In terms of his working environment Mr Robinson has done a job. As per Slade his industry contacts/ experience has allowed the club to trade as a professional football club over the past 12 months
To his credit the players enjoyed the first proper pre-season in years. It was an OK close season in dealing with a number of legacy issues though the final day of the transfer window was lunacy. That one day could have cost us promotion.
Exceptionally he has been the ONLY club spokesman. In large part he has operated in a vacuum. No matter his verbose undisciplined style leaves him as a permanent hostage to fortune his job is to deliver results.
The club is still competing for a play off position. Unless you have an exceptional candidate to replace him, it is enough to allow him the chance to finish the job.
In such terms how many were surprised by the Oxford, Doncaster and Bradford results? Do they not fit into a pattern we have seen through the season?
Once again there are positives on show. We see creativity, we see mobility, we see technical ability, we see hard work. With the ball we have the "potential" to be a very good side but invariably fall short as there is too little end product.
How many clear scoring opportunities do we create week in week out?
The ambition appears to focus on playing attractive, high tempo, passing football on the assumption goals will come. They will not unless you have the right personnel to exploit it to hurt other sides, build confidence and secure consistent results.
We simply do not hurt other sides.
I recall in my youth playing a Penhill Standard team who passed my side off the park. Brilliantly drilled we could not get near the ball for 70% of the game. We won 2-0. We later played a Lucien Masiello (AWOL from his Italian club) coached Catford team. It was the same. We drew 0-0.
Equally as good as you can be with the ball you have to mirror such performance without the ball. It requires balance, discipline, shape, physicality, game management & leadership.
On any given day we are able to produce a team with the technical ability to beat anyone in League 1. We do not have a squad able to do so on a sufficiently consistent basis to secure a promotion. Mr Robinson seems to have built a team not a squad.
Much is made of our injury misfortunes, with KR now "worrying" over Fosu, but no "team" ever wins a promotion. A squad of players competing for their position wins you promotion. Half of this team do not have to compete for their positions.
Amos, Solly, Dasilva, Forster-Caskey, Kashi and Magennis have had no competition for their positions. Only Ahearne-Grant and Aribo have been given half chances to compete. It is not enough. We have competition at Centre Back and in the 3 attacking midfield positions.
We made much about bringing in players to freshen the team. Mavididi, Kaikai, Zyro, Ajose, add to the numbers but other than a last throw of the dice do we use them add to the options and strengthen areas where we are deficient?
As at 31 Jan we had the chance to relaunch a squad for an 18 game season to secure promotion or a play off spot. We have dropped 7pts out of 9.
I am troubled by the frequency of certain players seemingly physically unable to complete a game. It is a built in redundancy which guarantees you automatically have to bring in, often unhelpful, changes.
Why are we always falling away late in games? Is it fatigue? Are the demands of a high tempo, pressing passing game in a physically demanding division simply too much to maintain for 90 minutes? Is the gamble every game to score enough when we are on top and then hang on for grim death?
To keep working to the same pattern with largely the same players and expecting a different end product is the definition of no plan B.
Players get injured. Players lose form. Players become stale. Players become complacent. These are not unique challenges. Every team in every team sport suffers the same issues. You can accept the consequences, shrug your shoulders, and endlessly commiserate with everybody, including yourself, or you can manage them.
We have been unlucky with injuries in central defence but do we adjust the system to protect the spine of the team. Against Oxford we probably played our 7th choice combination in central defence. Did we adjust to protect them?
We lost because it took until late in the game for Oxford to change their pattern of play to truly test the back four. They changed because they were losing and had nothing to lose. Teams do that. We could not respond. We were found out.
I like Forster-Caskey and Kashi. They are compact, mobile, normally industrious and technically able tidy midfielders. Would I employ either to protect the back four? No. If Dasilva is to provide a key attacking threat is either Kashi or Forster Caskey ideally suited to drop into the back four to cover? Both are well able to "put their foot in" which whilst welcome does not a defensive midfielder make. Where is the physicality so badly needed in League 1?
I could ask the same question of the entire squad.
If players offer value but have their challenges you adapt the system to meet those challenges not plough on regardless. If the CB's are not consistently strong enough you bolster their protection. If you do not have natural personnel to do that then you numerically strengthen the spine and shape of the team.
The 4-2-3-1 system as the standard template has to go, not by asking players recruited to play such a system to change but by playing players naturally suited to another pattern of play. We have to play a central defensive midfield player be that Djiksteel or Aribo (or Diarra). Someone has to protect the back four.
We face the physical challenge of two diminutive full backs, both on their day are excellent players but it will be default for opposing sides to seek to isolate them for any aerial threat. I greatly admire Solly but at the moment he has lost a yard and is struggling.
If Pearce is fit Konsa would be my the first choice right back alongside Bauer, Pearce, Dasilva. A central midfield 3 comes from Forster-Caskey, Kashi, Aribo, Dkijsteel, Jackson, (or maybe Diarra)
Marshall, Kaikai, Fosu then compete for a wide midfield position with Mavididi (when fit), Zyro, Magennis, Ajose, Kaikai competing for 2 central striking positions.
Reeves for all his technically ability appears to be a luxury we can ill afford. When he plays he has to hurt the opposition. He doesn't.
We have the players to make a decent fist of it. With the ball we have the makings of a very decent side. Without we do not. We have zero game management and precious few leadership skills.
We and I suggest Robinson still have 15 games left to make something happen. Simply plugging and playing into the same system will not work. The "can't win" substitutions of the last few games have confirmed it.
I liked how Penhill Standard & Catford tried to play. I like how Robinson is trying to play. Will it secure a play off spot and promotion? Unless there is a magic switch for everything to suddenly fall into place the answer is no.
His style is not to my liking and I do not agree with half of his decisions but the job is his to lose. It is his squad. Can he and they be enough? We need him and them to take this opportunity to seize the prize.
Out of respect for the conditions he has worked under I suggest it is beholden on us to support him and his players efforts to do just that. The end results to our season will play into our, their and his future.
There will be time enough, for everybody, to review the next steps at a later stage.
Why say something in 10 words when you can use 1000!
Would like to give Karl the opportunity to see the job through. However, if we find ourselves still in League one with the new owners next season, I feel a fresh start would be good for all concerned. Maybe the Cowley brothers at Lincoln? They would love it, being closer to their roots in Essex. They have a wonderful work ethic, have done wonders as they've progressed with Concord Rangers, Braintree Town and Lincoln City. It would be great if someone like them was to buy into the dream of taking this great club of ours back to the Premiership.
Graham Potter at FC Osterstund would be worth a look. Done wonders in Europa league. English manager although linked with prem clubs. Maybe could be tempted by a project if new owners throw money at it
Fire him as and when we're out of playoff contention. But until that...he gets the season
I agree with you Leuth pointless sacking him right now. But the only way I would keep him on after this season is if we get promotion. It would be very harsh to sack a manager who gets a team promoted. But as I believe he has no chance of achieving that then his time is almost up.
Graham Potter at FC Osterstund would be worth a look. Done wonders in Europa league. English manager although linked with prem clubs. Maybe could be tempted by a project if new owners throw money at it
From what I hear he’s extremely happy and settled at osterstund. So it would have to be a big offer to get him.
Graham Potter at FC Osterstund would be worth a look. Done wonders in Europa league. English manager although linked with prem clubs. Maybe could be tempted by a project if new owners throw money at it
From what I hear he’s extremely happy and settled at osterstund. So it would have to be a big offer to get him.
He put his name forward for the Stoke job
Really looking forward to that game tomorrow - They wont be able to comphrend yet the Arsenal fans will implode if they dont win comfortable... Reckon they think they're facing a Non-League level side
To what extent is the squad Karl’s squad. He helped out the regime (and us I guess) by rigorously pruning the one he inherited, and he’s brought in four (?) players and some loanees. He’s done that without spending much at all.
But I think he’d probably claim that given some financial backing his squad might be stronger - hopefully physically as well as in terms of depth. He has said he lacks an athletic/strong midfielder.
I’m not really sure that it’s 100% Karl’s squad is it?
Either way he should probably getting more wins out of them.
If Robinson gets us promoted with this squad it will be nothing short of a miracle.
Our defence is shocking as are our options up front.
Our squad is easily amongst the 3-4 best in the division. Certainly better than Shrewsbury and Scunthorpe, not to mention in the summer we signed 2 of Bradford's best players from last year and they're still above us!
Have you watched much league one footy outside of Charlton? Shrewsbury have got an excellent defence, far better than ours. Scunny are overall probably even with us.
I would say we have three or four players who are good enough to get us out of this league.
How many of our current players, excluding loans would have got in to Powell's league winning team? My opinion is two! Pearce for Taylor and Fosu for Green/Wagstaff.
It was an odd choice to bring in two additional wide men on loan. It's clear that is not what we are lacking....
It's a shame, because if Robinson had been given some dosh to spend I think he'd got us out of this league.
They're performing better than us, there's no doubt about that. But the point is about the overall squad. Our squad is (on paper) way better than Shrewsbury! We have internationals, youth internationals, guys with experience in much higher divisions. Shrewsbury's squad (aside from their loan players) are almost all from the lower leagues and non league.
Unfortunately for your argument they have players brought in from Man Utd, Swansea and Burnley (Prem) and from Reading, Wolves, Derby, Sheffield Utd, Barnsley and two from Norwich (Championship). They have loan players, the same as we do @Chris_from_Sidcup
Might be an idea to save the anti Robbo stuff until the end of the season.
Shrewsbury’s defence is ‘better’ than ours because they have a manager and coaching team that organises them brilliantly. Man for man they are not better than ours, but collectively they are.
They also score plenty of late goals to WIN games. Another sign of good management and team mentality. In the last 15 minutes of games this season Shrewsbury and us have both scored 10 goals, but they’ve conceded 4. We’ve conceded 14!
Agreed. The fact that they score late in games so often speaks volumes for their mentality. I bet when they go a goal up they continue to press forward. I’m looking forward to seeing them on the 24th. A Polish friend is coming to the game because he wants to see Zyro. I hope he isn’t disappointed.
"Robinson was left upset by a number of refereeing decisions as his side conceded twice in the final three minutes to draw 3-3 at home to Bristol Rovers in League One on Tuesday."
A Robinson side conceding late goals and throwing victory away............well i'm shocked.
If by some miracle we get into the playoffs and the other mangers are out thought by the in game genius of Robinson and we get promoted. We can then look forward to a Championship season with a manager who finish below a Charlton side managed by Guy Luzon, Karl Fraeye, and Jose Riga. He has to go as soon as take over takes place.
Comments
Great post as always
I reckon he's here until new owners come in. I've been wrong many times before though!
But the only way I would keep him on after this season is if we get promotion.
It would be very harsh to sack a manager who gets a team promoted.
But as I believe he has no chance of achieving that then his time is almost up.
Don't quote Grapevine?
Just say 'great post grapevine.'
We'll know what you mean.
Really looking forward to that game tomorrow - They wont be able to comphrend yet the Arsenal fans will implode if they dont win comfortable... Reckon they think they're facing a Non-League level side
He’s done that without spending much at all.
But I think he’d probably claim that given some financial backing his squad might be stronger - hopefully physically as well as in terms of depth. He has said he lacks an athletic/strong midfielder.
I’m not really sure that it’s 100% Karl’s squad is it?
Either way he should probably getting more wins out of them. Agreed. The fact that they score late in games so often speaks volumes for their mentality. I bet when they go a goal up they continue to press forward.
I’m looking forward to seeing them on the 24th.
A Polish friend is coming to the game because he wants to see Zyro. I hope he isn’t disappointed.
A Robinson side conceding late goals and throwing victory away............well i'm shocked.
He's been "disgusted with the way certain clubs and individuals have conducted themselves" at the end of transfer windows for both us and MK.
I find him insufferable. A clueless oaf talking bollocks to anyone who'll listen, and that's before you start analysing his tactical ineptitude.