OXFORD United’s chairman has suggested the club may have been too slow in sacking Karl Robinson but dismissed the notion the club were ignoring the situation.

Robinson was fired as U’s head coach in February, following a run of seven defeats in eight games.

His final match in charge was a 3-0 defeat at home to Bristol Rovers.

READ AGAIN: Karl Robinson sacked as Oxford United boss

Despite twice leading United to the Sky Bet League One play-offs, this season failed to get going from the off and the club gradually slipped from mid-table into a relegation battle.

Supporters made their feelings known and at several games before his departure, called for Robinson to be sacked.

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Asked whether he feels the board were too slow in dismissing Robinson, U’s chairman Grant Ferguson said: “I think anyone who’s looking at it with hindsight would come to that conclusion.

“What I would say is that it wasn’t a late decision, in that it was an evolving decision over what turned out to be quite a long period of time.

“The fans rightly get concerned about the on-field performance.

“It’s a key part of the decision but it’s only one part of the decision.

“We’re dealing with legal, contractual, financial and human wellbeing issues, so we’re constantly looking at the balance of those and the risk-reward trade-off.

“We got to the point where the downside risk became too great.

“Changing manager is inherently a risky process – Chelsea and Spurs have found out that to their cost, and Leeds as we know have just rolled the dice as well.

“It wasn’t being ignored, it was a process that was being worked through and I think with hindsight, it has worked out.”

After an almost two-week recruitment process, Robinson was replaced by the former MK Dons boss Liam Manning.

The 37-year-old brought with him Chris Hogg as his assistant, and the duo helped halt the poor run of form with four successive draws, before going on to secure third tier safety with wins against Cheltenham Town and Forest Green Rovers at the end of last month.

A 2-1 loss at home to Accrington Stanley on the final day of the season meant United ended the 2022/23 campaign 19th in League One, two points above the relegation zone.

Ferguson was full of praise for the way Manning has gone about his business so far at the club.

He said: “He’s a very affable young man, he’s intelligent and slow to anger.

“I’ve seen him put his foot down when he needs to, and he just garners respect from almost everyone I’ve seen him come into contact with.

“He’s got a very, very good ability to get his point over without upsetting people or turning people off. People just respond to him very, very well.

“I should say as well that he and Hoggy are a phenomenal combination.

“He didn’t insist that Chris came with him but he made it highly recommended. I’m glad we made that decision, they work incredibly well together.”

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About the author

To sign up to Liam’s latest Oxford United newsletter for free, click here: https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/newsletters/

Formerly the politics reporter for the Oxford Mail, Liam now covers all things Oxford United.

Liam attends the U’s home and away, as well as covering other big sports stories across the county.

His Oxford United newsletter is released every Saturday morning at 6am.