Jamie Cureton is a funny fella. There are weeks when he can’t hit a cow’s backside with a banjo and there are others when he looks like the best striker in the division (which he was last season). His hat-trick on Saturday has put us probably 3 or 4 points away from safety. Fourteen goals for the season so far is not to be sneezed at considering he hasn’t started every game. Also, some of those goals have been absolutely crucial in gaining valuable points. But there is still reason to think something isn’t quite right.

Roeder’s comments about Jamie were interesting to say the least. A motivational tool perhaps? Maybe, but then when Peter Grant said something similar earlier in the season he was widely criticised (by me as well). Now I’m wondering if Grant was onto something. After all, Jamie has not seen eye to eye with several managers he has played for (including Mike Walker back in 1996) despite having a pretty good goal ratio.

For me Cureton has similar qualities and failings to Robert Fleck.  Both delivered often on big games, or local derbies. Both have been hugely popular with the fans. (especially when winding up Ipswich supporters).  Both often scored spectacular goals yet both have also been capable of not delivering too often in ‘bread and butter’ games and converting harder chances while missing easier ones. Don’t get me wrong - I’m not rubbishing them (Flecky is one of my all time favourites), but sometimes managers are after a different sort of player to what I have described.

It will be interesting to see what happens over the summer. Glenn has not hesitated to bring in strikers since he came here and has never shirked from making a point out loud about our poor finishing. Then again, he has made Cureton captain on occasions, while bringing him off the bench and back into the team rather than freezing him out altogether.  Someone very reliable told me Jamie would be on his way, but I’m not so sure that will be the case.

As for the Matty Pattison affair, I hope it resolves itself in the right way and that we can move on from this strange episode. I think there has been hysteria from both sides - from those condemning him like a mass murderer, to those worshipping him as some kind of hero on Saturday. Personally, I think he has looked very out of sorts since Christmas and was disappointed that he followed another poor individual performance at Bramall Lane with his shenanigans last Sunday. Hopefully Matty can sort himself out and get back to the type of form he produced when he was on loan.

Then again, it could have been worse. We could have had Paul Jewell on our books. Oh dear…