Never got the disapproval for Bobby by fans. Yes, his solos were pretty much awful but luckily he never got many of those.
He could sing very, very well, and had a nice tone that worked well with Jons. He played more than just rhytm chords, he played some important leads for some songs - especially the more modern tunes like What Do You Got, When We Were Beautiful, Whole Lot of Leavin', Water Made Me etc.
He was very laidback on stage, much like Hugh and the reason being that's what Jon wanted him to do. He was there as an extra musican on stage, not as an extra entertainer. I liked the fact that Bobby didn't steal the lime light because after all he's not a Bon Jovi member so why would he?

And last but not least, he was very well rehearsed on Bon Jovi's catalogue. I can't remember a single time when he hasn't been able to join in on a spontaneously played song at concert. Switching Shanks for him hurt the live show much in that sense.