Oxford United manager threatened to stop match after shocking abuse from fans

Oxford United manager Karl Robinson threatened to stop last season’s match at Rotherham United after shocking abuse from fans.

The U’s boss spoke of the incident, which came on the 23rd April 2022, as part of a behind-the-scenes podcast series, Moment of Truth, for BBC Radio 5 Live. You can hear all episodes HERE, with Rotherham boss Paul Warne also part of it.

At the time, the fixture was a crucial League One promotion clash, however a small yet vocal section of home support behind the dug-out continuously aimed vile abuse at Karl Robinson.

Taking you inside a football manager’s office for the post-match debrief 👀#RUFC‘s Paul Warne and #OUFC‘s Karl Robinson reflect on the highs and lows of life in management…

Listen to brand new episodes of ‘Moment of Truth’ now on @BBCSounds 📲👇#BBCFootball #EFL

— BBC 5 Live Sport (@5liveSport) July 28, 2022

“They just throw things at you – about my dad, my mum, my kids,” he says of the abuse. “My dad might have passed away, he might be ill – thankfully he is not. Maybe that kind of abuse has always been there but in this podcast it is very evident what gets said. It’s something that needed to be left in. Some people might say ‘why did you have to do that?’ But it’s important.

“From the minority, no, that abuse was not unusual. I hate talking about the minority because there is so much good in the game but it happened. And sometimes it leaves you at breaking point.”

Despite being just age 41, Robinson is regarded as one of the most experienced and respected managers in the English Football League.

He started managing at 29 with MK Dons, and has already been in charge of 650 games, but of all those games, the one incident that still stands out in his mind was being left shaken by what happened at Rotherham.

“Being from Liverpool comes up a lot, Hillsborough comes up. Liverpool is a city I am immensely proud of but people make terrible statements,” Robinson says. “I thought Covid would have stopped a lot of negative things being said but all it’s done is increase the criticism, especially on social media which, at that time, was the only way for people to connect. On top of that, going back to stadiums has not made it any better. We all had this vision that the world would be a better place, that we would appreciate it more. But no.

“Listen, my language can be terrible, and it’s part of me that I want to make better, but it’s not abusive.

“One of the bits we left in the podcast was someone saying the word ‘poof’ to me. I said, ‘Be careful – you don’t know the effect that can have on the person next to you’. The young guy, Jake Daniels, came out at Blackpool earlier this year and we wonder why it doesn’t happen more.”

This is not to single out Rotherham – Robinson acknowledges that Rotherham are “one of the nicest” in the league, full of “very good people”.

But abuse like that, something so personal, really shows just the type of things managers no matter what age have to deal with, mentally too while trying to manage a game of football.

‘Moment of Truth’ shows just how good friends Robinson and Warne are, it’s obviously throughout the episodes.

Robinson made a striking analogy when he considers how it feels to be on his technical area.

“You are like a tiger in a zoo,” he says. “And everyone judges you on a two-metre-by-six-metre space. It’s only a tiny part of who I am but it is 100 per cent of what people see. I am not a reserved manager. When I am at a club I am all in and I am there to win.

“I probably acted in the beginning in the wrong way. I tried to pretend it didn’t bother me. But I am comfortable being vulnerable now,” Robinson says. “I see it more as a sign of strength than a weakness. Even though I am a football manager I am not detached from the rawness of life, it’s the same with the players. They are not superhuman. It’s me doing a job. It’s not the job defining me.”

There are touching chats in the podcast where Robinson’s wife, Ann, and his 16-year-old daughter, Jasmine, speak of the impact his work has on them, life at home etc. Warne’s wife, Rachel, does the same.

What is family life like for a football manager?@OUFCOfficial‘s Karl Robinson and @OfficialRUFC‘s Paul Warne reveal the impact their careers have had on their families…

Listen to brand new episodes of ‘Moment of Truth’ now on @BBCSounds 📲👇#BBCFootball #RUFC #OUFC #EFL

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Robinson admits that being a manager has “tested” his marriage, but seems relieved that Jasmine is able to treat the abuse with a degree of “flippancy” as a way of coping.

Robinson wants to change the game to make it less upsetting or unpleasant and more acceptable. He also speaks on the “soullessness” of games when they were behind closed doors.

“There are certain places you go where, as I have done for so long, you actually get to know some of the people [behind the dugouts],” Robinson says. “There’s a guy at Accrington. He’s funny, he’s witty and he gets to me sometimes. He’s trying to put me off my game but he is never abusive. Sheffield Wednesday, also, is a great place. People are brilliant. At no stage do they talk about where I am from or parents but they give me loads of criticism. I don’t want to sanitise it. I don’t want to lose that.”

It’s clear to see the love Robinson has for the game, but it also has a bad side to it which he is not prepared – to accept abuse that reaches truly intolerable levels.

“Would I stop it [a match]? I think if it got to that point then yes, I would. And I would do it, 100 per cent, if it was one of my players. Something has to be done.”

While the Oxford United manager says he once threatened to stop a match after shocking abuse from fans, Moment of Truth reveals a unique insight into life as a professional football manager.

From the dressing rooms and training pitches, to within the managers’ offices and even their own homes, this podcast goes where other football podcasts don’t.

Karl Robinson, Manager of Oxford United says: “The public have a perception of us as managers because of what we do within that box by the touchline. My life is entirely determined by that box. And that’s great because I feel safe in there. But I hope that this series shows there’s a lot more to doing our jobs – and us as people – than just that small box.”

Paul Warne, Manager of Rotherham United says: “Doing the series was a little bit like perverted therapy, but for a time it was therapy that was making us worse! The pressure on football managers is brutal and hopefully people will get a sense of what our world is like.”

Episodes 1-5 have been released today (July 14) on BBC Sounds via the following link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0cf9vkv

Simon Clancy, Writer & Executive Producer, Folding Pocket, says: “Most people think they know what happens inside a football club. Moment of Truth shows that they don’t have a clue. Paul and Karl allowed us incredible access to highlight just how pressurised the beautiful game is”.