Karl Robinson admits there is something extra in games between Oxford United and Bristol Rovers and himself and Joey Barton, as he bids to end his wretched run in a rivalry that dates back 30 years.
Rovers and Oxford have no wins between them over 14 collective fixtures, in league and cup, and are drifting towards the wrong end of the League One table with pressure very much on Robinson ahead of the midday kick-off.
On a personal level, as Barton revels in highlighting, Robinson has never beaten him in their six professional encounters as both Fleetwood Town and Rovers manager, a pre-season game, plus two when he was a player at Burnley; a hex the Oxford manager is very much committed to lifting at Kassam Stadium on Saturday.
“I’ve known Joey since we were kids, I’ve known Joey before what other people assume as Marmite,” Robinson told This is Oxfordshire. “He’s someone I’ve known for many, many years – we’ve always respected each other but it’s that mentality of I’m desperate to beat him and he’s desperate to beat us. The most important thing is we’re desperate for our clubs to win.
“It’s not about the two people standing on the touchline, it’s about the teams that we work for and the players that we coach.
“He’ll be so determined to win this game for his players and the fans of Bristol Rovers but I’m determined to win this game for the players and fans of Oxford United. Whatever Joey’s done up to now is testament to him but at the weekend, that goes out the window a little bit.”
Oxford are just seven points above the bottom three, having finished eighth last season, but a report in the Oxford Mail this week declared there is no wish within the board to consider dispensing with the services of Robinson who has been in charge since March, 2018.
CEO Tim Williams has insisted results must improve, while supporter pressure is a given, something which is also starting to build around Barton as Rovers are in the midst of their worst run of results since the tail-end of the relegation campaign in 2020/21.
For the first time since the start of last season, questions around the manager’s decision-making, tactics and choice of words in press conferences are becoming part of the discourse among supporters concerned at the Gas’ slide down the table after what was perceived to be a surprise play-off challenge prior to January.
“They’ll see it exactly the same as ourselves, they’ll see it as an opportunity for them to get a result,” Robinson added. “From my point of view, their run of results has got no relevance in what we speak about.
“It’ll be a very intense game, almost like a cup game, that type of level of game where the fans are going to get right behind their teams. The run of form both teams are in and the intensity with the way the fans are with each other means it’ll be billed as a bigger game than most.
“It’s about us making sure we control our emotions and that what we’ve worked on this week comes to the forefront of the game. I don’t ever feel that extra pressure, I always say that nobody can put more pressure on me than what I put on myself.”
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