What on earth happened? (5 Viewers)

[chiefdave]

Doug told Robins to get the team in the top 6 and gave him a load of transfer funds to do it. We finished 9th. He got sacked. It’s not much more complicated than that.

King said he wanted a side challenging for the play offs 3 out of 5 years didn't he, or something along those lines. Not that play offs were a minimum requirement every season. Certainly didn't sound like he classed the season as a failure, "Once more we have been competing for the Play-Off places in a very strong EFL Championship, only missing out on a top six position in the last two/three weeks." And we were told there was a thorough end of season review which didn't result in Robins going

He also wanted a cup run, can't say we failed to deliver on that request, "The FA Cup run was truly historic. Reaching our first Semi-Final for thirty-seven years and putting on such a heroic performance against Manchester United has showcased our Club again to both a national and international audience"

Really not sure why people are trying to make out last season was a disaster. The we only finished 9th because we had a run of winning games discourse is very strange. You can think it was the right time to get rid of Robins and still say last season wasn't terrible.

 

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[Grendel]

King said he wanted a side challenging for the play offs 3 out of 5 years didn't he, or something along those lines. Not that play offs were a minimum requirement every season. Certainly didn't sound like he classed the season as a failure, "Once more we have been competing for the Play-Off places in a very strong EFL Championship, only missing out on a top six position in the last two/three weeks." And we were told there was a thorough end of season review which didn't result in Robins going

He also wanted a cup run, can't say we failed to deliver on that request, "The FA Cup run was truly historic. Reaching our first Semi-Final for thirty-seven years and putting on such a heroic performance against Manchester United has showcased our Club again to both a national and international audience"

Really not sure why people are trying to make out last season was a disaster. The we only finished 9th because we had a run of winning games discourse is very strange. You can think it was the right time to get rid of Robins and still say last season wasn't terrible.

Robins record with us overall in the championship is very average and would indicate any of these aspirations were unlikely to be achieved.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

Unsurprising that Ring of Shite finds our predicament funny

 

[SBT]

King said he wanted a side challenging for the play offs 3 out of 5 years didn't he, or something along those lines. Not that play offs were a minimum requirement every season. Certainly didn't sound like he classed the season as a failure, "Once more we have been competing for the Play-Off places in a very strong EFL Championship, only missing out on a top six position in the last two/three weeks." And we were told there was a thorough end of season review which didn't result in Robins going

He also wanted a cup run, can't say we failed to deliver on that request, "The FA Cup run was truly historic. Reaching our first Semi-Final for thirty-seven years and putting on such a heroic performance against Manchester United has showcased our Club again to both a national and international audience"

Really not sure why people are trying to make out last season was a disaster. The we only finished 9th because we had a run of winning games discourse is very strange. You can think it was the right time to get rid of Robins and still say last season wasn't terrible.

I think you’re taking Doug King’s words too literally. However much he’d like to dress things up in his end-of-season message to fans, we didn’t seriously compete for the playoffs last year and the start under Robins this year suggested the same.

The cup run also wasn’t a criterion for judging Robins’ overall performance, it was a sideshow. However much DK wanted/enjoyed a cup run, it would be bonkers for a second-tier team to keep or fire a manager based on how far they progress in the FA Cup.

 

[Sick Boy]

I've said this before and the fact still remains, we have a mid table budget yet Doug expects play offs and talks of a "Top 6 Deck". It's bollocks and shows how much Robins over achieved year upon year. Lampard has got his work cut out to keep this squad, it's not a deck, overachieving.

We reinvested around £45m back into the squad.

 

[Sick Boy]

Since they got what they wanted & Robins was sacked things have not improved one iota. Therefore because there is nothing positive they can point to in order to say it was the right move, they make out Robins was actually a failure as a manager.

The poster you’re talking to wanted Robins sacked after Derby.

 

[clint van damme]

I’m not trying to paint it as a disaster. Though the story of the season was we were poor for two thirds of it and excellent in the middle. Which was largely down to formation change and COH hitting form.

There is also ‘these players finished 9th’. Well, this squad didn’t and they look very poor without a Wright or O’Hare to bail them out.

You may not be, but some are. I find it strange because it wasn't a disaster.
If people are tagging the last month on to this season then I don't agree personally but I can see the logic but cant get my head round trashing the whole season.

 

[clint van damme]

We reinvested around £45m back into the squad.

Over 2 seasons and it put us as 7th highest spenders in both seasons so we still underachieved but we aren't quite the big spenders people make out.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

You may not be, but some are. I find it strange because it wasn't a disaster.
If people are tagging the last month on to this season then I don't agree personally but I can see the logic but cant get my head round trashing the whole season.

Well if they are then they’re wrong. Taking the 1.5 seasons overall, the crap performances are the rule and the excellent dozen or so games was the exception.

They just aren’t particularly good players and without any leadership on the pitch they’re the mentally weakest team we’ve had since 2017.

 

[Nick]

OK, so if we're judging purely on this season are we only giving Lampard 14 games as well?

Robins has gone. Fucking hell.

 

[clint van damme]

Robins has gone. Fucking hell.

I know, youre the one who keeps mentioning him!

In the Doug king thread he hadn't been mentioned for 2 days and you mentioned him out of the blue!
Search his name in any thread and see who the people are who start a debate about him by bringing up his name.

 

[Ring Of Steel]

The poster you’re talking to wanted Robins sacked after Derby.

What does that have to do with it?

 

[Sick Boy]

Over 2 seasons and it put us as 7th highest spenders in both seasons so we still underachieved but we aren't quite the big spenders people make out.

And we’re not the mid table spenders people make out.

 

[Sick Boy]

What does that have to do with it?

You’re both making up opinions for other posters and are all over the place. No one on here has said Robins was a failure.

 

[Ring Of Steel]

You’re both making up opinions for other posters and are all over the place. No one on here has said Robins was a failure.

You know as well as I do there is a cohort determined to run the guy down, so don’t play dumb. There is zero positive to say about Lampard, so the tactic is to point at Robins and unearth incredibly far-fetched reasons as to why he was average at best.

 

[Sick Boy]

You know as well as I do there is a cohort determined to run the guy down, so don’t play dumb. There is zero positive to say about Lampard, so the tactic is to point at Robins and unearth incredibly far-fetched reasons as to why he was average at best.

You’re running Lampard down and writing off FL after what, 5 games?

 

[clint van damme]

And we’re not the mid table spenders people make out.

No, and we're not the championship super power others do either.

 

[SBT]

OK, so if we're judging purely on this season are we only giving Lampard 14 games as well?

It wasn’t a bad 14 games that got Robins sacked.

Rest assured, if Lampard has a run of games as bad as Robins’ last few months, he will be sacked. And he will (quite rightly) be on a much shorter leash.

 

[clint van damme]

It wasn’t a bad 14 games that got Robins sacked.

Rest assured, if Lampard has a run of games as bad as Robins’ last few months, he will be sacked. And he will (quite rightly) be on a much shorter leash.

Well I don't agree he should be on a shorter leash.
Sacking managers every 5 minutes might work for some clubs.
It's never been anything other than disastrous for us.

He should be given time.

 

[Nick]

I know, youre the one who keeps mentioning him!

In the Doug king thread he hadn't been mentioned for 2 days and you mentioned him out of the blue!
Search his name in any thread and see who the people are who start a debate about him by bringing up his name.

Yeah, I replied to your post about it.

You are literally forming the majority of your posts still based on Robins going, whether you mention him by name or not.

 

[SBT]

Well I don't agree he should be on a shorter leash.
Sacking managers every 5 minutes might work for some clubs.
It's never been anything other than disastrous for us.

He should be given time.

If our form under Lampard is as bad as Robins’ last 20 games then we will be relegated. No-one is going to be calling for Lampard to be given time under that scenario.

 

[Lamps]

So what has changed since our playoff final defeat? Because up until then we had always finished higher than the season before under Robins.

Before King took over Robins ran the club with help from others. He chose who we signed and who we got rid of. He chose the loan players. King changed the way we signed players and who decided those we signed. Loans were seen as a waste of money. We got rid of the older experienced players and signed younger players in the hope of making money on them. We've ended up with some good players but not a team. We signed Asante when we needed cover elsewhere. A Robins decision?

Yes we can be great going forward but can also be diabolical in defence. And I can't see things changing unless Lampard gets the full say in who comes in and nit a choice on who someone else has decided on that has done nothing in football.

 

[clint van damme]

Yeah, I replied to your post about it.

You are literally forming the majority of your posts still based on Robins going, whether you mention him by name or not.

Which post?
Hadn't mentioned Robins in that thread since at least Saturday afternoon.

I'm not forming any of my post based on Robins going,I am trying to establish what the parameters are for calling for a managers head as the goalposts seem to be moving all the time

 

[clint van damme]

If our form under Lampard is as bad as Robins’ last 20 games then we will be relegated. No-one is going to be calling for Lampard to be given time under that scenario.

I won't be.
I don't want to go down the burning through manager route unless it's absolutely necessary.

I dread us going back there again.

I appreciate having a manager for nearly 8 years was an anomaly so I'm not expecting that but I don't want us to go back to changing managers every 8 months.

 

[Nick]

So what has changed since our playoff final defeat? Because up until then we had always finished higher than the season before under Robins.

Before King took over Robins ran the club with help from others. He chose who we signed and who we got rid of. He chose the loan players. King changed the way we signed players and who decided those we signed. Loans were seen as a waste of money. We got rid of the older experienced players and signed younger players in the hope of making money on them. We've ended up with some good players but not a team. We signed Asante when we needed cover elsewhere. A Robins decision?

Yes we can be great going forward but can also be diabolical in defence. And I can't see things changing unless Lampard gets the full say in who comes in and nit a choice on who someone else has decided on that has done nothing in football.

Another instance of stuff being made up now Robins has gone.

 

[Lamps]

Another instance of stuff being made up now Robins has gone.

Which part of that is made up?

 

[Cally Fedora]

Jeez. If we’re to be considered a proper club Lampard has to be given this season and next as a minimum.

 

[SBT]

I won't be.
I don't want to go down the burning through manager route unless it's absolutely necessary.

I dread us going back there again.

I appreciate having a manager for nearly 8 years was an anomaly so I'm not expecting that but I don't want us to go back to changing managers every 8 months.

That’s either noble, foolish or both.

If we get relegated then even Lampard himself wouldn’t want him to stay. He’d be cap in hand outside the door of Chelsea or Sky Sports before you could even finish your plea for patience from DK.

 

[Lamps]

Jeez. If we’re to be considered a proper club Lampard has to be given this season and next as a minimum.

A chance with the January window to steady the ship and closed season to have what he considers to be a good enough squad minimum.

 

[clint van damme]

That’s either noble, foolish or both.

If we get relegated then even Lampard himself wouldn’t want him to stay. He’d be cap in hand outside the door of Chelsea or Sky Sports before you could even finish your plea for patience from DK.

It's neither noble nor foolish, it's based on seeing the disaster that swapping managers every 5 minutes bring about.

It's not cheap either

 

[Nick]

Which part of that is made up?

The only thing that is correct is "Yes we can be great going forward but can also be diabolical in defence" and "up until then we had always finished higher than the season before under Robins".

 

[stupot07]

Well if they are then they’re wrong. Taking the 1.5 seasons overall, the crap performances are the rule and the excellent dozen or so games was the exception.

They just aren’t particularly good players and without any leadership on the pitch they’re the mentally weakest team we’ve had since 2017.

Yep we managed just 3 league wins in 16 games at the start of last season until mid Nov, then had a little run from mid Nov to March were we won 13 in 22 games, then ended the season with 1 win in 8 in April/May.

This season we 6 wins in 22 in 5 months.

Whilst he didn't start all of those 22 games, the good run coincided with O'Hare coming back. The same O'Hare everyone says is shit but is current playing for top of the league. Him coming back also made Palmer pull his finger out, and we also had experienced squad players in Kelly and Godden behind the scenes.

I don't know why some are so adamant that the 13 in 22 is the real standard of the squad, and not the 7 in 38 that's straddles that's. Sometimes you just get a bit of a perfect storm where everything comes together, history is littered with teams that have had a good play off run or cup run which has impacted on their league position and then have reverted back to type.

This squad is so imbalanced, lacks quality in key positions, is piss weak mentally, and lacks experience and leadership. And thus will be inconsistent, world beaters to carpet beaters.

If we look back at that run, and some of those players that featured heavily in it - Collins was pretty much every present (everyone says he's shite and should never play for the team again), Bidwell (pretty much everyone thinks he's shit), Kitching (everyone thinks he's shit), Sheaf (everyone thinks he's shit), Simms (everyone thinks he's shit), O'Hare (everyone thinks he's shit and offered nothing and we don't miss). Even Tavares came on and cooked Wan-Bassaka in the semi (everyone thinks he's shit).

We've made some shite signings and recruitment has been pretty poor overall, yes we may have brought in some good players but the balance is all wrong. Our defensive signings on a whole have been poor. If I was signing people from scratch based on what I've seen, I'd only sign Milan and Thomas out of the 7 senior defenders we have.

 

[Nick]

Jeez. If we’re to be considered a proper club Lampard has to be given this season and next as a minimum.

This season yes but it's also about seeing improvements.

If after January and a full summer with a window and pre season there are zero signs of improvement from a new manager than surely there's a worry?

 

[covcity4life]

Same old argument still going on?!

The squad is not terrible
Robins was great for us
Last year was a decent season
Robins should have done better this year
Lampard will need to improve us in time to try get us closer to promotion.

What else is there to say????

 

[Lamps]

The only thing that is correct is "Yes we can be great going forward but can also be diabolical in defence" and "up until then we had always finished higher than the season before under Robins".

Are you saying Robins chose every player that has come in since King took over? Are you saying Robins chose to suddenly not have loan players to cover our weaknesses?