Dec 16, 2014
Whitecaps' Robinson looks back on first year and to the future
On the latest edition of TSNFC we were joined by Carl Robinson on his one year anniversary as the club's head coach to talk about his first year in the job and give updates on some of the current questions surrounding his squad moving in to 2015. Robinson covered a wide range of topics.
By Luke Wileman
On the latest edition of TSNFC we were joined by Carl Robinson on his one year anniversary as the club's head coach to talk about his first year in the job and give updates on some of the current questions surrounding his squad moving in to 2015.
Robinson covered a wide range of topics. Here are some of the highlights:
On re-signing Mauro Rosales:
"It was a tricky deal. It was one that we wanted to try and make work for Mauro and for the club. He has enjoyed his time with us and had a big influence on the group. Mauro will be a player (not also a coaching role), it is a big responsibility being just a player but with the leadership that he brings he will naturally do his coaching anyway. It's an important day for us today because we have managed to re-sign a key part of our club moving forward."
On his search for a Designated Player striker:
"There are still a number of candidates that are in that range. I have got one that I would like to bring in if I can - obviously it depends on a number of things so you have got to keep your options open. There are targets and they are in different categories as well, different ranges. We will try and get the best player available. Character references have been done with all of the targets and we are ready to go."
On talks with Johnny Leveron:
"We spoke with his representative earlier today. We have just got to decide which way we are going to play that, but I'm sure we will manage to tie something down with Johnny one way or the other."
On not rushing new signings:
"I don't want rush and sign three or four players on the same day. I think it is important that we do our due diligence and we take our time. If we sign four players now and then suddenly at the start of January a player becomes available that I believe is better than I've got I would be kicking myself. So we will make our decisions at the right time."
On when a head coach will be hired for the 'Caps USL PRO team:
Very soon. Hopefully in the next week or two. I think the search has been narrowed down to a few candidates who are getting told in the next few days. It has got to be the right fit for us. It is a massive step for the development within the club. It is an important part of development and it is important that we are competitive in that field. We are not there just to make up the numbers and we want to create the same environment in that team as we do in the first team.
On his own future with the Whitecaps:
"All I can concentrate on is doing my job. If I do my job to the best of my ability and do things the way I think they should be done, then I can't see a reason why I can't be here for a number of years. The club has been great with me. It wasn't an easy situation the way I got the job and in my first year but they have been supportive of me and I hope I repaid their faith last year. If we continue moving in this direction I'm sure everyone will be happy and we will spend a lot of time together."