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- 5 Dec 2017
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KR said he is having a meeting Wednesday (tomorrow) is this with the board, to discuss players to release and go through funds for the upcoming season?
It's his second or third full volley into the board's court this season. There is only so long that continue to happen before one party backs off and the whole things breaksdown.
He didn’t jump when his stock was high at MK and has been in L1 as a manager ever since. After a playoff final and some high profile cup exploits he’s in the public eye again. He knows that. His public a**e wiggling in February and his constant public tensions with the board are the markings of a man who understands that football is all about tactics and timing, and knowing when and how to jump between platforms. He has to decide whether he twists where in the past he has stuck. He’s at a crossroads where his stock is relatively high.Karl just needs to be realistic, the board aren't going to splash the cash in the middle of a pandemic with little income coming in. If he cannot accept that then its time to go back to basics.
I suspect you are preaching to the converted here. We have supported the club through good times (and although it doesn't seem like it this morning, this season has been one of those!) and bad, through decent managers and dreadful ones, good owners and very bad ones, in Division 1 and in the Conference. No reason for us to stop now.My advice to anyone and everyone: support the club, regardless of what happens with the manager, coaches or anyone else in the weeks ahead.
"Some of us are not going to be here" rather than some of them
I think Karl Robinson is different from your typical lower league manager. He immerses himself in all aspects of the club, and off the pitch has supported the development of the youth set up and improved community links. I believe he genuinely cares for the players in all age groups, and they have good relationships with him. He gets the best out of them and we've had a number of players who have developed and significantly increased their value during his time at the club. Off the field, Karl was talking to fans during the lockdown period and offered support to those who lost family members. On the pitch he has put together a squad that has finished in our highest league position this century and give us some great nights in the cup.
Of course he could just up and leave, or we could have a dreadful start and gets the boot. That's football! But I think that we need to recognise that a like for like replacement is far from guaranteed. We've been lucky with Wilder, Appleton and Robinson, but there is always a chance we could get the next Pep!
If the board are serious about our success (and I think they are!) then we need to invest in both the playing squad and the management and keep this group together, including KR.
Is there much of a retained list to wait for? Mackie maybe, who else meaningful is OOC? Surely Thorne has goneI'll echo what others have said - if KR is going into the board room demanding to know his budgets for next season and trying to push for more, he'll get little in reply. If he moves on, he'll have the same conversation in the board room of his new club too. Nobody knows what can be offered until the season is done completely and the lay of the land is known for the 2020-21 season.
He's cleverer than that though. What I think we will see tomorrow or in the coming days is the retained, released and transfer listed list which would have been drawn up over the last few months, the movement towards securing contracts with players we may have already spoken to (Joel Cooper perhaps), contract extensions, the inevitable sale of Dickie and Brannagan and a debrief on the game.
Is there much of a retained list to wait for? Mackie maybe, who else meaningful is OOC? Surely Thorne has gone
Much as I think Mackie is an amusing character and probably 'good in the dressing room', surely we have to spend money on players who are able to make a big difference on the pitch? If we are keeping Mous on as a player/coach, we don't need two of them.
I'd also want some pretty solid medical reports before making an offer to Taylor as well. If he is expensive then you have to factor in how much he is able to play, and add in the cost of a main striker who will be effective when Taylor is recovering.