FOR the first few months at Turf Moor, Clarets fans thought that Stan Ternent had paid £1million for a Reliant Robin in the shape of striker Robbie Blake.

Now they are increasingly sure they have got a Rolls Royce!

There can be no sweeter sound for a player than to hear his name chanted from the massed ranks of travelling fans and as Blake made way for Tony Grant in the closing seconds at Leicester on Saturday his name echoed around the impressive new Walkers Stadium.

He may not have scored but he scared the life out of the home defenders and not for the first time this season.

In a previous job I was lucky enough to see Blake when he was such a key figure in the Bradford City that first won promotion to the Premiership and then defied the odds and stayed up.

Clarets fans, and players, certainly saw his full array of talents when he orchestrated a big win for Nottingham Forest when he was on loan at the City Ground.

There is no doubt that when he arrived at Burnley he was not fit. Stomach strains, hernia, carrying a bit too much weight.

But people who look at Blake today might still think the latter applies, although the fact is, that is how he is. Stocky might be the best way of summing him up, certainly stockier than your average footballer, but when it comes to creating space for himself and for others, he is a little gem.

Last night at Ipswich Town he was at it again, his feet moving like a blur and leaving a bunch of defenders just out of the Premiership feeling like their pockets had just been picked.

I liken him to the men who used to run the bunco booths that conned punters out of hard earned money back in Victorian times. The ball looks to be well within reach of the opponent and then, with sleight of foot rather than of hand, it is gone. A real now you see it now you don't job.

What Blake should do more is score goals. He has netted three this season but in many ways that is a poor return for a player who can shoot with either foot.

On a number of occasions last night you had the feeling that he was about to unleash a shot on Andy Marshall's goal before opting for slipping in an opponent. He is certainly very adept at doing that but sometimes it is no bad thing for a striker to be greedy.

Blake certainly seems to be enjoying the increasingly roaming role he has been handed by Stan Ternent and whether he is dropping deep or pushing onto the should of Gareth Taylor, all he wants is the ball.

That is when he is at his best, the ball at his feet and play developing around him. He knows what he wants to do and the more that the rest of the team plays with him, the better the understanding will become.

Such was the financial struggle at Valley Parade in the summer, Robbie Blake would have been available for free. Ternent wasn't to know that when he paid £1million in January, just as he couldn't know ITV Digital was about to go belly-up.

In the current financial state of the club, that £1million would be most welcome but if you were to ask the fans if they would like to see the money back and Blake gone, they would surely now say no.

Any club is only as good as its players and the fact is Blake is a very good player. Burnley fans will just be hoping the Rolls Royce does not burst a gasket and become a three wheeler again.