Karl Robinson

[Revolution]

Sothall_Blade, and credit to their board, whatever the reasons for Robinson's length of stay at MKDs, patience may, one day, return to fashion in the minds of those who can't conceive of anything other than now, now, now!

Weve been waiting for a promotion for 8 seasons. The club has blown several great chances at promotion in this period. You make us sound like Man U fans.

 

[itsinyerblood]

Mike Ashley understands things perfectly well. He makes a lot of money out of Newcastle. That's his primary aim. And he is anything but short term in his outlook.

And if that intent is multiplied on a grand scale by those who have no interest in the supporters and their club's relative success, then football will reach levels of detached cynicism not contemplated as yet. The impact this might have on it's fan-base could be irrevocable.

 

[itsinyerblood]

Weve been waiting for a promotion for 8 seasons. The club has blown several great chances at promotion in this period. You make us sound like Man U fans.

I do wish that a post or posts were read correctly. Please show where there's any suggestion that we're anything other than a club with a decent sized crowd currently residing in Division 1? If you choose to interpret this with a view that we're far bigger than we actually are then lead the way.

 

[Sothall_Blade]

Think MKD was a different project to us. They were a "new" club working to establish and build a fan base etc during his 5 yr tenure.

We are a totally different project in that we are an established club with a big following, have financial backing in place, extensive facilities, academy producing young talent etc. Robinson will flourish quickly here

Their average attendances have been 8500, 8659, 8612, 9047 and 9542 putting them consistently 6th in the average attendance table.
They finished 12th the season before he took over and 3rd the season before that.
So basically it took him four years to add 500 to the fan base and climb 2 places. I.e. He failed.
(N.b. Their average attendance was 10290 before he took over so they're still below that now).
He wouldn't have reached his successful fifth year at United. We don't do long-term plans it has to be instant promotion or out.

 

[Revolution]

I do wish that a post or posts were read correctly. Please show where there's any suggestion that we're anything other than a club with a decent sized crowd currently residing in Division 1? If you choose to interpret this with a view that we're far bigger than we actually are then lead the way.

You miss my point. You are critical of those who want promotion now. With our resources, this should be our goal every third tier season IMHO.

 

[Davie Blade]

1) Clough pledged to introduce a more expansive style
2) The pre-season friendly schedule has been finalised
3) He was due to have talks with two potential signings from Preston/Swindon later this week
4) Clough did not expect to be sacked
5) Clough admitted the absence of a regular centre-half contributed to the play-off defeat

Those are interesting titbits of information, which somebody "close to the first team squad" has apparently discussed with Shield.
Whether you choose to believe them or not seems to depend entirely on how much you dislike Nigel Clough.

Meanwhile, some random bloke on Twitter is "compulsory reading" because he calls Clough a few names and exclusively reveals "Clough was sacked because he stubbornly refused to change".

I know which version of the truth has more substance behind it.

Dreary me
A complete non story,
Recycled padded out crap that was already known about.
If you take the 'tit bit' that agents from from either Swindon or Preston are getting a phone call equate to a headline that warranted a BLADES BUST UP CALL REFUTED title, good luck.

 

[itsinyerblood]

You miss my point. You are critical of those who want promotion now. With our resources, this should be our goal every third tier season IMHO.

Again Rev, please identify where I'm critical of those who want promotion now??? I'd love to get out of this poxy division as soon as possible, so I'm hardly likely to be critical of those who share that wish? What I have said is that when a new manager is appointed the probability remains that he'll need time, a minimum of two to three seasons to get the team he wants, shape them in his vision, and then.....of course, if this can achieved sooner do you honestly think I'd complain?

 

[Blade56]

So basically it took him four years to add 500 to the fan base and climb 2 places. I.e. He failed.
(

To put it another way he could only piss with the cock he was given, even with those limitations he succeeded

 

[Davie Blade]

Their average attendances have been 8500, 8659, 8612, 9047 and 9542 putting them consistently 6th in the average attendance table.
They finished 12th the season before he took over and 3rd the season before that.
So basically it took him four years to add 500 to the fan base and climb 2 places. I.e. He failed.
(N.b. Their average attendance was 10290 before he took over so they're still below that now).
He wouldn't have reached his successful fifth year at United. We don't do long-term plans it has to be instant promotion or out.

This is just embarrassing.
Some really myopic stuff.

Easy to forget that MKD started with virtually nothing.
No ground,no infrastructure, no academy no Under 21., no scouting system.

A manager who has been there for half of its history. .
A manager who in 4 years spent £100k on players and made £4.5million on transfers.
A potential future manager who just this got a team promoted with 91 points and 101 goals is slagged off and labelled a failure


Only in S2?

 

[Sothall_Blade]

This is just embarrassing.
Some really myopic stuff.

Easy to forget that MKD started with virtually nothing.
No ground,no infrastructure, no academy no Under 21., no scouting system.

A manager who has been there for half of its history. .
A manager who in 4 years spent £100k on players and made £4.5million on transfers.
A potential future manager who just this got a team promoted with 91 points and 101 goals is slagged off and labelled a failure


Only in S2?

I’ve got nothing against Robinson.
I’m making the point that he wouldn’t have been given four years of glacial progress at most clubs. Certainly not at United.
If he gets the job, I will watch with interest to see how long it is before you (and others) turn against him.

It’s "embarrassing" for you to imply that MK Dons had nothing when Robinson took over.
They had 10,000+ crowds in the MK Bowl and finished 3rd in the League a couple of years before.
Where do you get £100K from. McFadzean alone cost £400K. Why exaggerate?

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

Oh dear, I wish I hadn't taken the job of Education Officer on this forum.

Bloody hell, Pinchers.

Two years ago you predicted David Weir to take us up as champions.

How the fuck did you get the job as Education Officer?

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Bloody hell, Pinchers.

Two years ago you predicted David Weir to take us up as champions.

How the fuck did you get the job as Education Officer?

Superblade, he gets most appointments wrong.

 

[Darren]

Again Rev, please identify where I'm critical of those who want promotion now??? I'd love to get out of this poxy division as soon as possible, so I'm hardly likely to be critical of those who share that wish? What I have said is that when a new manager is appointed the probability remains that he'll need time, a minimum of two to three seasons to get the team he wants, shape them in his vision, and then.....of course, if this can achieved sooner do you honestly think I'd complain?

If any potential manager says in interview that he needs 2-3 years to get us promoted, I would end the interview then and show him the door.

Any decent manager should be able to get a club with SUFC's resources out of the 3rd Division. We can tolerate near misses, but saying that we should not even be seriously aiming for promotion is ludicrous.

 

[itsinyerblood]

If any potential manager says in interview that he needs 2-3 years to get us promoted, I would end the interview then and show him the door.

Any decent manager should be able to get a club with SUFC's resources out of the 3rd Division. We can tolerate near misses, but saying that we should not even be seriously aiming for promotion is ludicrous.

As I said, if promotion can be achieved sooner then we're all happy. But I don't think it's unreasonable to expect/give two years to a manager, you obviously feel it can be achieved within one season. So this brings us back, potentially, to that merry-go-round of managerial ins and outs and no one being any wiser about why we're chasing our tail.

 

[Darren]

As I said, if promotion can be achieved sooner then we're all happy. But I don't think it's unreasonable to expect/give two years to a manager, you obviously feel it can be achieved within one season. So this brings us back, potentially, to that merry-go-round of managerial ins and outs and no one being any wiser about why we're chasing our tail.

I think a reasonable thing to say to a manager is that "we want promotion asap. We have crowds of 20,000 and we are facing our 5th season in the 3rd Division, It's embarrassing". If the manager makes a good fist of it and fails relatively narrowly, he gets another go. Hence I would not have sacked Wilson or Clough. What is not acceptable is buggering around in mid table (or lower - cf Weir) on the plea of "rebuilding".

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

I think a reasonable thing to say to a manager is that "we want promotion asap. We have crowds of 20,000 and we are facing our 5th season in the 3rd Division, It's embarrassing". If the manager makes a good fist of it and fails relatively narrowly, he gets another go. Hence I would not have sacked Wilson or Clough. What is not acceptable is buggering around in mid table (or lower - cf Weir) on the plea of "rebuilding".

Having finished 7th and then 5th it's not unreasonable, with a bit of tinkering and adding of decent players in certain position, to expect a 3 place rise to 2nd. So saying we want promotion THIS season is hardly asking for the earth.

 

[Barney]

As I said, if promotion can be achieved sooner then we're all happy. But I don't think it's unreasonable to expect/give two years to a manager, you obviously feel it can be achieved within one season. So this brings us back, potentially, to that merry-go-round of managerial ins and outs and no one being any wiser about why we're chasing our tail.

I'm just curious as to what it is exactly that prevents a manager coming in, having a full pre-season of preparation and then a full season, and then achieving promotion with the resources and support that we have in the 3rd division?

 

[Darren]

Having finished 7th and then 5th it's not unreasonable, with a bit of tinkering and adding of decent players in certain position, to expect a 3 place rise to 2nd. So saying we want promotion THIS season is hardly asking for the earth.

We've finished 3rd, 5th, 7th and 5th in our 4 seasons as this level. It's hardly as if a new manager is starting from scratch.

 

[Grappler]

I'm just curious as to what it is exactly that prevents a manager coming in, having a full pre-season of preparation and then a full season, and then achieving promotion with the resources and support that we have in the 3rd division?

In most industrys, you know what your competitors are up to, their strengths and weaknesses. I would like to think that anyone coming into the job would take a couple of hours (prior to the interview), watch the cup games where we did so well, watch some of the league games where we let a 1-0 lead become a draw or a loss, watch our best league game, watch the play offs, etc., and then walk into the interview with a game plan. Also, hopefully, some player suggestions to fill certain roles.

We are talking about SUFC, a team that has been there or therabouts virtually every season in League One. We all know what positions need filling, I would imagine any other League One manager would be able to tell any candidate (if they knew them and could phone them) "Sheffield United are a good team, but when they played us, they let us counter too easily", or "SUFC are great going forward, but weak in the middle of the park, go straight at them and you are through on goal", or something like that, you know what I am driving at.

Maybe I need to take off my red and white tinted spectacles, but you would think a good manager, would add, say, five good players, grab the team and the club by the scruff of the neck and drag it into the Championship at the first attempt.

 

[Barney]

In most industrys, you know what your competitors are up to, their strengths and weaknesses. I would like to think that anyone coming into the job would take a couple of hours (prior to the interview), watch the cup games where we did so well, watch some of the league games where we let a 1-0 lead become a draw or a loss, watch our best league game, watch the play offs, etc., and then walk into the interview with a game plan. Also, hopefully, some player suggestions to fill certain roles.

We are talking about SUFC, a team that has been there or therabouts virtually every season in League One. We all know what positions need filling, I would imagine any other League One manager would be able to tell any candidate (if they knew them and could phone them) "Sheffield United are a good team, but when they played us, they let us counter too easily", or "SUFC are great going forward, but weak in the middle of the park, go straight at them and you are through on goal", or something like that, you know what I am driving at.

Maybe I need to take off my red and white tinted spectacles, but you would think a good manager, would add, say, five good players, grab the team and the club by the scruff of the neck and drag it into the Championship at the first attempt.

Couldn't agree more. It doesn't take 2 seasons or a rocket scientist to work out what we need.
I can't see any reasoning behind the 'give him 2 seasons' logic, of what benefit will that be? maybe the manager might realise how shockingly low quality league one is but that's about it. Apart from that i can't see any other benefits.

If we have any sense, we'll appoint a manager with experience at this level anyway so even that point isn't valid anymore.
The job doesn't demand anything that cannot be achieved in the first season and i'd like anybody
to point anything out that does take more than one season.

 

[itsinyerblood]

I think a reasonable thing to say to a manager is that "we want promotion asap. We have crowds of 20,000 and we are facing our 5th season in the 3rd Division, It's embarrassing". If the manager makes a good fist of it and fails relatively narrowly, he gets another go. Hence I would not have sacked Wilson or Clough. What is not acceptable is buggering around in mid table (or lower - cf Weir) on the plea of "rebuilding".

I don't think anything I've written actually varies from what you're saying. I've never suggested we adopt a lax attitude in who we appoint or the aims we should all agree on. Yes, there should be an urgency, yes, I'd expect any manager to assume we're ambitious and that his ambitions match ours. The use of words interest me, as in this context, as they often disguise a joined up thought process (not suggesting this applies to you) used to validate views that don't stand up to scrutiny. An example is that of 'rebuilding'. What if a new guy looks at certain positions and decides we must replace the old guard with better talent? I know Clough went about this with a major overhaul, but like most sensible posters my take is we now need strengthening with about 4 or 5 players who can make an immediate difference to our performance. Then the business of sifting through the ranks and applying a further brutal trim to the squad will be necessary (I know players have been released but I suspect a few more could be).....so back to the question of who we appoint, a fucking minefield if you ask me.

 

[itsinyerblood]

I'm just curious as to what it is exactly that prevents a manager coming in, having a full pre-season of preparation and then a full season, and then achieving promotion with the resources and support that we have in the 3rd division?

You're asking the wrong person. Written like that it seems so easy. The thing is, football's played on grass not paper, and the whys and wherefores are beyond my comprehension. If it can be done I hope the board select someone who believes your view is do-able.

 

[stringjunior]

Having not read all the posts on all the threads we will have to appoint a manager who will get us out of here asap and then know what to do in the chumpionshit. So maybe reference to a 2 or 3 year plan in interview would refer to the next phase.

But what do I know.....

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

Robinson will flourish quickly here

And if he dunt we'll sack the useless bastard.

 

[Barney]

You're asking the wrong person. Written like that it seems so easy. The thing is, football's played on grass not paper, and the whys and wherefores are beyond my comprehension. If it can be done I hope the board select someone who believes your view is do-able.

It can be done. Just ask Adkins.

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

Mike Ashley understands things perfectly well. He makes a lot of money out of Newcastle. That's his primary aim. And he is anything but short term in his outlook.

Don't know much about this. From the outside it looks like a basket case. How is he making money? And how is it long term? (Not disputing that he does and it is.)

 

[chesblade]

Just been reading an interview with KR on mkzone forum, doesn't sound like he's going anywhere. It's dated 22/5
And in talks to negotiate a new contract. However did find it strange he has said he is not going to another club so if people say that it's not true. Suppose it could be a bluff, but don't think he would leave his comfort zone

 

[robbiez666]

In most industrys, you know what your competitors are up to, their strengths and weaknesses. I would like to think that anyone coming into the job would take a couple of hours (prior to the interview), watch the cup games where we did so well, watch some of the league games where we let a 1-0 lead become a draw or a loss, watch our best league game, watch the play offs, etc., and then walk into the interview with a game plan. Also, hopefully, some player suggestions to fill certain roles.

We are talking about SUFC, a team that has been there or therabouts virtually every season in League One. We all know what positions need filling, I would imagine any other League One manager would be able to tell any candidate (if they knew them and could phone them) "Sheffield United are a good team, but when they played us, they let us counter too easily", or "SUFC are great going forward, but weak in the middle of the park, go straight at them and you are through on goal", or something like that, you know what I am driving at.

Maybe I need to take off my red and white tinted spectacles, but you would think a good manager, would add, say, five good players, grab the team and the club by the scruff of the neck and drag it into the Championship at the first attempt.

And all managers will have connections they will speak to about potential teams.

It was pretty obvious what we needed at the start of the season. A big striker and someone to replace Doyle. Neither were addressed in pre-season, and then we had the centre back farce.

I'd go one further. I think even the most average manager should be able to get this team up with 5 good signings.

 

[Grappler]

And all managers will have connections they will speak to about potential teams.

It was pretty obvious what we needed at the start of the season. A big striker and someone to replace Doyle. Neither were addressed in pre-season, and then we had the centre back farce.

I'd go one further. I think even the most average manager should be able to get this team up with 5 good signings.

How many times has t'owd Leon Clarke punished us!!

Look at Jermaine Beckford in the play off final, even at 31 he made it look easy at times.

I know we had sights on O'Grady, and I know it took an age to bring in Steven Davies, and the Higdon experiment didn't work (although for the life of me I cannot understad why, after watching some of his goals prior to SUFC).

The more baffling one, for me, was not addressing the Centre Back situation in January.

 

[Blade56]

And if he dunt we'll sack the useless bastard.

Get yer own feckin catch phrase Will