Ex Player Jack Stevens

Really, on what basis? He hasn’t achieved a promotion with us whereas Wilder and Appleton did. Also look at their records at other clubs (in Appleton’s case where the club hasn’t been a total basket case) compared to his.
That was just non-league and Div 4, rather than being a kick away from the championship. I don’t think record elsewhere really counts here tho he did get shitty MK Dons into the championship. I’m not particularly arguing the point but I think it would be a valid viewpoint
 
Also, I'm not sure you can be a 'Robinson apologist', as that implies he's done something wrong, whereas he's our most successful manager for 20+ years. Appleton might have exceeded his record had he stuck around but we'll never know.
Appleton put us in this division for the first time since 2001 to begin with, and gave us two Wembley finals along the way as well as the same sort of cup runs and upsets that people often pretend we’ve never had before the last couple of years. He revolutionised the playing squad (look at the state of the group he inherited - half of them made Agon Mehmeti look like Zlatan) and achieved something tangible in less than two years.

Robinson has achieved the highest league finish we’ve had since the late nineties, absolutely he has, but he didn’t put us in that league to begin with. If you’re going to talk about “most successful” it’s a bit more layered. I would love to see the ex-managers parade one day based on this, though.

“He took us from the brink of Conference relegation to promotion back into the Football League in just 18 months, saving the club’s very existence before leaving us in the League Two automatic promotion spots despite having f**k all money, it’s Chris Wilder!”

*polite applause, the odd boo*

“He inherited one hell of a skip fire before giving us promotion back into League One in less than two years, signing some of the best players we’ve seen this century and getting us to two Wembley cup finals in the process, before leaving us just two places outside of the League One playoff spots, it’s Michael Appleton!”

*more enthusiastic applause, a few whistles*

“Now, here he is, the big one. He took us over in League One, we’re still in League One, but he got us to the playoffs and he cares a lot which matters more than winning. Give it up for the one, the only, our most successful manager since the 1990s, KAAAARL ROBINSOOOON!”

*entire crowd erupts, people begin throwing clothes onto the pitch, women begin passing out, the stadium collapses under the heaving mass of fans surging forward*
 
Appleton put us in this division for the first time since 2001 to begin with, and gave us two Wembley finals along the way as well as the same sort of cup runs and upsets that people often pretend we’ve never had before the last couple of years. He revolutionised the playing squad (look at the state of the group he inherited - half of them made Agon Mehmeti look like Zlatan) and achieved something tangible in less than two years.

Robinson has achieved the highest league finish we’ve had since the late nineties, absolutely he has, but he didn’t put us in that league to begin with. If you’re going to talk about “most successful” it’s a bit more layered. I would love to see the ex-managers parade one day based on this, though.

“He took us from the brink of Conference relegation to promotion back into the Football League in just 18 months, saving the club’s very existence before leaving us in the League Two automatic promotion spots despite having f**k all money, it’s Chris Wilder!”

*polite applause, the odd boo*

“He inherited one hell of a skip fire before giving us promotion back into League One in less than two years, signing some of the best players we’ve seen this century and getting us to two Wembley cup finals in the process, before leaving us just two places outside of the League One playoff spots, it’s Michael Appleton!”

*more enthusiastic applause, a few whistles*

“Now, here he is, the big one. He took us over in League One, we’re still in League One, but he got us to the playoffs and he cares a lot which matters more than winning. Give it up for the one, the only, our most successful manager since the 1990s, KAAAARL ROBINSOOOON!”

*entire crowd erupts, people begin throwing clothes onto the pitch, women begin passing out, the stadium collapses under the heaving mass of fans surging forward*
Ha ha! Just a talking point, innit? I didn't actually say 'best'. Appleton is without doubt a more impressive figure and will probably have a more impressive career, but it's not a foregone conclusion. He may faff around at the likes of Derby making a lot of money but not really achieving anything, whereas Karl takes Swansea into the Prem before giving it all up to become a social worker.
 
id rather play football.

Goalkeepers especially, can have a whole career on the bench not playing.
Football is a short career. If you were offered to do the same job but one company was offering £104000 a year and another was offering £520000 a year, which company would you sign for?
Loyalty in football is a thing of the past. Players will go where the money is and if Steven’s wants the move then he will do what it takes to get that move. It is to no benefit to the club to keep the player against his will!
 
Football is a short career. If you were offered to do the same job but one company was offering £104000 a year and another was offering £520000 a year, which company would you sign for?
Loyalty in football is a thing of the past. Players will go where the money is and if Steven’s wants the move then he will do what it takes to get that move. It is to no benefit to the club to keep the player against his will!
it would depend on more than just money.Id rather play above all else.
 
Do we actually know if Villa want Stevens? All I’ve seen are a lot of coulds, and no are’s and will’s.
 
Its ridiculous to suggest that anyone should turn down a championship/prem move. Just One 4 year contact sets you up for life. Players are acutely aware they are 1 major injury away from their career ending. They need to grab these opportunities as the global nature of recruitment now means you may only get 1 chance to jump on the bus and good luck to them. As for Oxford Utd, we just need to source a replacement, there are lots of good keepers around in the UK. Simples
 
Its ridiculous to suggest that anyone should turn down a championship/prem move. Just One 4 year contact sets you up for life. Players are acutely aware they are 1 major injury away from their career ending. They need to grab these opportunities as the global nature of recruitment now means you may only get 1 chance to jump on the bus and good luck to them. As for Oxford Utd, we just need to source a replacement, there are lots of good keepers around in the UK. Simples
Indeed and his agent makes his main money if he moves so he’ll be encouraging him to sign. Show me one Oxford player who has turned down a big, lucrative move in recent times.
 
Indeed and his agent makes his main money if he moves so he’ll be encouraging him to sign. Show me one Oxford player who has turned down a big, lucrative move in recent times.
I'm a big fan of stevens and to get a chance like this at 23 is an amazing opportunity, if genuine of course. We have a recruitment team and they will need to identify a replacement. In England we have alot of excellent keepers. In many years of watching Oxford, the vast majority of visiting teams had good keepers. Intact I would struggle to name a poor one. Most had blinders against us for some reason.
 
perhaps, can you expand on that with club and earning potential?
Milwall came in with a bid last summer, that didn’t meet his release clause. I’m not sure if that counts as the same as him refusing a move, but I am sure that if the average championship wage is to be believed, he would have quadrupled his money.
 
Stevens is on a catch 22 situation, move to a club like Villa on big money for his age and once again be sat on the bench most of the time, or stay with us for at least another season and play regularly, also further develop what he has already shown he can do.
 
it would depend on more than just money.Id rather play above all else.
Sure you'd rather play for Oxford than get financially set up for life, but Jack was born in London and I suspect doesn't have that same supporter's love for a club that a player like Ruffels or Taylor has (and even both of them have turned us down at some point to earn more money elsewhere).

If the question is: would I prefer to earn £1,000 a week and play or £10,000 a week and not? You're essentially being paid 10x more to do less work. Even if you loved football and had a deep affinity to your football club, you have to think of your family, your finances and your relatively short career in that instance. I think it's so easy for a fan to say 'I'd never leave' if they weren't put in that position themselves.
 
I'm a big fan of stevens and to get a chance like this at 23 is an amazing opportunity, if genuine of course. We have a recruitment team and they will need to identify a replacement. In England we have alot of excellent keepers. In many years of watching Oxford, the vast majority of visiting teams had good keepers. Intact I would struggle to name a poor one. Most had blinders against us for some reason.
Ooh I've got a good one!

Wycombe at home a couple of seasons ago, the Ruffels pin-up moment match, that goalie with the dreads. Absolutely woeful.
 
If the question is: would I prefer to earn £1,000 a week and play or £10,000 a week and not? You're essentially being paid 10x more to do less work. Even if you loved football and had a deep affinity to your football club, you have to think of your family, your finances and your relatively short career in that instance. I think it's so easy for a fan to say 'I'd never leave' if they weren't put in that position themselves.
Offer me 10k a week for a minimum of four years and I’ll throw my coffee in the kit man’s face before running over the groundsman on my way out of the car park.
 
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