Bristol Rovers fans have long craved the signing of an established number nine in and around their prime years, and the club did just that earlier this week with the arrival of John Marquis.
The 30-year-old former Portsmouth, Doncaster Rovers and Lincoln City forward penned a two-year deal on Monday before jetting off to Portugal to join up with Joey Barton's squad for their pre-season training camp.
Marquis is Rovers' fourth signing of the summer after the arrivals of Jordan Rossiter, James Gibbons and James Connolly, and he brings with him significant pedigree. Pompey paid more than £1million for him in 2019 after two 20-plus-goal seasons with Doncaster.
A return of 36 goals in 121 games for Portsmouth appears respectable on paper, but his time with the club came to a disappointing end midway through last season when he was allowed to leave the club for nothing.
A move to Sincil Bank followed, scoring five goals in 20 appearances.
To get a deeper insight into Rovers' latest addition, Bristol Live spoke to Jonty Colman, the former Portsmouth reporter for Hampshire Live, and Neil Allen, chief sports writer for The News. Here is what they had to say on Marquis, his time at Fratton Park and what Rovers can expect this season...
What type of striker is John Marquis?
Jonty Colman: I’d say a poacher is probably the best way to describe him. He pressed a lot and does plenty of running that way, but many of his goals have come from sniffing in and around the penalty box and finishing off team moves or feeding off scraps.
Neil Allen: He is a hard-working striker who can never be faulted for effort and enthusiasm and will never stop giving his all for the cause, but he really comes alive in the box.
He's definitely a box striker, but he's not a lazy box striker. He will run channels for you and put the effort and movement in as well.
What are the strengths he will bring to Bristol Rovers?
JC: His experience. He’s had plenty of League One game times while at Portsmouth, Lincoln City and Doncaster Rovers, helping the latter to the League One play-off final. When he’s on form, he can be a really good striker, showed it in patches at Pompey and got a few goals in quick succession when first joining Lincoln.
NA: His movement is really good, especially inside the box. Danny Cowley did say that his movement inside the box is Championship quality and he repeated it, so he genuinely meant it.
His movement is clever in the box. He never stands still, he's always on his toes, always moving and he's got bags of experience as well so you're getting a striker who's rounded and knows precisely what he's doing.
What are his weaknesses?
JC: He, like many strikers, has a habit of being a bit streaky. In the 2020/21 campaign, his best for goals at Pompey, he finished among the division’s top scorers but around half of them came in a quick run. Ending the campaign on 18 goals seems pretty solid from a distance, but when you watched him every week, any Pompey fan would know that his tally should have been much higher.
NA: He's not a target man. You can't put the ball up to him to hold up, to flick on, to lay off – that's not his game and if you try that it doesn't work. You have to play to his strengths, which are in the box.
There were situations at Pompey where he played as a lone striker up front and it failed because he's not going to hold the ball up with his chest and lay it off neatly, he's not going to flick it on dangerously so you've got to use him correctly and focus on his strengths and not his weaknesses.
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Is he suited to a particular style of play?
JC: Pompey and Kenny Jackett seemed to get the best out of him when he was playing in a 4-4-1-1/4-4-2 alongside Ryan Williams up front. Often when used in a 4-2-3-1 system, he could have games of going missing or not be seen a lot if he was playing as a lone striker and the team does not give him much in terms of supply.
NA: He presses very well because of his work rate, effort and his approach to football. He will press from the front, definitely. He will press full-backs especially, he will press the goalkeeper. If the mantra is defending from the front, he will help you achieve that.
What sort of character is he?
JC: You will certainly see his character. He’s quite verbal, especially if sat on the bench or in the stands, you will certainly hear him. He’s a player whose confidence really depends on scoring goals and being in a good run.
NA: He's a big voice around the dressing room and a confident character who believes in his own ability. He's 30 now, as well, and he's got that experience he can bring to a dressing room.
How do you reflect on his time at Portsmouth and why did it not quite work out in the end?
JC: Under Jackett, there were patches of him being at his scoring best and why Pompey paid in excess of £1million to sign, but patches were not enough. It was not for the want of trying, but Danny Cowley inherited him injured and then he picked up a suspension in his first game back from injury. Last season, Marquis was trusted up front but really struggled for consistency and once George Hirst was fit and given a chance, the writing was on the wall for Marquis.
His professionalism was never questioned or criticised, but there was so much pressure as he had the number nine shirt, a massive transfer fee and a big salary to his name. It was an exit in January that seemed to suit everyone best. A fresh start at a newly-promoted side may suit Marquis best.
NA: Very disappointing, for me. His goal ratio tailed off and let's not forget Pompey bought him for £1million and unfortunately he could not fulfil that price tag, hence the manager allowed him to go for nothing in Janaury to Lincoln.
We were all very excited when he arrived. He was a real marquee signing, if you excuse the pun, but it didn't come off under two managers and in the end, it was the right way to go for a clean break.
But with his pedigree and his goalscoring record, he was always going to get a very good club in League One despite what happened at Pompey.
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