When Tottenham paid £26million for Roberto Soldado they knew they were getting a quality striker with proven experience at the highest level.

He'd won La Liga, he'd represented Spain. But things haven't worked out as planned for the former Valencia man.

Here, Dan Kilpatrick of Spurs blog TheTottenhamWay.com shares his views on why supporters are still showing faith in the struggling forward.

Tottenham forward Roberto Soldado has only managed to score four goals in all competitions this season

Striker Roberto Soldado (right) contrived to miss a chance to score against Burnley with the goal gaping

It looked like he'd reached breaking point, finally.

Roberto Soldado dropped to his knees in despair, eyes wide with disbelief. Andros Townsend, sensing this was no time to mourn a lost assist, rushed over to console his teammate.

Once they'd recovered from the shock, the Spurs fans, aided by the excellent 1882 movement, began singing: 'Viva Soldado, oooh-oh; he came from sunny Spain; to play with Harry Kane.'

Spurs trailed Burnley 2-1 in the FA Cup and Soldado, not for the first time, had missed a sitter. With the goal gaping, the Spaniard blazed Townsend's on a plate cross into the stands from five yards out. It was no exaggeration to say it was easier to score.

It was his worst miss to date and there was nothing and no-one else to blame; not the service, not the system, not the Premier League.

Fortunately, Spurs went on to win 4-2 but the result hardly spared Soldado's blushes. The miss was the main talking point after the match and Townsend, Mauricio Pochettino and Soldado himself all had their say on it.

The Spain international reacts to the miss by dropping to his knees as White Hart Lane

Andros Townsend (left) has revealed that he offered some words of encouragement to Soldado at half-time

For a Premier League player, it was inexcusable and it could have cost Tottenham dear. Yet support for Soldado from the terraces remained unwavering. There cannot be many players at Spurs – Kane and Hugo Lloris maybe – towards whom there is so much support and goodwill.

Adoration for Kane and Lloris is understandable. They are both quality players, at the top of their games.

Soldado, however, is not. The striker has scored one league goal this season, fewer than Eric Dier, and seven in his Spurs career. That's a league goal every 360 minutes or every 840 minutes excluding penalties.

To his credit, Soldado did not crumble. Having already assisted Paulinho, he set-up another for Danny Rose with a pinpoint cross.

This is part of the reason Spurs fans sing for Soldado. A lesser player would've hidden, allowed his head to drop, but Soldado continued to work for the team. His overall performance – which some confused with his miss – was impressive.

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino reacts after Soldado's miss during their FA Cup match against Burnley

Soldado scored 24 league goals in his final season at Valencia before securing Spurs move

His goalscoring form has been wretched, catastrophic since a £26m move from Valencia but he still continues to stay positive, give his all, revel in his teammates' successes and display a mingled sense of agony and humour about his misses (see his incredulous smile after his shot rebounded off the post allowing Benji Stambouli to score against Partizan).

White Hart Lane loves a striker and, after years of yearning for a big-money forward, fans are not about to give up on Soldado. They recognise that he's a good player suffering from a sustained crisis of form and confidence, rather than a Gregorz Rasiak-type, hopelessly out of his depth.

On the pitch, he is passionate and apologetic. He seems to genuinely care. He's classy. Off it, he appears humble and family-minded. These are endearing qualities to supporters, while the mocking he receives at the hands of the media and rival fans makes Spurs supporters all the more desperate to see him succeed.

It's also worth saying that fans singing for Soldado are singing for the club, too. He was a huge investment and selling Bobby for a significant loss would hurt Tottenham. We are desperate to see him perform, for everyone's sake.

Others simply recognise that Soldado, now more than ever, must be close to that breaking point. He needs more support than anyone and he's getting it. He will continue to get it.