Barnsley Attempt To Clear Up Confusion

Barnsley Football Club have at last moved to clear up the confusion regarding Mark Robins’ tenure at Barnsley following the report by BBC Radio Sheffield yesterday stating that he’d had his contract terminated.

Supporters have been clamouring for more information for more than 24 hours after the revelation but both the club and Mark Robins remained tight lipped until this afternoon.

In an interview on BBC Radio Sheffield, the club’s General Manager Don Rowing explained that last week the board met with Mark Robins to discuss the Football League’s proposals on finances for all Championship clubs.

It was established that unless the club take significant action to change course, it was conceivable that club debt would treble over five years because the amount of money the club will be earning doesn’t equate to the amount it is spending. This is due to a combination of factors, a significant one being the reduction in TV revenue by as much as £700,000 in the 2012/13 season.

The board proposed ideas to break even going forward including reducing the reliance on loan players, a sentiment echoed by Sheffield United chairman Kevin McCabe on BBC Radio Sheffield on Wednesday evening, whilst also reviewing it’s scouting arrangements.

In response to this Mark Robins has told the board that he would like to consider the implications of this change in approach and if he could work with it.

Shocked by this response, the club have advised mark that under the circumstances it was necessary to invoke his contract, fixing the amount of compensation due should they wish to part company with Mark.

When asked if the club actually want Mark Robins to remain at the club, Rowing said: ‘We’re always going to have differences of opinion. We want him to stay but this has come about because of the change of direction we’re making.’

‘We’re not thinking along the lines of a contingency plan. This evolved over a very short period of time. There’s work to be done for the new season Mark’s aware of where we want to be. Hopefully he’ll come back next week and advise us of what he wants to do.’

Rowing went on to say that he is confident that Mark Robins will be at the club for next season because he has a contract until the end of the 2011/12 campaign and that the club want him to stay and continue to develop the team but it is Mark’s decision to make.

So will Robins stay? Well that’s anyone’s guess. But my money’s literally already on him taking the Sheffield United job and thankfully I got in there at 8/1 before his price was cut to 1/2 favourite.