Rage Online

Just announced we've signed Marvin Robinson from Macclesfield. 26 year old striker.

Presumably he wasn't the main target and looks very much like plan B or lower.

Journeyman springs to mind when you look at his career stats on soccerbase. He only ever seems to stay at clubs for a few months before moving on permenantly. Sets a few alarm bells ringing for me - does this mean he's a problem off the field?

Jim Smith obviously thinks he's better than Beechers though so he might be able to do the business at this level. So far it looks like I was wrong about Duffer so perhaps Jim knows something about football after all

His stats really don't paint a pretty picture.

Well we've signed a player who's started every game from a league above thjis season and has played all his career in the football league.

Just who were we expecting? Lets fact it none of the players signed this summer has really set the pulses racing but if they keep getting the results I won't complain.

Not the Championship striker that we were led to believe was being lined up though is he?

Regardless of what league we are in I don't think starting every game for Macclesfield is any great recommendation. Particularly as they are bottom of the basement division with 1 point from 15 and have only scored 2 goals (neither of which were scored by Mr Robinson).

Hopefully there's no correlation between him starting every game and Macclesfield's league position.

Having said all that I trust Jim Smith's ability to recognise a half decent footballer so will give himthe benefit of the doubt for now.

&quotMally&quot wrote:Presumably he wasn't the main target and looks very much like plan B or lower.

Journeyman springs to mind when you look at his career stats on soccerbase. He only ever seems to stay at clubs for a few months before moving on permenantly. Sets a few alarm bells ringing for me - does this mean he's a problem off the field?

Jim Smith obviously thinks he's better than Beechers though so he might be able to do the business at this level. So far it looks like I was wrong about Duffer so perhaps Jim knows something about football after all

About time some of us objectively looked at the football pyramid and assessed what sort of centre forward would actually come to us on deadline day.

Smith has had him at Derby so thats a plus in my book.

I'm looking from the US point of view, now i've been taken in by this baseball game.

Talent is perceived by stats, not by actual talent!

Doesn’t seem that Macc fans were particularly impressed with our new signing.

“Although his time at the Moss Rose was far from sucessful, we wish him all the best in the future.
Despite his record of not scoring a competitive goal for the club, it can only be classed as good business to make a transfer profit on the player! “


“Marvin Robinson short stay at the Moss Rose has ended with a move to Conference side Oxford United. After a number of poor performances in the blue shirt of Macc, Horton has decided to send him packing to Jim Smith's Oxford

&quotResurrection Ox&quot wrote: Smith has had him at Derby so thats a plus in my book.

I'm not 100% convinced by this argument - given we've had a succession of managers who have brought in pretty much nothing but players &quotthey have had&quot at previous clubs ... which has led us to where we are now. Maybe Smith will prove to be a better judge than Atkins, Rix, Talbot ... but it would be nice to have an adequate scouting and selection system that didn't simply and solely rely on the trajectory that the manager has taken. Given that we are in the conference and it will be hard to attract decent league players here, it would be nice to think we were scouring the clubs around looking for really promising players - who might be attracted by the operation here and the rewards that could be offered.

Maybe Smith will prove to be a better judge than Atkins, Rix, Talbot ...

Er - he is a better judge than that lot. He's proved it over 30 years ffs.

It's tricky in the Conference though, especially if people want a name they've heard of and also the player in question to have a reasonable record. Signing players from lower leagues is very risky since we already are the lowest professional league so we'll always sign part-timers. Our previous signings from Conference South have been Roach, who was terrible and Obubade, who was out of his depth at first but hopefully developing into something. Then we had Dale who was promising from all accounts, but didn't work out. I think it would be very difficult for a previously part time player to make an impact in his first full time season.

To sign a player from the championship would either require us to pay him absolutely loads, or have incriminating pictures. I don't think many fans are being reasonable. If Smith had got the likes of Peschisolido to sign it would have been incredible. I think we were always likely to get either a youngster (unproven) from a league sides reserves, or someone from league 2. Robinson is obviously a gamble, but generally I think it's worth giving him the benefit of any doubt.

&quotAncient Colin&quot wrote: I'm not 100% convinced by this argument - given we've had a succession of managers who have brought in pretty much nothing but players &quotthey have had&quot at previous clubs ... which has led us to where we are now. Maybe Smith will prove to be a better judge than Atkins, Rix, Talbot ... but it would be nice to have an adequate scouting and selection system that didn't simply and solely rely on the trajectory that the manager has taken. Given that we are in the conference and it will be hard to attract decent league players here, it would be nice to think we were scouring the clubs around looking for really promising players - who might be attracted by the operation here and the rewards that could be offered.

but... we don't know what the scouts threw up. if there's no-one that looks any more impressive than robinson (that we have a feasible chance of getting) i am more comfortable with smith going with a 'known quantity'. and i agree with resurrection ox, smith doing this kind of thing inspires more faith than certainly rix or talbot. presumably smith had experience of any disciplinary issues he may have, and thinks he knows how to handle him.

although i must admit i am a bit bemused as to why we seem to have paid a fee for someone macc sound like they both wanted, and needed, to shift. hopefully 'undisclosed' means the rest of the mooney bald wigs to go with their signing of tipton.

and besides, even if marvin robinson hasn't got a great football career record, he sounds like he should have a decent motown one.

I really really do hope you guys are right (and I'm always impressed with ResOx's relentless optimism in the face of crushing disappointments, mindful of the abuse we got when suggesting that the Atkins Ox side wouldn't get promoted or the early predictions that we might get relegated last season!). Point taken with our experiments with non-league signings (could add Sills to that list) but wouldn't it be nice to find the next Eastwood. Higher division reserves I think do have potential, but players who have been picked up professionally but have descended to the basement may be less promising unless there are external factors.

A wait and see signing I guess...backup as target man if Duffy has to miss games I would think

Had a quick scan through the deals from yesterday but could not spot a Championship striker moving who could have been our target but poached by someone else. If he hadnt just gone to QPR I was hoping it was Dexter but there you go.