Mark Robins Is the GOAT (1 Viewer)

He is brilliant, the most important individual that we have at the club. He has reconnected and rebuilt the relationship between disillusioned fans and the club. He is certainly the best manager in my life time supporting the team.
It is him that has been a big factor in me going to St Andrews as I feel he has big plans and ambitions for our club and just wants our support.

Cheers Geoff

It's been nearly 2 and a half years since he came back, since I've been attending I can only think of Gordon Strachan who's been in charge longer. If it wasn't for us fritting between home grounds this would be almost an unheard of spell of stability, I hope he goes nowhere any time soon

See I have him as 3rd greatest - got to go with the big man himself Jimmy Hill as our GOAT, Sillett as he won the biggest trophy in the clubs history, then Robins - only other manager to win something isn’t he?

What I’m liking is that he has a plan & a style of play, and that he knows how to build a team that can do it.

That doesn’t make him unique - Russell Slade had that too. The big difference being that MR’s team is one that you’d actually want to go & watch.

HuckerbyDublinWhelan said:

See I have him as 3rd greatest - got to go with the big man himself Jimmy Hill as our GOAT, Sillett as he won the biggest trophy in the clubs history, then Robins - only other manager to win something isn’t he?

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It's really difficult to compare over the years.

Like you I have JH as the best because he changed our fortunes so much and led us up many divisions is quite a quick time and completely changed the way the club interacted with the community. He was well supported in that quest though.

With Sillett (and Curtis) you've got the FA Cup and even though we were a rather unfashionable and small club we were still top flight at the time and you can't really compare the league because we were a small fish in a big pond at the time whereas now we're a reasonably sized fish in a smaller pond.

But MR has also had all the problems with the stadium moves, funding issues and off-field problems between owners and fans.

There may have been other managers who've been less successful but at the time may have thought of as doing exceptionally well in the circumstances as we spent so long just trying to not got out of business in the early days.

As it is I'd definitely have MR in a podium position, arguably 2nd place. If he got us promoted again he's definitely in it.

I just wish he'd make a sub about 10 mins earlier sometimes... but then what the hell do I know!

In Robins We Trust!

Not quite Greatest Of All Time just yet!

1) Jimmy Hill
2) John Sillett
3) Mark Robins

But in my Lifetime...
1) John Sillett
2) Mark Robins

Gordon Milne has to be in this debate.

DannyThomas_1981 said:

Gordon Milne has to be in this debate.

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Milne did an amazing job, kept us up on next to no money.

Controversial but I’d put Robins ahead of Sillett

shmmeee said:

Controversial but I’d put Robins ahead of Sillett

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me too. Sillett a one hit wonder.

Gibbo said:

me too. Sillett a one hit wonder.

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But what a hit

Wonder whether there will be any approaches if this success continues?

This certainly isn''t true. The season before the cup final himself and Curtis saved us from almost certain relegation with only three games left. The following season, we were top ten almost all of the time, playing exciting football and we won The Cup. He did this on a shoe string. In the following seasons we had a really attractive team, consistently top ten and we also reached the semi finals of the league cup. Much more than a one hit wonder.
I caught the tail end of JH's time but my favourite manager would be Gordon Milne. He brought Tommy Hutchison to the club. That alone would make him my favourite. He built 3 or 4 teams in his time as manager,often exhilarating teams to watch including the wonderful Fergie and Wallace team of the late seventies.
I would put Robins fourth behind Milne, Hill and Sillett. He does seem to have a plan and his win ratio is the best of any manager who has worked with us over a reasonable period of time.
You just know that any little slip in form and the Robins Out Brigade will be back.

Irish Sky Blue said:

This certainly isn''t true. The season before the cup final himself and Curtis saved us from almost certain relegation with only three games left. The following season, we were top ten almost all of the time, playing exciting football and we won The Cup. He did this on a shoe string. In the following seasons we had a really attractive team, consistently top ten and we also reached the semi finals of the league cup. Much more than a one hit wonder.
I caught the tail end of JH's time but my favourite manager would be Gordon Milne. He brought Tommy Hutchison to the club. That alone would make him my favourite. He built 3 or 4 teams in his time as manager,often exhilarating teams to watch including the wonderful Fergie and Wallace team of the late seventies.
I would put Robins fourth behind Milne, Hill and Sillett. He does seem to have a plan and his win ratio is the best of any manager who has worked with us over a reasonable period of time.
You just know that any little slip in form and the Robins Out Brigade will be back.

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Agree with every word of what Irish Sky Blue has said.

Milne an absolute legend and deserves far more recognition from the club/fans:
SUPREMOS: A profile of former Sky Blues manager Gordon Milne

He also had a very decent career after leaving us - he's a folk hero in Turkey for what he did there with Besiktas.

In the article above there's also mention of Harry Storer - I have to admit I don't know all of the history with Harry Storer but I remember someone on here claiming with a lot of justification on here that he was one of our greatest managers.

None of this is meant to diminish Robins as I love what he's doing and the way he rebuilds teams (similar to Milne as ISB points out).....but a long way to go to be up there with Storer/Hill/Milne. If Robins ultimately takes us to the Championship play-offs (after inheriting a team free falling into League 2 and with no money to spend) then there is certainly a debate to be had.

Sillett's weakness was in the transfer market (in my view) but again as ISB points out he was far more than a one season wonder. Love the man.

Depends how you define “GOAT” really - it’s all personal preference on the criteria

My grandad has Cantwell above Robins

vow said:

Not quite Greatest Of All Time just yet!

1) Jimmy Hill
2) John Sillett
3) Mark Robins

But in my Lifetime...
1) John Sillett
2) Mark Robins

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What,no Mowbray?

Otis said:

What,no Mowbray?

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I have to agree. He was a huge part of a why a few of us decided to renew over in Birmingham. We still have the hope, belief and momentum that he has single-handedly helped create since his return. Who knows where we can end up if the upward trajectory continues and he is backed in the market as he has been (this Summer in particular).

His passion when he speaks really gets the fans sitting up and listening and more often that not he also sees what we see, isn’t afraid to be ruthless or making controversial decisions.

Opinion can change very quickly in this game and who knows, people may well be calling for his head in a month or 2 but I sincerely hope not and would love for him to be here for the long haul. He’s made us proud to be Sky Blue again.

I agree and honestly couldn't think of a manager I'd rather have in charge of the club. I mean how many actually effective managers would stay here given the off-field issues we have? No one anywhere near Robins' caliber I'd say.

Elvis Pressley said:

Hi I really am pleased about Mark Robins he is the GOAT.
hes doing a great job and we all need to back this man.
Robins = GOAT

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He's great until he's not, like all footy managers. When he eventually leaves it will be after a very poor spell or an exceptional spell and either way everyone will be slagging him. It's just the way it is.

Samo said:

He's great until he's not, like all footy managers. When he eventually leaves it will be after a very poor spell or an exceptional spell and either way everyone will be slagging him. It's just the way it is.

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No need to wait. Plenty of threads having a go, including the match day thread on Tuesday. Also not that long ago threads about calling a taxi for him.

I don’t get it at all. He’s been great for us

So who is the best Cow?:emoji_thinking:

ccfcway said:

No need to wait. Plenty of threads having a go, including the match day thread on Tuesday. Also not that long ago threads about calling a taxi for him.

I don’t get it at all. He’s been great for us

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Or the usual he doesn't know how to change a game when we are losing.

letsallsingtogether said:

Or the usual he doesn't know how to change a game when we are losing.

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A bit like Tuesday

Noel Cantwell would surely have to be up there. First couple of seasons kept us in division 1 then got us to our highest ever position as 6th and qualified for Europe. That was when we were a really unfashionable team.

Gibbo said:

me too. Sillett a one hit wonder.

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Hardly - finished in the top half of the table subsequently and one season in the top 3 going into March

fatso said:

Milne did an amazing job, kept us up on next to no money.

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No money? He blew £600,000 a fortune at the time on Collier and Jones which left a gaping hole in the finances

They allegedly got some back from the US deal but I doubt they actually did

Signed Larry Lloyd for a British record transfer fee as well which wasn’t exactly a roaring success.

I think his achievements are overrated - through the early 80’s several managers kept the club afloat in the top league on no budget at all

shmmeee said:

Controversial but I’d put Robins ahead of Sillett

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Wt absolute f !!!!
Step away from the crack pipe.

Grendel said:

Hardly - finished in the top half of the table subsequently and one season in the top 3 going into March

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Only reason we dived as badly as we did is there was no incentive of a European place, too.

Semi-final of the League Cup too, and arguably should have won that to get another Wembley place.

NorthernWisdom said:

Only reason we dived as badly as we did is there was no incentive of a European place, too.

Semi-final of the League Cup too, and arguably should have won that to get another Wembley place.

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I remember in the title run in our remaining fixtures were included as we were actual genuine challengers

To compare him to robins is just stupid

Grendel said:

I remember in the title run in our remaining fixtures were included as we were actual genuine challengers

To compare him to robins is just stupid

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I agree. And I do like Robins, I think he's been great for us! But there is no comparison.