Joey Barton: “The strikers have stepped up.
“If you are Leon Best, Nile Ranger, Shefki Kuqi – that’s the chance they have been waiting for.
“Besty has taken the bull by the horns, he has proven he is Premier League quality.
“Peter has done what he has been doing for a long time, he is a nuisance in the box and scores goals – and the more they play together, the more they will develop an understanding.
“Now they are going to get opportunities because of the way Jonás Gutiérrez is playing. At Birmingham they were two great goals, two great balls in from Jonás.
“One of the things that can be levelled at Jonás sometimes is his end product, but he was different class at Birmingham and he is capable of that.
“He is a maverick type but he is capable of producing world-class moments. The ball for the second (goal) at St Andrew’s was fantastic and he’ll be looking to continue that.”