Hi everyone,
The events of yesterday didn't truly hit home until last night. I will start by saying that although I was questioning some of the team selections and tactical decisions (we are all armchair football managers after all!) I didn't want his tenure to end this way. The brief, cold statement put out by the club and the deafening silence from Doug King just does not sit right with me after Mark Robins revitalised this club.
Let's look at where we were when Robins returned to the club. We were all-but-relegated from league one. The club was an empty vessel on a one way trip to oblivion. The disconnect between the club and the fans was worse than at any point in our history. The atmosphere was mostly dead, and when it weren't dead, it was toxic. Within a few games, Robins lead us to some silverware with t he Checkertrade Trophy. Yes, this was not Robin's team, he had inherited a group of misfits that no one else wanted. However, this was a catalyst of things to come.
In league two Robins' job was to rebuild us on the pitch into a team that would compete, and then ultimately, achieved, promotion. This was only a part of this though. Robins knew that he needed to help rebuild a connection between the club and the supporters. Without this, he would have been doomed to fail. The supporters clubs that are now thriving with large numbers were formed, which opened a dialogue between the fans and the club.
The league two season was a bumpy ride. Robins had assembled a squad of misfits, however at least these players wanted to be here and they were willing to fight for the shirt. What some of them lacked in ability they made up for in heart. This was down to Robins and his new assistant Adi Viveash. McNulty, who had no real pedigree at the time of signing became a 30 goal striker. Max Biamou, despite me not rating him that highly, was plucked from no-league and played a huge part in the playoff victory. Robins also plucked Dom Hyam from the bargain bin and helped develop him into a very good championship centre half.
Robins got us promoted back to league one via the playoffs and since then we never looked back. The first season back in league one was about establishing us back in that division. We played some cracking football and for the first time in years we looked like we had an identity. The second season back in league one Robins had to put up with us playing 'home' games in Birmingham, yet we stormed to the league one title in style. Some will question if we would have won the league as the season was cut short due to Covid, but I have no doubt in my mind that we would have won the league at a canter.
By this point, the fans who had been alienated and fell out of love with the club were returning. This was despite all of the off field issues with Wasps and the council. Robins was achieving success despite the turbulence off the pitch.
Our first season back in the championship wasn't the prettiest. We were favourites for relegation and rightly so. We had one of the smallest budgets in the championship and Robins knew that we needed to create a siege mentality. The expansive football we played in league one needed to be amended to a more conservative style to grind out results. The fact that we stayed up comfortably in the end is a credit to Robins as a tactician and as a motivator.
The next season we progressed further and finished a very respectable 12th. Gustavo Hamer, who we had signed the season prior, stepped up another level and our new number 9, a certain Viktor Gyokeres, was signed permanently. The way Robins and Viveash developed those two in particular is a testament to their abilities as coaches.
The season we got to the playoff final is my favourite season of all time. The football we played was at times incredible. Obviously it was disappointing to lose on penalties but I firmly believed that Robins would lead to us the hefty payday the premier league provides.
Last season was again a complete rebuild following the sale of our two star players. The previous formula was not working and again Robins showed his tactical nous, changing formation to get the best out of our new arrivals. This led to a historic FA Cup run. The away game at Wolves was the best experience of my footballing life. Robin's tactically outclassed his opposite number. The semi-final at Wembley was an unforgettable experience too. The way we came back from 3-0 to be out-done by a dodgy VAR decision was remarkable. At this moment, I truly believed anything was possible under Robins.
I approached this season with a lot of optimism. Then when Viveash left I had a feeling something was happening behind the scenes. It became apparent that Robins was no longer the man in charge in terms of recruitment and the hiring of staff. For the first time, Robins looked tired and out of ideas. I think Robins had earned far more time to turn things around. It is clear to me that the restructuring of the club was planned out to not include Robins. It is such a sad ending to a remarkable love story.
So thank you Mark, you will never be forgotten
The events of yesterday didn't truly hit home until last night. I will start by saying that although I was questioning some of the team selections and tactical decisions (we are all armchair football managers after all!) I didn't want his tenure to end this way. The brief, cold statement put out by the club and the deafening silence from Doug King just does not sit right with me after Mark Robins revitalised this club.
Let's look at where we were when Robins returned to the club. We were all-but-relegated from league one. The club was an empty vessel on a one way trip to oblivion. The disconnect between the club and the fans was worse than at any point in our history. The atmosphere was mostly dead, and when it weren't dead, it was toxic. Within a few games, Robins lead us to some silverware with t he Checkertrade Trophy. Yes, this was not Robin's team, he had inherited a group of misfits that no one else wanted. However, this was a catalyst of things to come.
In league two Robins' job was to rebuild us on the pitch into a team that would compete, and then ultimately, achieved, promotion. This was only a part of this though. Robins knew that he needed to help rebuild a connection between the club and the supporters. Without this, he would have been doomed to fail. The supporters clubs that are now thriving with large numbers were formed, which opened a dialogue between the fans and the club.
The league two season was a bumpy ride. Robins had assembled a squad of misfits, however at least these players wanted to be here and they were willing to fight for the shirt. What some of them lacked in ability they made up for in heart. This was down to Robins and his new assistant Adi Viveash. McNulty, who had no real pedigree at the time of signing became a 30 goal striker. Max Biamou, despite me not rating him that highly, was plucked from no-league and played a huge part in the playoff victory. Robins also plucked Dom Hyam from the bargain bin and helped develop him into a very good championship centre half.
Robins got us promoted back to league one via the playoffs and since then we never looked back. The first season back in league one was about establishing us back in that division. We played some cracking football and for the first time in years we looked like we had an identity. The second season back in league one Robins had to put up with us playing 'home' games in Birmingham, yet we stormed to the league one title in style. Some will question if we would have won the league as the season was cut short due to Covid, but I have no doubt in my mind that we would have won the league at a canter.
By this point, the fans who had been alienated and fell out of love with the club were returning. This was despite all of the off field issues with Wasps and the council. Robins was achieving success despite the turbulence off the pitch.
Our first season back in the championship wasn't the prettiest. We were favourites for relegation and rightly so. We had one of the smallest budgets in the championship and Robins knew that we needed to create a siege mentality. The expansive football we played in league one needed to be amended to a more conservative style to grind out results. The fact that we stayed up comfortably in the end is a credit to Robins as a tactician and as a motivator.
The next season we progressed further and finished a very respectable 12th. Gustavo Hamer, who we had signed the season prior, stepped up another level and our new number 9, a certain Viktor Gyokeres, was signed permanently. The way Robins and Viveash developed those two in particular is a testament to their abilities as coaches.
The season we got to the playoff final is my favourite season of all time. The football we played was at times incredible. Obviously it was disappointing to lose on penalties but I firmly believed that Robins would lead to us the hefty payday the premier league provides.
Last season was again a complete rebuild following the sale of our two star players. The previous formula was not working and again Robins showed his tactical nous, changing formation to get the best out of our new arrivals. This led to a historic FA Cup run. The away game at Wolves was the best experience of my footballing life. Robin's tactically outclassed his opposite number. The semi-final at Wembley was an unforgettable experience too. The way we came back from 3-0 to be out-done by a dodgy VAR decision was remarkable. At this moment, I truly believed anything was possible under Robins.
I approached this season with a lot of optimism. Then when Viveash left I had a feeling something was happening behind the scenes. It became apparent that Robins was no longer the man in charge in terms of recruitment and the hiring of staff. For the first time, Robins looked tired and out of ideas. I think Robins had earned far more time to turn things around. It is clear to me that the restructuring of the club was planned out to not include Robins. It is such a sad ending to a remarkable love story.
So thank you Mark, you will never be forgotten
