‘Look at what we can do with belief ’
‘Guardiola was shocked by your bravery, ability to pass, and that you never crumbled’
forward,” Robinson says admiringly as a goal goes in during the training footage, against the team set up as City, Oxford’s owner Sumrith Thanakarnjanasuth, who has wandered into the office, says: “1-0. And then you start praying!” The Thai businessman, known as “Tiger”, has flown in for the match and to officially open Oxford’s new training ground, behind the city’s car factory, which is the home of the Mini.
There is a discussion as to which team City will field before a look at the Oxford player statistics using the analysis programme Instat, which compares every squad and shows that Fosu is the most fouled player in League One. “I thought you said Aguero was out for two months?” Robinson exclaims to one of his staff as he walks past, on the news that the striker is back in training. “But I don’t think Aguero will play,” Robinson says. “We would not risk Matty Taylor against Hayes & Yeading.”
It is 5pm on match day. Robinson is naked apart from a towel wrapped around him. He has had a bath at the stadium, as he always does, spending time reading, relaxing and, before that, he has already gone on his usual match-day walk to the Peace Pagoda in Milton Keynes, where he lives.
Robinson finds time to look up some flights for his wife and to speak to a friend who is about to fly to New York. Bruce Springsteen – Born to Run, Thunder Road – is playing. Later the sound system will be taken over by the players who start to arrive.
Unusually, the dressing room is carpeted with a mini artificial turf football pitch, which Robinson uses as a giant tactics board, moving small cones, along with a huge touchscreen TV. “What colour are they playing in tonight?” he asks, and is pleased to hear City are in their home sky-blue kit. “Good,” he says. “It looks better when you play these teams in their iconic kits.”
The Oxford kit is already laid out with a small packet of Haribo sweets on top of each pile. “A little treat,” Jonny Edmunds, the kitman, says. Having dressed, Robinson walks to the manager’s office. “I can control the controllables and make sure the constants are the same,” he says, which is why he is always first in. “If I was not there before the players they would be wondering why. Players like match-day things to be the same.” Fazackerley is struggling to work the TV as he tries to watch the Club World Cup game between Liverpool and Monterrey.
By 6.40pm, the home dressing room door has been bolted. Robinson is deep into his tactical presentation, hammering home what he had told them the day before, using the touchscreen. “Stop, go, perfect,” Robinson says, showing the movements he wants. “If I see you do that,” he says to one player, showing his lack of movement, “I bring you off... Can you spring and get on the outside shoulder? They will not live with your pace. Move the ball, enjoy moving the ball. And if you can be aggressive in this zone, then do it.” There is a pause. “Listen, it’s here, it’s arrived,” Robinson says. “You are ready to play and enjoy the challenge they are going to throw in front of you. And what a challenge it is.”
The players are changed and take it in turns to study graphics on the wall showing the set-piece set-up. Robinson has, indeed, named Dickie captain. “Let’s go warm up,” the defender says. “Let’s make ’em dream,” Taylor says, grinning. “Let’s go win the Milk Cup again!” The League Cup remains Oxford’s only major trophy in their 126-year history, won back in 1986. Also in the room is Gary Bloom, a sports psychotherapist who has been working with Oxford for 18 months.
Once the players return there is more chatter, a bit more noise. “Keep your discipline. Stay in the game. Manage it,” Fazackerley, who is 68 and has been in football for more than 50 years, says. “F-----attack it!” “Don’t let them have an easy ride,” Mousinho says before Robinson calls the whole squad, and staff, into a big circle. He reminds everyone of a pre-season talk he had given about the SAS. “I told you all that the mind will give up 40 per cent quicker than the body,” Robinson says. “That is how strong your body is. The difference is the normal person never tests that. Tonight you will have to go into that 40 per cent as far as your body thinks it will go and make your mind trust it and trust your talent and trust each other.” Exactly as he finishes, the buzzer goes. It is time to assemble in the tunnel.
After Taylor’s goal, Fosu forces a save from Claudio Bravo and there is more than a whiff of an upset in the damp Oxford air as the crowd noise rises. The City fans are silent.
Guardiola sends on Gabriel Jesus and Ilkay Gundogan, with the likes of Raheem Sterling, Riyad Mahrez and Bernardo Silva already on the pitch. He needs to strengthen his team, sensing this could go wrong.
Two Sterling goals make it 3-1, but Oxford refuse to fade. Amazingly they are the better team. Robinson becomes more animated as he runs through his substitutes, with winger Mark Sykes, in particular, making a difference. Mackie and Mousinho also go on and, remarkably, Oxford spurn four clear chances as City feel the pressure. On the final whistle, Robinson gathers his players in a circle on the pitch before they depart to a standing ovation.
Back in the dressing room, it is again silent but, this time, in disappointment at what could have been. “I don’t know where my career or anyone’s career will end up, but there are not many times a team can say it outplayed Man City,” Robinson says. “But look what we can achieve with belief. All I wanted was that when kids go to school tomorrow in this area, and when men and women go to work, they will say, ‘I support Oxford United.’ I don’t think anyone will wake up and have a bad word to say about you – other than that your finishing was s---! We could have won!” He has a broad smile on his face but, like Fazackerley, like the players, looks utterly crestfallen.
As he stands in a small room overlooking the pitch, waiting for Guardiola’s press conference to finish, Robinson admits that inside he is “fuming”. He is hoarse. This was a missed opportunity.
His final words to the players, before enjoying a bottle of beer in his office with his staff and then heading to a nearby hotel before training the next morning, are telling: “I will give you an insight into what he [Guardiola] said,” Robinson reveals. “He was shocked by your style, your bravery, your ability to pass, that you never crumbled under pressure. And that’s from the greatest manager on the planet. That is something you can all take and at the end of the last chapter in your book, whatever that book is, you can say, ‘I couldn’t have given any more.’ I asked for that and not one of you could have done any more. Thank you. And you heard that crowd. Let’s get promoted. You might not get a better chance. That’s our motto, so don’t waste it. Oh, and tonight, no alcohol – except for staff and only one or two – but recover and do the right things. This gentleman, Shorty, is your master and whatever he does, you do, to recover properly.”
There is a round of applause before Short goes through the training plan for the next day and selects players to go into the cryotherapy chamber, now, where they will be immersed in frozen air to aid their recovery. Wycombe await.