Dons head coach Mark Robinson responds to club’s statement which strongly backed him

AFC Wimbledon head coach Mark Robinson has given his reaction to the board announcing that they have offered their full backing and support to him.

The Dons are without a win in their last 20 games in all competitions and slipped into League One’s bottom four last weekend following their 3-1 defeat at Cheltenham Town.

Robinson initially took charge on an interim basis in January 2021 when Glyn Hodges left. He was handed the job permanently in February and helped the team survive relegation to League Two.

The Dons were the top goalscorers in the country in the opening months of this season but have not picked up three points since December 7 when they won 2-0 at Accrington Stanley.

However, the AFCW PLC board and the Dons Trust board released a statement on Wednesday evening that said they believe Robinson is “the right man to remain as our head coach.”

They also added: ” The board has challenged itself as to whether more could have been done to support Mark and his team and has concluded that is the case.”

Speaking to the South London Press about the statement, Robinson said: “It’s not a relief to me, because it’s not about me.

“Me working for Wimbledon isn’t a job –  it’s a mission to bring back future success for the fans and the people I have gotten to know over my 18 years here.

“I’m just pleased that they have got belief in the model to move forward and that they have got the plan and want to back the plan.

“To stay fan-owned, if you’re going to stay that way, then you have to do it in a very, very different way.

“I understand we’re not where we want to be now, but all the positive stuff that is happening – having young internationals and being thought of by top clubs to look after their loan players – will help us grow in the future and give us a greater chance of having success.

“I’m really pleased the club are thinking forward.”

The Dons statement, issued yesterday, said: “Whilst the stadium build has resulted in an uncompetitive playing budget, the board believes that more support could have been provided in the area of the football panel. In response to this, the board have signed off more senior resource for the football panel to ensure full alignment and to add further expertise to our efforts to identify the best players on an ongoing basis.

“However, we also believe that there have been positives – we have already seen good progress in player development, including representative honours for our improving young players. We also believe that Mark is and remains very open to input on all areas of his and his management team’s roles and decision-making, and we are looking to support him as best as possible.

“Secondly, we will be presenting a fuller financial update separately shortly. But thanks to the efforts of the finance committee, club staff and board members, as well as the generosity of our fans and investors in the Plough Lane Bond 2, we will approach plans for the 2022-23 season in our strongest ever financial position. We are therefore fully committed to providing an increase in playing budget – made possible through the debt refinancing and the new revenue streams achievable post-Covid at a fully functioning Plough Lane with stronger commercial activity and non-matchday use of the stadium facilities.

“Finally, we would like to place on record our belief that changing the head coach brings no guarantee of success and could carry higher risks than working to turn our on-pitch fortunes around alongside someone who has earned the respect of everyone at the club over the last 18 years.

“In the short term, we find ourselves with eight games left to climb the table and see off the threat of relegation. It is very much in our hands. We have been here before over the last five years and we know how important it is to stick together.”