Following last night’s reports that Oxford United had rejected an offer from Blackpool regarding Karl Robinson taking the vacant managers role at Bloomfield Road, the club has issued a statement confirming that the approach was rejected.
Oxford United Reject Blackpool’s Karl Robinson Approach
Statement from Oxford Chairman
News broke just an hour before Oxford’s crucial League One win over Accrington Stanley last night, with the post-match interviews being focused on the potential departure of Robinson.
But this morning, Oxford chairman Sumrith ‘Tiger’ Thanakarnjanasuth issued the following statement via the club’s official website: “When a club is doing well there will always be interest in the manager as well as players; that is inevitable and we thank Blackpool for going through the right procedure.
“Everything has been done properly and we wish them well in their search for a new manager.
“Karl is a central part of what we are building and I hope will be here for many years to come.”
Many fans were concerned that the club had made discussions with their League One rival list before an important match, but Thanakarnjanasuth addressed that.
He added: “To set the record straight, we spoke to Blackpool yesterday before the game but I didn’t want to disturb Karl’s pre-match routine.
“It was unfortunate that rumours started coming kick-off before kick-off, but I rang immediately after the game although Karl was very busy as usual at that time.
“We talked this morning, and we talked a lot about last night’s game, an important win, and then about our plans for the rest of the season.
“The team is playing so well right now and we are chasing down the teams above us. It is going to be such an exciting finish and we look forward to facing the challenge together.”
Where Does it Leave the U’s?
Robinson’s post-match press conference appeared to be one of frustration. The U’s boss insisted that he had no idea about the discussions, adding that he would have liked to have known.
That said, the U’s stayed focused and secured a comfortable win over Stanley with Matty Taylor scoring a brace after James Henry gave Oxford the first-half lead.
Karl Robinson will take his side to strugglers Southend United this weekend looking to make it four wins in succession – a result which could move them back into the top six.
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