General The meeting Wednesday

[tonto]

It is the future with a few prem castoffs like Roofe Lundstram and scouting talent like whyte etc. Im not sure who does our scouting but they have done brilliantly another must keep.

 

[tonto]

Please God there is a productive positive meeting I think it will be the only way I can recover after last night. Karl payed respect to the fans I hope he does it with his actions ie stay and go again with renewed vigour.

 

[beyondthefourth]

We've managed to bag excellently talented players off the back of two relegation threatened seasons. I really hope despite the mass of big clubs in the division next season, that we use our 4th* place finish and much vaunted playing style to get the first pick of the PL academy drop-downs.

 

[tonto]

Its the same mass of big clubs next season minus coventry and rotheram nobody big coming down. Nothing to be scared of.

 

[Golden Dr Otto]

This set of players have got their rhythm now. Most are staying in place. They didn’t have great playoffs but they can keep their style and approach no singular player is pivotal if they leave and this lot can do big things. I’m excited for next season . Don’t overestimate a bunch of teams that couldn’t match us this season

 

[ttg17]

I think KR will be off. He's been making noises for a while now about not being backed. I think the first were in the post match interview in the defeat to Doncaster as far back as New Years Day, and since then there have been the angry comments after the Blackpool game (after the sale of Fosu and Baptiste), the post match interview after Accrington (I think) where he all but said his farewells (when he was linked with Blackpool), and now obviously Monday night. Wasn't there even a weird incident after one home game where he seemed to angrily gesture up at the directors box? I didn't hear the interview after Monday night, but it doesn't sound like the comments he made there can be dismissed as isolated or made in the heat of the moment. I get the sense that he loves being at the club and loves working with all elements of it, which he has done impressively (particularly during this lockdown period, as others have mentioned), but has a real friction with the owners. We obviously can't know or judge whether his gripes are reasonable or not, but his stock is incredibly high right now and with the offers I think he will inevitably be getting in the next few weeks, he will move on.

Which is a real, real shame - I think that in a post-Covid world of salary caps and reliance on homegrown youth players his ability to develop young players and to construct a side will be invaluable. I would also tentatively give him credit for canny recruitment, although I don't know how much of that side of the club's operations he is personally responsible for. I think if he does go, we will be in real trouble next year. If he stays, even if we lose Dickie and Brannagan, I have faith that he'll be able to lead us on a promotion charge again within three years.

 

[Golden Dr Otto]

He should look at the Michael Appleton story closely after he left . When you’re on a good thing the grass isn’t always greener

 

[m]

But there could well be a wage cap

Yes Bazzer, but that could work to our disadvantage.

If it's %turnover we'll be able to spend less than Portsmouth/Ipswich/Sunderland

We also have a higher rent than most.

And anyway, there's surely b****r-all chance of the EFL implementing this in the next 6 or 8 weeks and even less of forcing the clubs to immediately comply!

 

[Gary Baldi]

KR does a decent job of setting his stall out publically early on doesn't he? Let's see if that is his real position, or his negotiating one eh?

 

[Grumpy Git]

Managers can threaten to leave because of lack of funding, but do keep in mind, due to Covid, no money is coming in. So unless they are moving to some club backed by a billionaire, things won’t be much different.
If like tHe Huddersfield chairman said, 40 clubs could go bust, you‘ll also have 40 other managers and assistants looking for work.
I think he’ll stay put.

 

[mooro]

He should look at the Michael Appleton story closely after he left . When you’re on a good thing the grass isn’t always greener

Both parties should, it is worth noting that ainsworth is the longest serving EFL manager at present -

 

[QR]

He should look at the Michael Appleton story closely after he left . When you’re on a good thing the grass isn’t always greener

No but I would imagine it was more lucrative.

 

[outsidethebox]

Managers can threaten to leave because of lack of funding, but do keep in mind, due to Covid, no money is coming in. So unless they are moving to some club backed by a billionaire, things won’t be much different.
If like tHe Huddersfield chairman said, 40 clubs could go bust, you‘ll also have 40 other managers and assistants looking for work.
I think he’ll stay put.

If 4 of those 40 clubs are in the Championship does that mean we'll be promoted to make up the numbers ??

 

[Followtheox1]

Well one things certain. We are going to see the boards intentions during this transfer window. They will come under a lot of scrutiny too from the fans.

To be honest given the situation we and other clubs are in due to the pandemic, the main thing I care about is club survival. It's unrealistic to think that the owners should be providing guarantees on large playing budgets. So many unknowns about revenues etc. If we come out of this unscathed financially I will be happy, regardless of how we do next season.

 

[Essexyellows]

He should look at the Michael Appleton story closely after he left . When you’re on a good thing the grass isn’t always greener

Nice pay day from Leicester, think he got £1.5 million, took a year off went to West Brom for a bit, went to Lincoln on a 4 year deal and now being touted for Bristol City & Sheff Weds.
Add that his £1.5 million settlement with his knee surgeon and he`s not short of green grass.

 

[Manorlounger]

Promotion was never a given, getting as far as we did is more than was expected from this season. Bitterly disappointing to have fallen at the last hurdle, of course, but still an achievement that should encourage.
The board will have had plans for the next season as a League 1 side, KR will have had thoughts about what he wanted out of this season and to get as far we did has probably fuelled his ambitions (with OUFC or not is another question) Players will have had ambitions as well and for some those ambitions will inevitably mean moving on, it's the nature of football.
Todays meeting will sadly, be tainted by Covid-19 and the uncertainty of any kind of spectator sport in the near future. Whatever plans were in place for a continuance as a League 1 team will now have to be re-evaluated in terms of finance. Does the board want to throw money into a near bottomless pit in the hope of a resumption and another chance at getting promoted? Are they so enamoured with OUFC that they would wish to continue keeping the club afloat? Or, have all their plans been thwarted by the current situation?
I firmly believe that the time is right for a new stadium. The political climate is in favour of job creation and investment to encourage the economy. The board, to a large extent, have good funding and could profit from the present climate. But, they need a football club as the basis for that investment, let's all hope that OUFC is still that club.

 

[yellowbow]

To be honest given the situation we and other clubs are in due to the pandemic, the main thing I care about is club survival. It's unrealistic to think that the owners should be providing guarantees on large playing budgets. So many unknowns about revenues etc. If we come out of this unscathed financially I will be happy, regardless of how we do next season.

My feelings also. Lets just still have a professional football club to support when the dust has settled on this crappy situation. Robinson was obviously hurting immediately after that defeat. Hopefully he’ll see the situation more clearly by now and realise it’s not a time for personal gain and egos. That sounds harsher than I intended it to, I know he’s done a massive amount behind the scenes during this pandemic and worked selflessly. He only wants whats best for the club but is also ambitious and wants to be successful. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[Big Ronaldo]

Putting all of the ongoing financial implications of this COVID Season aside for a moment, One would hope that Karl might reign in the heavy demands for serious playing funds a little. For many clubs Including ours, this Winter could be a financial disaster. I could see Robbo moving on over it which would be a poor move for everyone.
While I would love to see us bring in top quality replacements for those who are moving on. I hope that we safeguard the future of the club within the confines of restricted Revenues.
If Karl cannot see the sense in that and decides to jump ship, then unfortunately we may need to find another manager who does.
Let common sense prevail please.

 

[m]

Let common sense prevail please.

Love the sentiment of your entire post but...

When has anything to do with football had any amount of common sense ever?!

 

[RyanioBirdio]

Putting all of the ongoing financial implications of this COVID Season aside for a moment, One would hope that Karl might reign in the heavy demands for serious playing funds a little. For many clubs Including ours, this Winter could be a financial disaster. I could see Robbo moving on over it which would be a poor move for everyone.
While I would love to see us bring in top quality replacements for those who are moving on. I hope that we safeguard the future of the club within the confines of restricted Revenues.
If Karl cannot see the sense in that and decides to jump ship, then unfortunately we may need to find another manager who does.
Let common sense prevail please.

Spot on. The club comes first, especially in this world of uncertainty and financial precariousness. If that doesn’t sit with the manager and he wants to move on, that’s up to him and is his right, but if it goes that way I don’t want to see any divisive nonsense from him which leaves behind a fan base that’s split between supporting him and sticking by the club. That doesn’t benefit Oxford United, and we’ve had enough “I need them to give me a reason to stay, I need them to show me they’re ambitious” shenanigans in the last year. Stay or go, but do it with dignity and respect. Michael Appleton left because he didn’t feel Oxford United was right for him anymore, and he did so without saying a word during the season and after he left he essentially went, “Thanks for everything, I wish you all the best, see you later.” A lot of people were disappointed, concerned, worried, frustrated etc, but it didn’t drive a wedge and it kept things as calm as they could be in the circumstances. I really don’t like the “will I, won’t I” approach that seems to have been in place in recent times, and I don’t think it’s in the best interests of the football club that it’s regularly hanging there. It might be good for ego and PR, but it isn’t the best thing for Oxford United. It’s not the way to go.

All I hope is that whatever meetings are had, whenever they are had, are kept private and that any outcome leads to the minimal amount of disruption. But I don’t think the immediate aftermath of a disappointing defeat, in the middle of an unprecedented pandemic, is a great time for change.