Manager/Coach Karl Robinson.

[Bacon]

That's for the board to do. A proper interview process and for the right person to adhere to what we do here. It's not for us as fans to decide although we can take guesses. Personally, I don't know who would make a decent option yet.

I'm not a vociferous 'KR out' supporter but I do think we may be seeing the very limit of what he can achieve as a manager. As I've said in other threads, he's a good manager but not a great one. We're in a better place now than when he arrived, we play some neat stuff, we've sold a number of players for seven figure sums, he's given plenty of youngsters a chance and his commitment to the cause cannot be questioned for a moment.

I just think he lacks an X-factor to take Oxford United up. This is his 11th season as a manager and one promotion is all he really has to show for his career thus far. Five playoff campaigns is commendable however it does rather show him as the bridesmaid and not the bride. I look over at Blackpool with Neil Critchley taking them up in one attempt and think that could be us with the right man at the helm.

League 1 is a tough ol' league to get out of. There's only two automatic places compared to the three from League 2 and the gamble of the playoffs for the third spot. I struggle to see us finishing in the top two places and sadly don't see us being the third team to go up this time around either. We have to be a harder side, a more tactically aware side and consistent side - we're a nice side under KR. 'Nice' doesn't win you titles nor bullies your way through tough playoffs. 7/10 is fine for consolidation yet we know our owners want more than that.

I couldn’t agree more with every aspect of this post. Very well put.

KR deserves this season after the last two, but failure to get us up this time and I think a change is needed.

 

[bazzer9461]

My thing with KR at OUFC is that he's always expected to take us up to the Champ from the fans. I know we all desperately want to get to the Championship, but the quality in League 1 the last few years especially has been bonkers good, and the money spent by some other teams has been ridiculous, especially this year. I don't think we've once been in the top 6 in terms of spending, and most seasons not even the top 10. So relatively KR has overachieved as OUFC manager in that sense.

Where the underachievement may be seen is how good some of our players we've gotten on the cheap have been - Brannagan, Dickie, Moore, Taylor, Atkinson, Whyte, Sykes, Baptiste etc. But at the same time, if we didn't have KR in charge would we have signed half those players? And if we did would they have developed at the same rate and, in the case of Whyte, Baptiste, Dickie and Atkinson, brought us in several million?

I understand the frustration to the classic KR slow start, and I get his media appearances rub some people the wrong way - but calls for his head after two seasons getting us into the playoffs against the odds and being a big part on helping get OUFC comfortably through COVID because of the money made in player sales - for me it is WAY too premature.

The other crucial thing for me is I look around and I don't see another manager who I trust with this OUFC side that will guarantee us promotion. Any manager able to guarantee promotion on our budget and with our squad is not going to be available to a League 1 side. So the next best thing? Someone with a track record of playoff challenges working with a budget outside the top 6, who tries to play good football and promotes the use of young up and comers to make the club money in future sales? That manager is already in the building.

So when will he get us promoted? If not this year there will rumblings amongst get the fans.

 

[Marked Ox]

Antonio Conte is available.

On a serious note, I don’t think I’d be to bothered if he left. I’m getting rather bored of the same things coming out of him in interviews, and excuses! It’s got a Chris Wilder feel to it all for me, and how he stayed longer than he should. I think a new manager with fresh ideas, and a bit of experience in championship would be ideal.

Simple solution, just ignore the interviews. I take everything with a pitch of salt anyway as I did with past managers.

 

[Fred]

In the last 25 years how many years have we seen us play better football than with KR? we should all aim for the championship but our level until the structure of the club improves is upper part of div1

 

[Manorlounger]

In the last 25 years how many years have we seen us play better football than with KR? we should all aim for the championship but our level until the structure of the club improves is upper part of div1

That is the wrong way round. To improve the structure of the club, the club needs to move forward. Championship football will require improvement and the money behind the club is in the hands of ambitious businessmen who want success. Sitting still is not an option.
If KR wants this job, he has to prove that he has got what it takes to get the club into the Championship. So far, we have had three poor starts and a couple of fortunate runs to scrape into the play offs. That is not good enough. If this season isn't turned around, and quickly, things may have to change. This is a results driven venture and mid-table mediocrity is just not acceptable. It certainly isn't financially viable.

 

[Steve Gilbert]

Simple solution, just ignore the interviews. I take everything with a pitch of salt anyway as I did with past managers.

Spot on.

Robinson loves playing mind games with managers, players, refs and even with us the fans. Half the stuff he says isn’t what he believes or thinks. It is just lip service for the media. That is no different to any other football manager up and down the country.

 

[Steve Gilbert]

That is the wrong way round. To improve the structure of the club, the club needs to move forward. Championship football will require improvement and the money behind the club is in the hands of ambitious businessmen who want success. Sitting still is not an option.
If KR wants this job, he has to prove that he has got what it takes to get the club into the Championship. So far, we have had three poor starts and a couple of fortunate runs to scrape into the play offs. That is not good enough. If this season isn't turned around, and quickly, things may have to change. This is a results driven venture and mid-table mediocrity is just not acceptable. It certainly isn't financially viable.

He has also over achieved with the budget he has had by making the play offs 2 years in a row.
All well and good having wealthy owners now and with that will come greater pressure to achieve as the budget gets increased but right now he has done a good job on the resources he has been given.

 

[ZeroTheHero]

Warning - the following post contains optimism about a new stadium build.

One thing to avoid at all costs is to build a shiny new stadium somewhere and be playing lower league football in it (c.f. Darlington). That way lies disaster.

So those stumping up the money for whatever is hopefully to come will presumably want sustainable Championship football at the very least. I find it hard to believe that spending millions on a home for a third division team who quietly bumble about in midtable is what is wanted. In other words, if KR cannot show that he can spend his money wisely and create a team that is at the least challenging for promotion this season, I suspect he will be on his way - and that won't be because of grumblings in the fan base.

 

[theWizard]

Question: Are we nine games in, two points off the place offs and playing beautiful football or did the season just finish with us a mile away from promotion?

Asking for a friend who read this thread

 

[greatunclekip]

Ultimately, you want to see your manager learning from his mistakes and trying something a bit different to avoid the same mistakes happening again.

2 years running in the playoffs we have been embarrassed by physical teams. Karl made all the right noises after the Blackpool debacle, and I was full of optimism.

Did he follow that up or did he revert to type. Did he show signs of a manager learning from his mistakes? I think we know the answer.

 

[theWizard]

Ultimately, you want to see your manager learning from his mistakes and trying something a bit different to avoid the same mistakes happening again.

2 years running in the playoffs we have been embarrassed by physical teams. Karl made all the right noises after the Blackpool debacle, and I was full of optimism.

Did he follow that up or did he revert to type. Did he show signs of a manager learning from his mistakes? I think we know the answer.

#physicality: Kane, Gorrin and Brannagan will do a job between them in the middle. Kane was a great loan.

My only frustration is options upfront. Taylor not given the supply he wants. Winnall's best days behind him? Agyei not a considered good enough?

We need to beat the likes of Gillingham if we're going to make it third time lucky.

 

[Fred]

That is the wrong way round. To improve the structure of the club, the club needs to move forward. Championship football will require improvement and the money behind the club is in the hands of ambitious businessmen who want success. Sitting still is not an option.
If KR wants this job, he has to prove that he has got what it takes to get the club into the Championship. So far, we have had three poor starts and a couple of fortunate runs to scrape into the play offs. That is not good enough. If this season isn't turned around, and quickly, things may have to change. This is a results driven venture and mid-table mediocrity is just not acceptable. It certainly isn't financially viable.

I don't think we are standing still we are certainly an established div 1 club. I think it is likely that the slight change in ownership is good for the future. Agreed we just got in the playoffs two years running but we did! Don't pretend it is easy to get out of this league, look at Sunderland and Ipswich.

 

[Fred]

#physicality: Kane, Gorrin and Brannagan will do a job between them in the middle. Kane was a great loan.

My only frustration is options upfront. Taylor not given the supply he wants. Winnall's best days behind him? Agyei not a considered good enough?

We need to beat the likes of Gillingham if we're going to make it third time lucky.

Don't you think against Gillingham we were just unlucky?

 

[westyorkshireexile]

Ultimately, you want to see your manager learning from his mistakes and trying something a bit different to avoid the same mistakes happening again.

2 years running in the playoffs we have been embarrassed by physical teams. Karl made all the right noises after the Blackpool debacle, and I was full of optimism.

Did he follow that up or did he revert to type. Did he show signs of a manager learning from his mistakes? I think we know the answer.

Really. Are you sure it wasn’t the anticipation of receiving your KFC order on time.

 

[OUFCGav]

That is the wrong way round. To improve the structure of the club, the club needs to move forward. Championship football will require improvement and the money behind the club is in the hands of ambitious businessmen who want success. Sitting still is not an option.
If KR wants this job, he has to prove that he has got what it takes to get the club into the Championship. So far, we have had three poor starts and a couple of fortunate runs to scrape into the play offs. That is not good enough. If this season isn't turned around, and quickly, things may have to change. This is a results driven venture and mid-table mediocrity is just not acceptable. It certainly isn't financially viable.

so good form is fortunate, and poor runs are his fault?

 

[theWizard]

Don't you think against Gillingham we were just unlucky?

Lucky or unlucky. Win well or win ugly.

"We need to beat the likes of Gillingham if we're going to make it third time lucky"

I hated that decisions from the referee leading up to McDonald's goal but we need to beat the likes of Gillingham...

 

[NC2U]

Ultimately, you want to see your manager learning from his mistakes and trying something a bit different to avoid the same mistakes happening again.

2 years running in the playoffs we have been embarrassed by physical teams. Karl made all the right noises after the Blackpool debacle, and I was full of optimism.

Did he follow that up or did he revert to type. Did he show signs of a manager learning from his mistakes? I think we know the answer.

you were full of optimism......

 

[Marked Ox]

you were full of optimism......

KFC must have had a supply of Chicken at that point.

 

[bazzer9461]

He has also over achieved with the budget he has had by making the play offs 2 years in a row.
All well and good having wealthy owners now and with that will come greater pressure to achieve as the budget gets increased but right now he has done a good job on the resources he has been given.

Let’s hope he over achieves now this season and take us into the championship 3 years if almost is good but if you keep going as almost then it means we need a change to see if it can be job done.
Having new owners doesn’t necessarily mean a bigger budget although I would welcome it, but I look at Bristol rovers who had ( not sure if he still owns them ) a very rich sheik and the gas fans let us all know but looking at them now he hasn’t done anything with them, just hope our alleged new owners go one better

 

[unification]

My thing with KR at OUFC is that he's always expected to take us up to the Champ from the fans. I know we all desperately want to get to the Championship, but the quality in League 1 the last few years especially has been bonkers good, and the money spent by some other teams has been ridiculous, especially this year. I don't think we've once been in the top 6 in terms of spending, and most seasons not even the top 10. So relatively KR has overachieved as OUFC manager in that sense.

Where the underachievement may be seen is how good some of our players we've gotten on the cheap have been - Brannagan, Dickie, Moore, Taylor, Atkinson, Whyte, Sykes, Baptiste etc. But at the same time, if we didn't have KR in charge would we have signed half those players? And if we did would they have developed at the same rate and, in the case of Whyte, Baptiste, Dickie and Atkinson, brought us in several million?

I understand the frustration to the classic KR slow start, and I get his media appearances rub some people the wrong way - but calls for his head after two seasons getting us into the playoffs against the odds and being a big part on helping get OUFC comfortably through COVID because of the money made in player sales - for me it is WAY too premature.

The other crucial thing for me is I look around and I don't see another manager who I trust with this OUFC side that will guarantee us promotion. Any manager able to guarantee promotion on our budget and with our squad is not going to be available to a League 1 side. So the next best thing? Someone with a track record of playoff challenges working with a budget outside the top 6, who tries to play good football and promotes the use of young up and comers to make the club money in future sales? That manager is already in the building.

I'd certainly agree with this. Usually, League 1 features one or two bewildered giants wondering what on earth they're doing down here as they line up against Accrington and Fleetwood for their first matches of the season. They soon find their way back up again in good time. Even recent memory has seen future and former PL winners in Leicester and Blackburn in League 1. However, we are going through a glut of larger sides who have fallen on hard times and are taking their time to get back up again. Sunderland haven't got their act together yet (possibly this season?), Portsmouth are still in a form of recovery after their plummet to League 2, Charlton seem stuck in a low gear and Ipswich are in the infancy of a new owner. Throw in former basket-cases-on-their-way-back with Wigan and Bolton, Sheffield Wednesday who at least have a decent manager at the helm and Rotherham who are old hat at the promotion game and you have a seriously competitive division. Maybe we're underappreciating the job KR is doing slightly in competing against sides with bigger budgets and lofty ambitions. Sunderland will be looking beyond the Championship in all likelihood. We're likely to be thrilled in the journey to get there.

All that said, we know what our owners want and we're no mugs in the kind of player we can bring in. We can't outbid Sunderland but we can offer more than c. 12 of the other 24 sides. If we can do that, we can be competitive and certainly are with KR in charge. If the ambitions of the owners are to be met though, KR needs to show more. Heroic failure isn't good enough now after two enjoyable playoff campaigns that ultimately ended in us being in the also rans.

As said, no call for his head and if he was leading us to mid table finishes in the Championship, I'd be sticking a new contract in front of him. But he needs that extra something to make us great. Do that and his stock will be worth plenty. My fear is that this may be his peak.