To go up we will need to beat one of Blackburn, Wigan or Shrewsbury in the playoffs. Can anyone seriously see that happening?
It does happen though, as often when you have 3 teams at the top fighting for automatic, the team missing out often then fails to make it through the playoffs.
Robinson is a rubbish football manager, it’s that simple. The squad we have should be top 3/4. I reckon there are plenty of managers out there who Could get us there just through changing tactics with no additions.
And he’s an annoying bastard.
You think so?
When other teams get physical (which at the end of the day is when we look our most vunerable) what do you suggest we do? Apart from bringing on a third centre back to add height I think we are hamstrung by the deficiencies of our squad. Too many small players, no physical types in midfield.
There are those who blame Karl for that, but there are plenty of you who think we've got a top three squad. Personally I think our squad is unbalanced and lightweight.
So who built this unbalanced and lightweight squad over the past three transfer windows?
Exactly, the manager built the unbalanced and lightweight squad. Therefore the manager is as responsible as the owner, as far as I'm concerned. RD did not back KR financially (or any previous encumbents) and on that basis he is equally "to blame". But nonetheless KR could have filled our squad with a good balance of smaller skillfull players and stronger taller players. A forward or two rather than a plethora of wingers, would have been prudent as well.
I think Robinson knows just how much we have underachieved this season. He knows how much he has too. At the end of the day, you look at the players we have and have had at times too this season and 90% of the league would be happy to sign many of these players.
I’ve spoken previously in my post on this thread before about the injuries and the swapping and changing, the lack of knowing what his best team is, the stubbornness to change. But ultimately he knows full well how much we have underperformed and underachieved.
And you know how I can tell he knows it? Look at every time he has been asked about progress on anything, whether that’s the takeover, the players, transfers, or our current league position and each time he answers the same thing. “I am so proud of how well my staff have done over the last 12 months. It’s been the hardest 12 months of my career in many ways. I’ve never experienced anything like this before. We are in a much better and stronger position than we were 12 months ago.”
Now yes, we are Robinson, and credit where credit is due, he has and the staff have had it tough under the circumstances they’ve been in. They have progressed us forward. But my goodness me, don’t think that makes everything okay. That’s the minimum expected. We couldn’t do much worse or get much lower than we were.
Fact is, since the end of October, we haven’t won enough games to sustain a strong promotion push. The inevitable happened and we couldn’t do anything about it but watch us fall away. There is still a good chance of us getting top 6 but anything less is disastrous and I think Robinson knows that too.
He said today that he loves this part of the season, it’s where we find out who is capable of being stood up and counted. Well, 13 games to go lads, it’ll be interesting to see if we have the balls to do just that...
Robinson is a rubbish football manager, it’s that simple. The squad we have should be top 3/4. I reckon there are plenty of managers out there who Could get us there just through changing tactics with no additions.
And he’s an annoying bastard.
You think so?
When other teams get physical (which at the end of the day is when we look our most vunerable) what do you suggest we do? Apart from bringing on a third centre back to add height I think we are hamstrung by the deficiencies of our squad. Too many small players, no physical types in midfield.
There are those who blame Karl for that, but there are plenty of you who think we've got a top three squad. Personally I think our squad is unbalanced and lightweight.
So who built this unbalanced and lightweight squad over the past three transfer windows?
Been through this before, as have others Ben, and I agree with @Danny Addick 's post above. He's had to beg, steal and borrow. I don't call building a squad with all due respect. He's been hamstrung all the way by our esteemed owner. He was chasing an aggressive midfielder for example, but they either cost money (surprise surprise) or they weren't interested in joining us.
Billy Clarke, Fosu, JF-C, Marshall, and Mavididi are all decent acquisitions under the circumstances. I don't think we had to fight off other clubs to sign them though.
But it's odds on he'll be sacked, and we'll never know what he might have done with backing. Although to be honest I've always said he should go if we don't make the playoffs.
Robinson is a rubbish football manager, it’s that simple. The squad we have should be top 3/4. I reckon there are plenty of managers out there who Could get us there just through changing tactics with no additions.
And he’s an annoying bastard.
You think so?
When other teams get physical (which at the end of the day is when we look our most vunerable) what do you suggest we do? Apart from bringing on a third centre back to add height I think we are hamstrung by the deficiencies of our squad. Too many small players, no physical types in midfield.
There are those who blame Karl for that, but there are plenty of you who think we've got a top three squad. Personally I think our squad is unbalanced and lightweight.
So who built this unbalanced and lightweight squad over the past three transfer windows?
Get out of that one Jimbo.
No problem pal. And not for the first time. I'm surprised more don't blame Roland for the fortunes of the club and the make up of the squad rather than the manager.
I don't think he has "built the squad." He has had almost no budget and beggars can't be choosey.
In the end, teams rise and fall on their ownership, not their manager. We are proof of that in one extreme and Chelsea are proof in the other direction.
Robinson is a rubbish football manager, it’s that simple. The squad we have should be top 3/4. I reckon there are plenty of managers out there who Could get us there just through changing tactics with no additions.
And he’s an annoying bastard.
You think so?
When other teams get physical (which at the end of the day is when we look our most vunerable) what do you suggest we do? Apart from bringing on a third centre back to add height I think we are hamstrung by the deficiencies of our squad. Too many small players, no physical types in midfield.
There are those who blame Karl for that, but there are plenty of you who think we've got a top three squad. Personally I think our squad is unbalanced and lightweight.
So who built this unbalanced and lightweight squad over the past three transfer windows?
Get out of that one Jimbo.
No problem pal. And not for the first time. I'm surprised more don't blame Roland for the fortunes of the club rather than the manager.
It's like Groundhog Day. Pretty much everyone blames RD. However, they also appreciate it is possible for more than one person to be at fault.
If having "worked in football" was a requirement for having a valid opinion then it would make sense to shut down this whole board.
The same illogic would be applied to not being able to comment on Trump unless you worked in US politics or about movies unless you worked in Hollywood.
The question is non sequitur.
No it was a serious question. I must be mixing you up with someone else who managed a youth team. I wasn't having a dig. All of us on here here prattle on as if we've experience working in the game when we haven't - it's half the fun.
Robinson is a rubbish football manager, it’s that simple. The squad we have should be top 3/4. I reckon there are plenty of managers out there who Could get us there just through changing tactics with no additions.
And he’s an annoying bastard.
You think so?
When other teams get physical (which at the end of the day is when we look our most vunerable) what do you suggest we do? Apart from bringing on a third centre back to add height I think we are hamstrung by the deficiencies of our squad. Too many small players, no physical types in midfield.
There are those who blame Karl for that, but there are plenty of you who think we've got a top three squad. Personally I think our squad is unbalanced and lightweight.
So who built this unbalanced and lightweight squad over the past three transfer windows?
Get out of that one Jimbo.
No problem pal. And not for the first time. I'm surprised more don't blame Roland for the fortunes of the club rather than the manager.
It's like Groundhog Day. Pretty much everyone blames RD. However, they also appreciate it is possible for more than one person to be at fault.
Agree, Duchatelet is the ultimate problem but Karl was quick to say how great Uncle Roland was when he was sacking DJs for him.
He also said how great Meire was.
He told us he had a great budget
He told us we had our Charlton back.
The only two things he didn't do was shut up or win games.
NOTHING is a secret in football. He took this job knowing full well what a cockwomble Roland was/is and if he did not suss what a waste of oxygen Katy was within 10 minutes of meeting, then he is also pretty naive.
So, welcome to the mad house Karl, what'ya gonna do about it? Well as it turns out, not much. I don't know about the rest of you, but I see no improvement in any aspect of the team and it is down to a number of the usual suspects above, including Karl Robinson. Football is a results business, Shrewsbury fucking Town!! don't make me laugh.
I think Robinson knows just how much we have underachieved this season. He knows how much he has too. At the end of the day, you look at the players we have and have had at times too this season and 90% of the league would be happy to sign many of these players.
I’ve spoken previously in my post on this thread before about the injuries and the swapping and changing, the lack of knowing what his best team is, the stubbornness to change. But ultimately he knows full well how much we have underperformed and underachieved.
And you know how I can tell he knows it? Look at every time he has been asked about progress on anything, whether that’s the takeover, the players, transfers, or our current league position and each time he answers the same thing. “I am so proud of how well my staff have done over the last 12 months. It’s been the hardest 12 months of my career in many ways. I’ve never experienced anything like this before. We are in a much better and stronger position than we were 12 months ago.”
Now yes, we are Robinson, and credit where credit is due, he has and the staff have had it tough under the circumstances they’ve been in. They have progressed us forward. But my goodness me, don’t think that makes everything okay. That’s the minimum expected. We couldn’t do much worse or get much lower than we were.
Fact is, since the end of October, we haven’t won enough games to sustain a strong promotion push. The inevitable happened and we couldn’t do anything about it but watch us fall away. There is still a good chance of us getting top 6 but anything less is disastrous and I think Robinson knows that too.
He said today that he loves this part of the season, it’s where we find out who is capable of being stood up and counted. Well, 13 games to go lads, it’ll be interesting to see if we have the balls to do just that...
Did any of them come in for our top players in the transfer window? I think there was a bid for Magennis, but don't remember any others.
I think these taller, stronger types that we need so much would have been more expensive, and therefore out of our reach.
I agree that anything less than top 6 is disastrous, but I think it would be unfair to only blame Robinson for that.
One other point, and I hate to say it..... but I think standards in League One are a bit better higher than they used to be. The trickle down effect of having so many top foreign imports in the Prem and the Championship has meant there are more half decent players in League One than before. Wigan and Rochdale's recent performances in the FA Cup have demonstrated that.
Robinson is a rubbish football manager, it’s that simple. The squad we have should be top 3/4. I reckon there are plenty of managers out there who Could get us there just through changing tactics with no additions.
And he’s an annoying bastard.
You think so?
When other teams get physical (which at the end of the day is when we look our most vunerable) what do you suggest we do? Apart from bringing on a third centre back to add height I think we are hamstrung by the deficiencies of our squad. Too many small players, no physical types in midfield.
There are those who blame Karl for that, but there are plenty of you who think we've got a top three squad. Personally I think our squad is unbalanced and lightweight.
So who built this unbalanced and lightweight squad over the past three transfer windows?
Get out of that one Jimbo.
No problem pal. And not for the first time. I'm surprised more don't blame Roland for the fortunes of the club rather than the manager.
It's like Groundhog Day. Pretty much everyone blames RD. However, they also appreciate it is possible for more than one person to be at fault.
Agree, Duchatelet is the ultimate problem but Karl was quick to say how great Uncle Roland was when he was sacking DJs for him.
He also said how great Meire was.
He told us he had a great budget
He told us we had our Charlton back.
The only two things he didn't do was shut up or win games.
Lots of exaggerations in there Ben.
And we wouldn't be where we are in the league without winning games.
But don't worry, I'm sure he'll be gone soon enough.
Robinson is a rubbish football manager, it’s that simple. The squad we have should be top 3/4. I reckon there are plenty of managers out there who Could get us there just through changing tactics with no additions.
And he’s an annoying bastard.
You think so?
When other teams get physical (which at the end of the day is when we look our most vunerable) what do you suggest we do? Apart from bringing on a third centre back to add height I think we are hamstrung by the deficiencies of our squad. Too many small players, no physical types in midfield.
There are those who blame Karl for that, but there are plenty of you who think we've got a top three squad. Personally I think our squad is unbalanced and lightweight.
So who built this unbalanced and lightweight squad over the past three transfer windows?
Get out of that one Jimbo.
No problem pal. And not for the first time. I'm surprised more don't blame Roland for the fortunes of the club rather than the manager.
It's like Groundhog Day. Pretty much everyone blames RD. However, they also appreciate it is possible for more than one person to be at fault.
Agree, Duchatelet is the ultimate problem but Karl was quick to say how great Uncle Roland was when he was sacking DJs for him.
He also said how great Meire was.
He told us he had a great budget
He told us we had our Charlton back.
The only two things he didn't do was shut up or win games.
I think that is crap to be honest. He said what was expected of him and so would any other manager who a) wanted a job b) wanted to keep their job
He has had bugger all funds to build the team he would have wanted and I think the players he has bought in are a lot better and younger. If he had recruited the players he wanted in January I have no doubt we would be in a much better position than we find ourselves.
Exactly who is the manager you think we could have reasonably recruited, that would have not followed the party line, who would have done a better job, and that Roland would have been prepared to recruit and pay for?
I think Robinson knows just how much we have underachieved this season. He knows how much he has too. At the end of the day, you look at the players we have and have had at times too this season and 90% of the league would be happy to sign many of these players.
I’ve spoken previously in my post on this thread before about the injuries and the swapping and changing, the lack of knowing what his best team is, the stubbornness to change. But ultimately he knows full well how much we have underperformed and underachieved.
And you know how I can tell he knows it? Look at every time he has been asked about progress on anything, whether that’s the takeover, the players, transfers, or our current league position and each time he answers the same thing. “I am so proud of how well my staff have done over the last 12 months. It’s been the hardest 12 months of my career in many ways. I’ve never experienced anything like this before. We are in a much better and stronger position than we were 12 months ago.”
Now yes, we are Robinson, and credit where credit is due, he has and the staff have had it tough under the circumstances they’ve been in. They have progressed us forward. But my goodness me, don’t think that makes everything okay. That’s the minimum expected. We couldn’t do much worse or get much lower than we were.
Fact is, since the end of October, we haven’t won enough games to sustain a strong promotion push. The inevitable happened and we couldn’t do anything about it but watch us fall away. There is still a good chance of us getting top 6 but anything less is disastrous and I think Robinson knows that too.
He said today that he loves this part of the season, it’s where we find out who is capable of being stood up and counted. Well, 13 games to go lads, it’ll be interesting to see if we have the balls to do just that...
Did any of them come in for our top players in the transfer window? I think there was a bid for Magennis, but don't remember any others.
I think these taller, stronger types that we need so much would have been more expensive, and therefore out of our reach.
I agree that anything less than top 6 is disastrous, but I think it would be unfair to only blame Robinson for that.
One other point, and I hate to say it..... but I think standards in League One are a bit better higher than they used to be. The trickle down effect of having so many top foreign imports in the Prem and the Championship has meant there are more half decent players in League One than before. Wigan and Rochdale's recent performances in the FA Cup have demonstrated that.
For a long time I have supported Robinson and as said last month, things changed for me once that Oxford game had been played and then Doncaster a week later. I saw something in us and in Robinson that was weak. That was fragile and that was too stubborn and ego-like to change it in the way we needed, and early enough. This is why I am now starting to blame Robinson, as prior to this and since, I’ve supported him more than many, and I want Roland out as much as any.
My point of 90% of the league would be happy to sign some of the players we have had and have this season is this... Amos has proved he is a good goalkeeper, especially for this level. Konsa is young and going to have a great future, wanted by teams higher in the pyramid. Pearce has experience of winning League One and is mainly solid. Dasilva is the best left back in this league, no arguments. Kashi has experience of playing in higher leagues and when he is good, would be an asset to any side in this league. Marshall was Bradford’s POTY last season. Holmes has been signed by Sheff Utd but was one of the more influential players in this division. Fosu is young but has been fantastic at times this season and will only get better. Magennis is a Northern Ireland international and was wanted by a Championship club in January.
That alone is a good handful of players we have had play for us this season that many would love to have. The point is, they’ve underachieved and that is what I was trying to get across when I originally made the point I did.
I do think over the years League One has got stronger and with better quality. The quality from above is slowly filtering down in some ways. However, do I think that Shrewsbury, Rotherham, Scunthorpe or Plymouth are as good as Sheffield United, Huddersfield, or Sheffield Wednesday when we got promoted? No. Do I think they’re as good as some of the teams like Southampton, Leeds and Norwich when they were down here with us? No I don’t. - the point is, they have overachieved because they’ve had excellent coaching and gone in with the right attitude and worked extremely hard. That brings consistency and results. We haven’t hit those heights for many reasons, but there can be no excuses when we just haven’t won enough games, nor been good enough throughout the season so far.
Whatever way we dress it up or down, this is crunch time and it’s now we will see what we are made of.
I hope Robinson stays to the end of the season and then the new owners will have to sort out the unbalanced squad. I think our best players so far this year have all been loanees - which is not a great sign. I love Curbs more with each passing year.
Robinson is a rubbish football manager, it’s that simple. The squad we have should be top 3/4. I reckon there are plenty of managers out there who Could get us there just through changing tactics with no additions.
And he’s an annoying bastard.
You think so?
When other teams get physical (which at the end of the day is when we look our most vunerable) what do you suggest we do? Apart from bringing on a third centre back to add height I think we are hamstrung by the deficiencies of our squad. Too many small players, no physical types in midfield.
There are those who blame Karl for that, but there are plenty of you who think we've got a top three squad. Personally I think our squad is unbalanced and lightweight.
So who built this unbalanced and lightweight squad over the past three transfer windows?
Get out of that one Jimbo.
No problem pal. And not for the first time. I'm surprised more don't blame Roland for the fortunes of the club rather than the manager.
It's like Groundhog Day. Pretty much everyone blames RD. However, they also appreciate it is possible for more than one person to be at fault.
Agree, Duchatelet is the ultimate problem but Karl was quick to say how great Uncle Roland was when he was sacking DJs for him.
He also said how great Meire was.
He told us he had a great budget
He told us we had our Charlton back.
The only two things he didn't do was shut up or win games.
Lots of exaggerations in there Ben.
And we wouldn't be where we are in the league without winning games.
But don't worry, I'm sure he'll be gone soon enough.
Do people genuinely believe that players are joining us cos we are the mighty Charlton The likes of Reeves Fosu and co will have signed for us because we can offer the best wages , you can bet your bottom dollar our wage bill is top 6 easily
Start of the season he promised goals, he went on about how his mk dons side scored over 100 goals. We’ve scored 43. 43 goals. 12 teams in this league have scored more than us. You can’t say things like this big yourself up and then fall so short and expect people to think you’ve done a good job.
Robinson is a rubbish football manager, it’s that simple. The squad we have should be top 3/4. I reckon there are plenty of managers out there who Could get us there just through changing tactics with no additions.
And he’s an annoying bastard.
You think so?
When other teams get physical (which at the end of the day is when we look our most vunerable) what do you suggest we do? Apart from bringing on a third centre back to add height I think we are hamstrung by the deficiencies of our squad. Too many small players, no physical types in midfield.
There are those who blame Karl for that, but there are plenty of you who think we've got a top three squad. Personally I think our squad is unbalanced and lightweight.
So who built this unbalanced and lightweight squad over the past three transfer windows?
Get out of that one Jimbo.
No problem pal. And not for the first time. I'm surprised more don't blame Roland for the fortunes of the club rather than the manager.
It's like Groundhog Day. Pretty much everyone blames RD. However, they also appreciate it is possible for more than one person to be at fault.
Agree, Duchatelet is the ultimate problem but Karl was quick to say how great Uncle Roland was when he was sacking DJs for him.
He also said how great Meire was.
He told us he had a great budget
He told us we had our Charlton back.
The only two things he didn't do was shut up or win games.
I think that is crap to be honest. He said what was expected of him and so would any other manager who a) wanted a job b) wanted to keep their job
He has had bugger all funds to build the team he would have wanted and I think the players he has bought in are a lot better and younger. If he had recruited the players he wanted in January I have no doubt we would be in a much better position than we find ourselves.
Exactly who is the manager you think we could have reasonably recruited, that would have not followed the party line, who would have done a better job, and that Roland would have been prepared to recruit and pay for?
Yes, my point exactly.
He said what the regime wanted him to say and was happy to do it. He even said his job was to do the talking that Meire wouldn't.
That's why they hired him despite being relegated behind Karel Fraeye's disaster team.
He was happy to say how great things were when they were in charge, what great backing he had, what a great budget they'd given him.
Now they are selling he's praising the fans, Murray, his coaches and telling everyone how tough he's had it.
He has one job, win games, and he hasn't done that often enough.
Other managers?
Paul Cook Paul Hurst Nathan Jones Jason Euell Kenny Jacket
Would they have taken the job under Roland? Most likely not but what does that say about Robinson?
I feel more charitable towards Robinson than most. I think he was naive to believe the guff he was fed, but in the early days carried a kind of innocent hope. I certainly think he believed he would get more backing regarding players than he got, and I don't believe he intended to disappoint (unlike the questionable motives of mr 'patient'). I do think that Karl is not experienced enough or rounded enough to meet all the footballing challenges, and he needs to concentrate on that rather than think he has to heal all areas of the club. From the beginning (and always and for all time) it should have been about the results and judging him by results it has been decidedly indifferent, judging him on the wider areas of his role he has not been the wicked witch of the west, but rather as I said, naive. I have even been pleasantly diverted by the fact we have even had a manager for more than five minutes and it has been possible to contemplate his football philosophy for a while. There was never time to really assess the managers that preceded him under this regime. At least even if you disagree with him, Robinson is a football person that one can reflect about rather than something that whizzes past the corner of your eye.
Robinson is a rubbish football manager, it’s that simple. The squad we have should be top 3/4. I reckon there are plenty of managers out there who Could get us there just through changing tactics with no additions.
And he’s an annoying bastard.
You think so?
When other teams get physical (which at the end of the day is when we look our most vunerable) what do you suggest we do? Apart from bringing on a third centre back to add height I think we are hamstrung by the deficiencies of our squad. Too many small players, no physical types in midfield.
There are those who blame Karl for that, but there are plenty of you who think we've got a top three squad. Personally I think our squad is unbalanced and lightweight.
So who built this unbalanced and lightweight squad over the past three transfer windows?
Get out of that one Jimbo.
No problem pal. And not for the first time. I'm surprised more don't blame Roland for the fortunes of the club rather than the manager.
It's like Groundhog Day. Pretty much everyone blames RD. However, they also appreciate it is possible for more than one person to be at fault.
Agree, Duchatelet is the ultimate problem but Karl was quick to say how great Uncle Roland was when he was sacking DJs for him.
He also said how great Meire was.
He told us he had a great budget
He told us we had our Charlton back.
The only two things he didn't do was shut up or win games.
I think that is crap to be honest. He said what was expected of him and so would any other manager who a) wanted a job b) wanted to keep their job
He has had bugger all funds to build the team he would have wanted and I think the players he has bought in are a lot better and younger. If he had recruited the players he wanted in January I have no doubt we would be in a much better position than we find ourselves.
Exactly who is the manager you think we could have reasonably recruited, that would have not followed the party line, who would have done a better job, and that Roland would have been prepared to recruit and pay for?
Yes, my point exactly.
He said what the regime wanted him to say and was happy to do it. He even said his job was to do the talking that Meire wouldn't.
That's why they hired him despite being relegated behind Karel Fraeye's disaster team.
He was happy to say how great things were when they were in charge, what great backing he had, what a great budget they'd given him.
Now they are selling he's praising the fans, Murray, his coaches and telling everyone how tough he's had it.
He has one job, win games, and he hasn't done that often enough.
Other managers?
Paul Cook Paul Hurst Nathan Jones Jason Euell Kenny Jacket
Would they have taken the job under Roland? Most likely not but what does that say about Robinson?
Did any of those apply for the job? Let’s keep it real.
What it says about Robinson is that he was probably the best candidate for the job.
I think we can also reasonably deduce that he was given assurances that turned out to be lies and that he was given further assurances for the January window which were not honoured. That would have happened to whoever took the job, because if they didn’t believe it - they would not take the job. Certainly not the managers on your list!
He may be gullible, arrogant, plain stupid, or a combination of all three. But cast your mind back to the ageing midfield we had pre Robbo. I think we are in a better place as a team and a club and he deserves some credit.
If having "worked in football" was a requirement for having a valid opinion then it would make sense to shut down this whole board.
The same illogic would be applied to not being able to comment on Trump unless you worked in US politics or about movies unless you worked in Hollywood.
The question is non sequitur.
No it was a serious question. I must be mixing you up with someone else who managed a youth team. I wasn't having a dig. All of us on here here prattle on as if we've experience working in the game when we haven't - it's half the fun.
My sole experience in football is thinking that CAFC might be worth £77.5M. Which is not a great way to get job offers in the business side of football.
Comments
Therefore the manager is as responsible as the owner, as far as I'm concerned.
RD did not back KR financially (or any previous encumbents) and on that basis he is equally "to blame".
But nonetheless KR could have filled our squad with a good balance of smaller skillfull players and stronger taller players.
A forward or two rather than a plethora of wingers, would have been prudent as well.
I’ve spoken previously in my post on this thread before about the injuries and the swapping and changing, the lack of knowing what his best team is, the stubbornness to change. But ultimately he knows full well how much we have underperformed and underachieved.
And you know how I can tell he knows it? Look at every time he has been asked about progress on anything, whether that’s the takeover, the players, transfers, or our current league position and each time he answers the same thing. “I am so proud of how well my staff have done over the last 12 months. It’s been the hardest 12 months of my career in many ways. I’ve never experienced anything like this before. We are in a much better and stronger position than we were 12 months ago.”
Now yes, we are Robinson, and credit where credit is due, he has and the staff have had it tough under the circumstances they’ve been in. They have progressed us forward. But my goodness me, don’t think that makes everything okay. That’s the minimum expected. We couldn’t do much worse or get much lower than we were.
Fact is, since the end of October, we haven’t won enough games to sustain a strong promotion push. The inevitable happened and we couldn’t do anything about it but watch us fall away. There is still a good chance of us getting top 6 but anything less is disastrous and I think Robinson knows that too.
He said today that he loves this part of the season, it’s where we find out who is capable of being stood up and counted. Well, 13 games to go lads, it’ll be interesting to see if we have the balls to do just that...
He's had to beg, steal and borrow. I don't call building a squad with all due respect. He's been hamstrung all the way by our esteemed owner. He was chasing an aggressive midfielder for example, but they either cost money (surprise surprise) or they weren't interested in joining us.
Billy Clarke, Fosu, JF-C, Marshall, and Mavididi are all decent acquisitions under the circumstances. I don't think we had to fight off other clubs to sign them though.
But it's odds on he'll be sacked, and we'll never know what he might have done with backing. Although to be honest I've always said he should go if we don't make the playoffs.
Shit at tactics
Shit formations
Shit substitutions
Just shit basically
New owners and a new manager please then we can start believing again.
In the end, teams rise and fall on their ownership, not their manager. We are proof of that in one extreme and Chelsea are proof in the other direction.
However, they also appreciate it is possible for more than one person to be at fault.
He also said how great Meire was.
He told us he had a great budget
He told us we had our Charlton back.
The only two things he didn't do was shut up or win games.
So, welcome to the mad house Karl, what'ya gonna do about it? Well as it turns out, not much. I don't know about the rest of you, but I see no improvement in any aspect of the team and it is down to a number of the usual suspects above, including Karl Robinson. Football is a results business, Shrewsbury fucking Town!! don't make me laugh.
Time to go, you had your shake Karl.
Agree, Duchatelet is the ultimate problem but Karl was quick to say how great Uncle Roland was when he was sacking DJs for him.
He also said how great Meire was.
He told us he had a great budget
He told us we had our Charlton back.
The only two things he didn't do was shut up or win games.
This 100%
I think these taller, stronger types that we need so much would have been more expensive, and therefore out of our reach.
I agree that anything less than top 6 is disastrous, but I think it would be unfair to only blame Robinson for that.
One other point, and I hate to say it..... but I think standards in League One are a bit better higher than they used to be. The trickle down effect of having so many top foreign imports in the Prem and the Championship has meant there are more half decent players in League One than before. Wigan and Rochdale's recent performances in the FA Cup have demonstrated that.
And we wouldn't be where we are in the league without winning games.
But don't worry, I'm sure he'll be gone soon enough.
a) wanted a job
b) wanted to keep their job
He has had bugger all funds to build the team he would have wanted and I think the players he has bought in are a lot better and younger. If he had recruited the players he wanted in January I have no doubt we would be in a much better position than we find ourselves.
Exactly who is the manager you think we could have reasonably recruited, that would have not followed the party line, who would have done a better job, and that Roland would have been prepared to recruit and pay for?
My point of 90% of the league would be happy to sign some of the players we have had and have this season is this... Amos has proved he is a good goalkeeper, especially for this level. Konsa is young and going to have a great future, wanted by teams higher in the pyramid. Pearce has experience of winning League One and is mainly solid. Dasilva is the best left back in this league, no arguments. Kashi has experience of playing in higher leagues and when he is good, would be an asset to any side in this league. Marshall was Bradford’s POTY last season. Holmes has been signed by Sheff Utd but was one of the more influential players in this division. Fosu is young but has been fantastic at times this season and will only get better. Magennis is a Northern Ireland international and was wanted by a Championship club in January.
That alone is a good handful of players we have had play for us this season that many would love to have. The point is, they’ve underachieved and that is what I was trying to get across when I originally made the point I did.
I do think over the years League One has got stronger and with better quality. The quality from above is slowly filtering down in some ways. However, do I think that Shrewsbury, Rotherham, Scunthorpe or Plymouth are as good as Sheffield United, Huddersfield, or Sheffield Wednesday when we got promoted? No. Do I think they’re as good as some of the teams like Southampton, Leeds and Norwich when they were down here with us? No I don’t. - the point is, they have overachieved because they’ve had excellent coaching and gone in with the right attitude and worked extremely hard. That brings consistency and results. We haven’t hit those heights for many reasons, but there can be no excuses when we just haven’t won enough games, nor been good enough throughout the season so far.
Whatever way we dress it up or down, this is crunch time and it’s now we will see what we are made of.
The likes of Reeves Fosu and co will have signed for us because we can offer the best wages , you can bet your bottom dollar our wage bill is top 6 easily
He said what the regime wanted him to say and was happy to do it. He even said his job was to do the talking that Meire wouldn't.
That's why they hired him despite being relegated behind Karel Fraeye's disaster team.
He was happy to say how great things were when they were in charge, what great backing he had, what a great budget they'd given him.
Now they are selling he's praising the fans, Murray, his coaches and telling everyone how tough he's had it.
He has one job, win games, and he hasn't done that often enough.
Other managers?
Paul Cook
Paul Hurst
Nathan Jones
Jason Euell
Kenny Jacket
Would they have taken the job under Roland? Most likely not but what does that say about Robinson?
His tactics are limited but bloody hell what do people expect to manage Charlton Athletic
From my perspective it’s always been about the end of the season result, if we are out of the top 6 he goes and if we get in there who knows
I honestly don’t think there is much better out there than our favourite scouser get on with it
I think he was naive to believe the guff he was fed, but in the early days carried a kind of innocent hope. I certainly think he believed he would get more backing regarding players than he got, and I don't believe he intended to disappoint (unlike the questionable motives of mr 'patient').
I do think that Karl is not experienced enough or rounded enough to meet all the footballing challenges, and he needs to concentrate on that rather than think he has to heal all areas of the club. From the beginning (and always and for all time) it should have been about the results and judging him by results it has been decidedly indifferent, judging him on the wider areas of his role he has not been the wicked witch of the west, but rather as I said, naive.
I have even been pleasantly diverted by the fact we have even had a manager for more than five minutes and it has been possible to contemplate his football philosophy for a while. There was never time to really assess the managers that preceded him under this regime. At least even if you disagree with him, Robinson is a football person that one can reflect about rather than something that whizzes past the corner of your eye.
Yes, it's about the end of the season.
If he gets us promoted he's done his job, if not he's failed.
There are half a dozen managers doing a better job than him in league one at least.
But I want us to have a good manager, not just a likeable manager.
What it says about Robinson is that he was probably the best candidate for the job.
I think we can also reasonably deduce that he was given assurances that turned out to be lies and that he was given further assurances for the January window which were not honoured. That would have happened to whoever took the job, because if they didn’t believe it - they would not take the job. Certainly not the managers on your list!
He may be gullible, arrogant, plain stupid, or a combination of all three. But cast your mind back to the ageing midfield we had pre Robbo. I think we are in a better place as a team and a club and he deserves some credit.