Christophe Berra insists he was flattered — if a little surprised — to be likened to Hearts icon John Robertson by Raith Rovers manager John McGlynn.
But the Stark’s Park defender is adamant points on the board mean more to him than personal plaudits at this stage of his career.
Berra, 36, turned in a towering display in Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Kilmarnock.
He was dominant in the air, made several key interceptions and used all his positional nous to produce a couple of pivotal blocks; none more so than when he thwarted a certain goal for Oli Shaw in the first period.
That prompted McGlynn to compare Berra’s uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time to Tynecastle legend Robbo, albeit they do their damage in opposite boxes.
“That [Robertson] comparison is definitely a new comparison for me,” laughed Rovers’ stand-in skipper. “I would like to think I’m a little bit more tall and athletic than wee Robbo!
“I’ll take a comparison with a legendary striker. You don’t normally get those as a centre-half.
“But I’m at that age now where — although you always want to have high personal standards — it’s about the team and I am delighted that we managed to dig out three points.
“In terms of what the gaffer means, that just comes down to experience.
“There will be moments when things aren’t going well or I’m not in the right positions — and in those moments, I’ll need my teammates to bail me out.
“But when things are going right, you do feel like you are always in the right place at the right time. Long may that continue.”
Partner praise
Berra’s burgeoning centre-back partnership with Tom Lang continues to develop and the shutout against Killie represented arguably their finest showing as a pair.
The former Rangers youngster swept up behind his experienced colleague, snapped into challenges and crisply distributed possession from the back.
“Tom has been a fantastic professional,” said Berra, following Rovers’ third successive clean sheet. “He’s like a kid at Christmas every day.
“He is so enthusiastic and desperate to learn.
“His performances have been fantastic and it’s all down to his mentality — he’s aggressive and full-tilt in the way he plays and trains.
“The more experience he gets, he is only going to get better. You can see that by the sort of character and attitude he has.”
‘I’m not daft’
From being frozen out at Hearts to chasing a title with Rovers, it has been an eventful 2021 for Berra.
And he visibly has a new lease of life in Fife.
“I’m not daft,” added Berra. “I know that I won’t be playing football forever and I want to enjoy every moment.
“I’ve still got a lot to give but the bottom line is: if you are not enjoying yourself, it’s much more difficult.”
