As more grey hairs continue to add to Paul Robinsons growing collection is it time the captain stepped down in his selection for the first team? If I asked this question last year I would have been laughed out of the ground however one closed season later and the player known to fans as robo may have a different response to my question. With a variety of factors to be considered in this situation I am going to be analysing the case for and against using Robinson as a first team regular.
A very important element which must be considered is Robinson`s role as club captain and the dressing room leader. All through last season Robinson was the driving force behind getting the players going if things were going badly on the pitch shouting and firing everybody up to go once again and from utilising this fire inside of him to motivate Robinson gained the respect of both fans and his teammates. As the captain Robinson is considered the leader of the team and if he was to be dropped the players wouldn`t have their leader and nobody to look to in times of struggle it would be like sending an army to war without a leader to organise them. Utterly pointless. So by keeping Robinson in the team the players are guaranteed to head out to the field with their leader at the front.
The old saying goes “You can’t win anything with kids” and the same applies to surviving in a tough league such as the Sky Bet Championship. With a playing career spanning 18 years Robinson boasts a C.V of experience at all levels and a variety of clubs and this will be crucial in guiding a squad with limited familiarity of this league with a group of the squad only stepping foot into this league this year.
A further point to consider is the versatility of the player as he is able to cover centre back and left back providing manager Gary Rowett with an extra option to consider when preparing for matches. By being able to cover other positions it allows more flexibility for the team which would be lost should Robinson be given the axe from the starting XI.
If there is one part of Robinsons game you can both fault and praise him for it`s the passion he shows on the pitch. He will fight and challenge for the ball till the final whistle however this is where his problem also appears. By fighting for everything Robinson has developed a reputation for being a “dirty” player and is prone to being judged to of fouled the man often getting yellow carded for the tackle or for his reaction towards the ref. You have to be impressed in how Robinson competes every minute of the game it`s just the way he plays raises questions in this day and age.
Now one stand out point of the argument to drop Robinson is over the closed season he has seemed to of lost some fitness and a yard of speed that makes all the difference when scraping for survival. At just 5 foot 9 the left back turned centre back cannot also rely on his height to save his lack of speed by winning headers and this was shown by the fortunate goal scored by Blackpool.
A further point thrown around to replace the captain in the heart of defence is that with the speed in the game now mistakes will be punished and with that in mind the more Robinson throws himself into tackles the more chances rise of him mistiming the challenge and being left stranded on the floor. With the difficult challenge of staying up being made harder by strikers capitalising of mistakes by Robinson can the manager warrant to select him in this uncertain times?
Age is also not on the captains` side as he steadily heads towards 40 his body will be taking more abuse week in week out as he continues to grind away for 90 minutes. This could be a cause for concern as youngsters Grant Hall and Will Packwood who are young enough and fit enough to handle multiple games in a week snap at Robinson`s heels.
As mentioned above for this season anyway Birmingham have three capable replacements ready to step in at a moment`s notice in: David Edgar, Grant Hall and Will Packwood. With all three being younger then Robinson with Edgar also boasting experience at this level one must ask if the Canadian would be a better option.
In summary I am not saying completely remove Robinson from the club far from it in fact. I am suggesting use somebody else as the captain so there is a leader still on the pitch but also use Robinson more sparingly to keep him going for longer as well as perhaps position him into a coaching role for the youngsters set to one day replace him. I mean is there anybody better than the current man to show the youngsters how to do it?
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