Roberts looks to improve away form

Rovers striker Jason Roberts is aiming to solve the problem question from last season - 'why the heck can't we do what we do at home on the road?'.

Rovers barely got the chance to to exercise the famous retroflair saying of 'back down the motorway with 3 points' last season as only trips to Aston Villa, Bolton and some little club I have never heard of called Burnley yielded any fruit.

This was in stark contrast to some tremendous results at home that involved going unbeaten against the traditional 'big 4'.

But Roberts is aiming high for next term and believes Rovers shouldn't just limit themselves to a top ten finish as the height of their ambitions.

Roberts spoke to the Lancashire Telegraph and said - "It was a very good season at home but that has of course been tempered by the fact we have been terrible away from home. Things could have been so much different.

"It is an improvement on the season before but, to be honest, it is nothing less than we have expected. We wanted to be in the top 10 and want to be challenging for the Europa League and the top eight.

"We won`t be doing cartwheels, we know we should be doing better. We know we could have done better and that is the way you need to think about things going into next season. We want to always do better.

"The whole time I have been here we have been looking to improve and, yes, we have improved on last season. But we know if we had got better results away from home things could have been better."

"We played well at home during the majority of last season and got what we deserved with a win against one of the big four. The million dollar question is our away form though. I wish I could tell you why we have struggled.

"But if we put in the effort and the organisation and that much belief then I think it would be hard to beat us anywhere.

"We have players here who want to work for each other, want to work for the team and who sacrifice themselves for the team.

I am very proud to be part of this.

"I think the home record does give us tremendous confidence ahead of next season. You know it is there, it is about getting it out in different situations."

I don't know about anyone else but I am pleased to hear about the reference to team spirit at the club and it encourages me ahead of the new campaign.

Team spirit will get us far even if money won't - look at Ghana in the World Cup.

Click here to join in the debate on the club forum.