign, with the striker showing some displeasure at being overlooked at the start of this season. Despite that the 32-year-old Grenada international said he was sad to see the former Bolton manager leave, adding: "We fell out a few times and I didn't play as a result, but I was back in the team and, when you're playing, then everything seems rosy again.

"Whatever the nature of my personal relationship with him I still tried my best for the team. Nobody's happy when they're not playing but I definitely wouldn't have wished this on him."