Career
Born in Oswestry, Shropshire, Roberts first played as an amateur for his local club Oswestry Town, whilst working as a policeman. A tall, but quiet and unassuming right half, he was signed by Herbert Chapman"s Arsenal in December 1926 for £200 and turned professional. He made his debut against Aston Villa on 18 April 1927, although he was not a regular in his first two seasons at the club, playing just five games.
Roberts" time came when Chapman converted him to a centre half, and he replaced Jack Butler in that position.
In the new "WM" formation that Chapman and Arsenal captain Charlie Buchan pioneered, Roberts served as the tall "stopper" centre half in the middle of defence. At the time this was a new tactic, created in response to the 1925 relaxation of the offside law, but soon became a ubiquitous position in English football.
Nevertheless, at the time Roberts was often abused and pilloried by opposition fans for what they saw as overly negative play. However, from the 1930-1931 season Roberts was the undisputed first-choice centre-half at the club, making over 30 appearances for each season up until 1936-1937.
Roberts" long and successful career with Arsenal came to a sudden end early on in the 1937-1938 season, when he broke his leg in a match against Middlesbrough and was subsequently forced to retire.
In all he played 335 matches for Arsenal, scoring 5 goals. Upon retiring he worked as a trainer to Arsenal"s reserve side. When World World War II broke out, Roberts joined the Royal Fusiliers, serving as a lieutenant.
He died whilst on duty at the age of 39 from erysipelas, and was buried at Southgate Cemetery, north London.
He was the most famous of the nine Arsenal players who perished in the war.