Joey Barton believes Bristol Rovers’ new No9 John Marquis can become the best striker in League One once again, with the 30-year-old filling a position of need for the Gas dating back 12 months.
Barton tried but was unable to sign a definitive central striker last summer, deploying veterans Brett Pitman and Leon Clarke in the role before Aaron Collins was successfully converted.
Now a division higher, the expectation is that Collins will be used in a more withdrawn role, either to the left or behind the main striker, with Marquis occupying the central position and allowing the Gas’ attacking midfielders and wingers to play off of him.
As Barton states, Marquis has a proven record at this level, scoring 85 goals in 239 games in the third tier, but experienced a challenging end to his time at Portsmouth and an unsuccessful stint at Lincoln City towards the end of last season.
Ultimately, Rovers have signed Marquis to be the 2018/19 version of himself at Doncaster Rovers, where he claimed 26 goals in all competitions, and on the eve of the start of the season Barton has delivered another of his definitive predictions.
“Marquis, proven best striker in League One,” Barton said. “That’s proven, that’s not me saying that. At Doncaster Rovers, he was the best striker in League One, his goal return and everything suggests that.
“He’s still been a valuable striker in the division and the challenge for John is to come here and be the best striker in the division again. I fundamentally believe he will become the best striker in the division.
“There are some good strikers in the division, but we lacked a number nine last year. Leon Clarke came in to do that last year and he suffered with injuries. Brett Pitman came in to do that and suffered with injuries, so Azza had to default into that position and we formulated another plan to get the job done.”
Marquis should make his debut at the Mem against Forest Green Rovers on Saturday having been handed the coveted No9 jersey. Rovers have plenty of attack-minded players in Collins, Harvey Saunders, Harry Anderson and Antony Evans but their only other forward of that nature is Ryan Loft.
The 24-year-old was signed from Scunthorpe United in January and became something of an impact player for the Gas, most memorably netting the third in a 3-1 win at Port Vale in April. Barton has indicated that, unlike Marquis, Loft is still a work in progress having never played at this level.
“It’s so refreshing to have a recognised number nine in the building. Lofty’s not far away from that, but we’ve got to grow Lofty,” Barton added. “He came in January and he’s got all the components he needs.
“The last bit he needs is confidence and belief. I can’t give that to him, he can only get that on a matchday so he’s got to get starts in the team to access that and then he’s got to execute on a Saturday or a Tuesday night.”
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