Earlier today, Karl Robinson was relieved of his duties by the club. A run of one draw and seven defeats from the last eight games has seen the U’s drop to just five points clear of the relegation places.
While the decision to sack Robinson was ultimately the correct one, we must not forget what a good person he has been for the club in the five years he has held the role.
Attractive Football
One thing that can be said about Karl Robinson is the attacking and attractive brand of football his teams have played. Granted, that hasn’t been the case this season, but some of the results and performances have been the best in a long time under him.
Cup Runs, Standout Fixtures and Broken Records
Some of those performances came in cup competitions. The 4-0 victory over West Ham, the draw at Newcastle and energetic replay, and the assured displays against Manchester City, one of which was a first quarter-final in the League Cup since they won it in 1986.
Then, there are the dramatic wins at Shrewsbury, the victory over Swindon, the 6-0 successes at Lincoln and Crewe, and the late winners against Portsmouth and Sheffield Wednesday.
Then there are the broken records. The 6-0 win at Sincil Bank was the club’s best scoreline on the road in the Football League and Robinson even led the U’s to their longest-ever unbeaten run.
Then, of course, there were the playoffs. Granted, the Wycombe loss was a catastrophe and felt like a missed opportunity to gain promotion and then Blackpool simply offered too much. And even though the following season saw Oxford finish eighth, it was the most amount of points the club had secured since their return to the third tier.
Tributes
Off the field, for the most part, Robinson also conducted himself brilliantly. He invited club legends Joey Beauchamp, James Constable (and Peter Rhoades-Brown) to take part in training and also became a key figure when the former, along with Micky Lewis and long-time fan ‘Womble’ passed away.
Overall
While there have been several positives, there have also been a number of negatives for Robinson at Oxford. He took over a team at the wrong end of League One and, despite promising seasons and spending money on players, that’s where the club still is.
For some of the seasons, the squad looked great but the summer and January transfer windows have resulted in him being unable to build a squad challenging for the playoffs. Given the time he has spent at the club, that is a massive failure. The defence has been inconsistent and leaked goals throughout his tenure while one of the division’s highest-scoring sides have struggled to find the back of the net this season.
