Manager/Coach Karl Robinson.

[yellowbow]

I keep trying to cut Karl some slack, I really do, because I know we’re pretty much stuck with him, but then I read his latest quotes in the OM…

“If you keep doing the same things with players that aren’t there it complicates things”

Jesus….

 

[Oxymoron]

Isn't that the thrust of many of the opinions given on here?

 

[TailsWeWin]

Isn't that the thrust of many of the opinions given on here?

There is, at least, an acknowledgment on here that we are short in a number of positions. KR’s opinion is that “this team is still good enough to beat any team in the league….” *sigh*

 

[Paul Cannell]

I keep trying to cut Karl some slack, I really do, because I know we’re pretty much stuck with him, but then I read his latest quotes in the OM…

“If you keep doing the same things with players that aren’t there it complicates things”

Jesus….

No. Schrodinger's manager.

 

[Chippy]

There is, at least, an acknowledgment on here that we are short in a number of positions. KR’s opinion is that “this team is still good enough to beat any team in the league….” *sigh*

Except Bristol R and Lincoln at home!

But in all seriousness COYY, we need a win tomorrow so badly, to ease the pressure that’s building and lift the doom and gloom!

 

[Mythbuster3000]

If we lose on Saturday, does that change Karl’s position? How about the next 2-3 games?

 

[m]

There is, at least, an acknowledgment on here that we are short in a number of positions. KR’s opinion is that “this team is still good enough to beat any team in the league….” *sigh*

I think they are too.

Just not consistently over a season...which is obviously not good enough.

 

[werthersoriginal]

If we lose on Saturday, does that change Karl’s position? How about the next 2-3 games?

Well I doubt it, after three excellent seasons. You'd hope he'd get a bit more of a chance to recover the bad start than that.

 

[Joey]

Well I doubt it, after three excellent seasons. You'd hope he'd get a bit more of a chance to recover the bad start than that.

Hard to call missing out on the playoffs by 7 points an excellent season to be fair, especially when the trend has been downwards since the playoff final a few years back. It also ignores the fact that the same mistakes are being made over and over, despite being blindingly obvious to almost everyone.

If he fails to pick up plenty of points in the next three games against some of the poorest teams in the league despite having a huge budget and several years to put his stamp on things he absolutely should be under pressure. Our expectations need to be a hell of lot higher than just getting somewhere near the playoffs.

 

[holdsteady]

Well I doubt it, after three excellent seasons. You'd hope he'd get a bit more of a chance to recover the bad start than that.

Is 8th place excellent?

 

[uptheus]

Well I doubt it, after three excellent seasons. You'd hope he'd get a bit more of a chance to recover the bad start than that.

I wouldn’t say last season was excellent, but agree with you that he will probably get longer!

I hope he can turn it around, but to do that we all know we’ve got to be together and believe, otherwise you end up like Man Utd’s s**t show.

 

[werthersoriginal]

Is 8th place excellent?

Not as a final placing, but we were damn good for most of the season.

 

[The mighty Aldo]

Not as a final placing, but we were damn good for most of the season.

Not at the beginning or end of the season though,
In fact our last 8 games were relegation form
lost 4 drew 2 won 2
writing was on the wall then,if we have not turned things round by the beginning of December his time is up

 

[SteMerritt]

In fact our last 8 games were relegation form
lost 4 drew 2 won 2
writing was on the wall then

Those 4 defeats were...

Plymouth 1 Oxford 0, in a game we played really well, against a team who were flying and only just missed out on the play-offs.
Morecambe 2 Oxford 1, a shocker of a result, and a game where we had countless chances but came up against a keeper having a worldie.
Oxford 1 Sunderland 2, a last-minute goal conceded to a team who were promoted.
Rotherham 2 Oxford 1, an away defeat to a team who went up automatically.

We came up short because we hit a run of difficult fixtures at a crunch time of the season, and weren't good enough against the top sides. The only one of those results that could be considered a result to get you relegated was the Morecambe one.

It's so easy to simply look at the numbers and make statements without context (not directed at you @The mighty Aldo , a general observation). The hysteria on here is now becoming epic. Of course the start to the season has been shambolic, with glaring deficiencies remaining in the squad and a whole legion of foreseeable bodies on the treatment table. KR needs to step up and earn his corn PDQ, but the current witch-hunt isn't helping anyone.

 

[yellowbow]

I can’t see him going anywhere. He’s woven himself into the fabric of the club so much he practically IS the club. Especially with the owners being so remote and aloof. He’ll get this season and, barring any relegation threat disaster, probably next season as well. Let’s face it, it’s not the first time things have looked a bit chaotic since he’s been here and he seems to have an ability to ride his way through it so I think everybody - including me - needs to take a breath and try to support the club in it’s hour if need as best we can with positivity. I’ve come firmly down on the Robinson out side of the fence in the last couple of weeks but it’s just wasted energy and not really beneficial or helpful. It’s certainly not going to change anything.

Knowing KR we’ll probably thump Morecambe 6-0 on Saturday!

 

[Northernyellow]

I think you've been very harsh on KR for that, I thought he came across really well on that podcast, certainly as well as Warne. It showed how tough the job is, the hours of dedication put in, and the sacrifices both men make. The respect for the history of the club is strong, not all of our managers have had the same. The handling of the Joey Beauchamp tragedy was exemplary.

I'm not denying that KR works hard and he seems to be a nice enough bloke. And he certainly doesn't lack commitment. My point was/is that he appears to be chaotic and disorganised. I also don't think he's particularly bright. I heard nothing that indicated he was logical in anything he did. Which does matter, especially as the club's budgets are getting ever larger as are our expectations. Warne appeared organised, thoughtful and methodical. KR doesn't.

 

[SteMerritt]

I'm not denying that KR works hard and he seems to be a nice enough bloke. And he certainly doesn't lack commitment. My point was/is that he appears to be chaotic and disorganised. I also don't think he's particularly bright. I heard nothing that indicated he was logical in anything he did. Which does matter, especially as the club's budgets are getting ever larger as are our expectations. Warne appeared organised, thoughtful and methodical. KR doesn't.

Fair enough. What I would say is my brother has worked a fair bit with KR, he's certainly not an unintelligent man. Of course we don't know what was edited/left on the cutting room floor for the podcast, and a football dressing room is always going to be a highly-charged place. You can see in interviews after games that KR has a lot of adrenaline in his system.

Warne did come across well though, but I also think KR did.

 

[ljs]

Not as a final placing, but we were damn good for most of the season.

Its a pity the season was 46 games long.

 

[Joey]

Those 4 defeats were...

Plymouth 1 Oxford 0, in a game we played really well, against a team who were flying and only just missed out on the play-offs.
Morecambe 2 Oxford 1, a shocker of a result, and a game where we had countless chances but came up against a keeper having a worldie.
Oxford 1 Sunderland 2, a last-minute goal conceded to a team who were promoted.
Rotherham 2 Oxford 1, an away defeat to a team who went up automatically.

We came up short because we hit a run of difficult fixtures at a crunch time of the season, and weren't good enough against the top sides. The only one of those results that could be considered a result to get you relegated was the Morecambe one.

Right, but we are allowed to beat the better teams as well. Also having a keeper who wins you points is a positive and not something that should be put down to bad luck, I'd imagine both our keepers cost us points over the course of last season.

The fact we had a tough run in, which we certainly did, means that our start was all the more underwhelming. It's all arbitrary where you draw the lines for amount of games etc but across our first 10 games we got 15 points which was far lower than we averaged over the season despite playing six of them at home and only a couple of opponents who finished in the top half. If you're going to start weakly then you need to finish strongly and you can't get away with putting it down to a tough run in.

It's so easy to simply look at the numbers and make statements without context (not directed at you @The mighty Aldo , a general observation). The hysteria on here is now becoming epic. Of course the start to the season has been shambolic, with glaring deficiencies remaining in the squad and a whole legion of foreseeable bodies on the treatment table. KR needs to step up and earn his corn PDQ, but the current witch-hunt isn't helping anyone.

I'm sure there are some posters who are well over the top (I've blocked one for example) but the majority I see are annoyed that it's the same mistakes being made again and again. Appreciate the fact that you recognise it's been a sh*t show so far and want to be positive which is all admirable but I don't think it's a witch hunt. The fault for our poor start lays squarely at his door baring in mind how we've approached the preparations, the discontentment isn't based solely on four pretty crap league games, it's also last season where we missed out by a mile and the last to transfer windows which have been shambolic

Fortunately we've got three of the worst teams in the league coming up, two at home. We really need and should be getting some points on the doors here and starting to claw things back. I'll be there and supporting the team for 90 minutes but that doesn't mean I won't be thoroughly pissed off if I see us struggling to break down a limited but well organised side, lumping long balls up to Taylor or one of our injury prone players gets injured.

 

[ljs]

Those 4 defeats were...

Plymouth 1 Oxford 0, in a game we played really well, against a team who were flying and only just missed out on the play-offs.
Morecambe 2 Oxford 1, a shocker of a result, and a game where we had countless chances but came up against a keeper having a worldie.
Oxford 1 Sunderland 2, a last-minute goal conceded to a team who were promoted.
Rotherham 2 Oxford 1, an away defeat to a team who went up automatically.

We came up short because we hit a run of difficult fixtures at a crunch time of the season, and weren't good enough against the top sides. The only one of those results that could be considered a result to get you relegated was the Morecambe one.

It's so easy to simply look at the numbers and make statements without context (not directed at you @The mighty Aldo , a general observation). The hysteria on here is now becoming epic. Of course the start to the season has been shambolic, with glaring deficiencies remaining in the squad and a whole legion of foreseeable bodies on the treatment table. KR needs to step up and earn his corn PDQ, but the current witch-hunt isn't helping anyone.

Playing whoever, whenever is a pointless (no pun) way to lok at it. Over the full 46 games we were way off the play offs.