Opinion: Is Robinson the secret to promotion?

Many Blues fans thought that when Paul Robinson got sent off against Bournemouth last season in the 4-2 defeat at the Goldsands stadium, he had played his last game for the club.

However, before the international break, manager Gary Rowett decided to throw him back into the fold and give USA international Jonathan Spector a breather.

Now the former Burton Albion boss has a selection headache heading into every game with Robinson thoroughly grabbing his chance with both hands and giving it his all.

Out of his last four starts, three of which have come away from home, the so called veteran defender has helped his side win four on the bounce and collected an extra three clean sheets, all of which were in the subsequent away games.

Not only has he managed to boost the profile of the defence and keeper Tomasz Kuszczak, but he has also rejuvenated himself by scoring two goals in his last two games.

The first of his goals came as an equaliser against Queens Park Rangers last Saturday, a game which Blues went on to win, and his second was the winner against his former club, Bolton Wanderers, on Tuesday night.

His form is amongst the best in the league at the moment and his commitment to every game is outstanding and many people would be forgive for thinking that Robbo was a player still in his youth.

The 36 year old centre back has still got breath in him at the end of the game, whereas some of his counter parts who are much younger are bending over struggling for air. All of this is a testament to how well he keeps himself and just what he is all about.

During his time under Rowett, things haven’t always gone Robinson’s way in terms of game time and now he has got his chance, I think he is starting to show why some fans should start thinking of him as a secret weapon in our promotion push.

Before he came into the side we had lost three of the previous four games, which had started to cast a doubt over the great start to the season that Blues had made.

However, his leadership on the pitch, as well as off it, started to shine through when he was brought back into the side and this is why I think he could be our secret weapon this year.

If he drops out of the team again, should Rowett decide that he needs a rest because he has played a game too many, and Blues head back into a poor run of games further down the line in the season, then I think he could come back into the fold and produce the same high standards of football that he has shown us in the past few weeks.

Many players don’t expect him to play like he is doing at the moment, let alone score goals, and if he can continue to do that then I feel he will always have something that can be the element of surprise to the opposition.

I myself didn’t think in a million years that he would ever come back into the fold but I wouldn’t swap him out at this moment in time. If he manages to continue this standard of performance, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was nominated for Player of the Month by the league.

For me, if Blues continue to play the way they are playing at the moment with Robinson in the team, then I think it is fair to say that Paul Robinson is undoubtedly Birmingham City’s secret weapon in their promotion push!

Blues fans, what do you make of Robinson’s performances since he has returned to first team action? Would you drop him in this sort of form? How long do you think he can last? Let us know in the comment section down below!