Marc Roberts sends emotional farewell message after Birmingham City exit

Marc Roberts has thanked Birmingham City fans for their support in a farewell message after his seven-year stay at St Andrew’s came to an end.

The veteran defender is among five senior players released by the Blues at the end of their contracts. Neil Etheridge, Gary Gardner, Ivan Sunjic and Scott Hogan are also gone.

The Blues have offered John Ruddy and Lukas Jutkiewicz new contracts, while the Blues have exercised their option to extend Keshi Anderson’s contract by another year. A number of youngsters, including Marcel Oakley and Tate Campbell, were also released.

Roberts, 33, has made 197 appearances for the Blues in all competitions since joining the club from Barnsley in 2017. The last of Roberts’ seven goals in a Blues shirt came in October 2021 , in a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough at The Riverside.

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Posting on Instagram after the Blues confirmed his departure, Roberts said: “It is now official that I will be leaving the Blues this summer, I would like to thank everyone involved during my time at the club, staff and past players and from now on to ALL managers. .

“It was a turbulent time together, but it was a memorable one. We shared more than seven years of football, I assure you.

“To the fans, thank you for your incredible support during these difficult times. You always showed up! Thanks for any praise when it’s due and criticism when it’s needed, football is a massive game of opinions and that’s why we love it, I wouldn’t begrudge anyone showing theirs! I sincerely wish you all much success in the future!

“I’ve enjoyed every minute of representing this club whenever I’ve crossed the line, even if it didn’t end the way anyone would have liked, I’m pretty sure the club is destined for a top-flight future with the current owner . Here’s to hopefully a much brighter future for all involved.”

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