Paul Cannell
Well-known member
- Joined
- 7 Dec 2017
- Messages
- 7,415
Pfff, well I posted the question in response to @horseman 's impassioned "Don't matter to must as we must look like Champions League contenders every week or else we're just a s**t mid table team with s**t players and manager. How dare they have a poor performance or dare lose a game of football." to try to understand (obliquely) whether his aspirations were to support an inconsistent, mid-table third division and (directly) in what ways Mr Robinson was exceeding that brief and leading the playing side upwards. Answer came there none, so far.
To your points:
The club is spending a lot more on the squad and investment than 10th place in Div 3 warrants - so @Scotchegg insists and I wouldn't dream of doubting someone with such close contacts to the club. I'd say Tiger wants his club to be up with the big(ger) boys and he's funding that. I don't get that a "lot of work" is particularly relevant - the club's not in business to dig holes using a shovel, the manager is supposed to use skill, knowledge and experience to deliver what the owners deem to be success; a side goal is what used to be called 'creating customer delight', as far as I can see he's nowhere near either of those and the first team has stagnated, no regressed, over the past 2 seasons.
Of course it's hard, but the up-and-coming teams in this division all survive by selling players. It's simply part of the job. I'll come back to the recruitment process in a minute.
You said "Where we have progressed is things like the training ground and the development of youth, which Robinson has at least had a hand in." Well, pardon my whimsy but are you saying Karl did the hard work and dug the foundations? I don't know what his role in the training ground was, nor can I see tangible benefits from it - fitter players, growing tactical acuity - what are they (realised tangible benefits) today? Whose youth have we developed? Barely ours: Stevens grudgingly admitted to the regular position, Baptiste - who else has emerged from the academy during Karl's tenure and is a regular in the squad or has been sold for profit? I don't think Tiger's spent a small fortune on facilities so we can be a feeder team for Oxford City.
If you think of OUFC as a start-up business (or a re-boot, which is more the case) it seems to me there's one manager who's not delivering (could be more, I don't know) the results the club needs to progress and become a more or less self-funding minor footballing power. Maybe he should be better than the average manager at this level - you usually need to be better than your rivals to win things.
Case rests, yer honour.
