Time to let Robbo go

TWO years ago Albion travelled to Slovenia against a backdrop of two players who were desperate to leave the club.

Curtis Davies was one. Promised a move if Albion failed to win promotion at the end of the previous campaign - they'd lost in the play-offs just a few weeks before - he felt the club were not true to their word.

Tony Mowbray was happy for him to leave. Jeremy Peace wanted the right price and sure as hell not going to budge until he got it - and boy didn't he get it in the end?

Yet Curtis' conduct in Slovenia was reasonably good. He was enthusiastic during training sessions, he remained upbeat and kept his dignity.

Inside he was burning with rage yet it was hard to tell he was desperate to leave.
When a colleague and I finally spoke to him, on the record, after the game against Crvena Zvezda, the fury finally came out.

He took a pop at Jeremy Peace, admitted there was no captain-manager chemistry between himself and Tony Mowbray and he knew that clubs who were interested were beginning to have their heads turned elsewhere.

A few weeks later Curtis effectively went on strike, forcing a clearly unfit Neil Clement to struggle against a rampant Ade Akinbiyi.

The second player was Paul Robinson.

Throughout that Slovenia trip he, to use a common footballer's analogy, 'kept his head down'. He wasn't his usual bubbly self, he made it clear he didn't wish to be there. Interviews were out of the question. His face was contorted and he generally frowned for most of the week.

He was denied moves that summer due to medical issues relating to his knee. He denied those but they were flagged up by Jeremy Peace during the chairman's press briefings.

Two years on and we're in danger of seeing a re-run of Groundhog Day.

Albion leave for Slovenia this weekend and, again, we have no prospect of Robinson being granted his move.

That's not good.

I firmly believe that Marek Cech's lack of first-team progress at Albion was in part down to Tony Mowbray's unwillingness to drop Robinson when he should have. Perhaps Mowbray felt that Robinson was too powerful and influential to drop?

A happy Paul Robinson is a courageous, dynamic, full-hearted Paul Robionson. His character masks any flaws in his game, certainly at the level Albion are about to play in. But an unhappy Paul Robinson is what we got in Slovenia two years ago and what we may get again next week.

He wants to play in the top flight, Gary Megson wants to sign him and, right now, Roberto Di Matteo's opening weeks as head coach are in danger of being derailed by a saga which involves a player who no longer wishes to be at the club.

Forget Di Matteo straight-batting the question about Robbo's future at today's press conference. He may say that Robinson is part of Albion's future but, let's face it, a parting is needed for all concerned.

Robinson has pretty much blown it with those he had an affinity with. Telling supporters you want to leave once, as he did in 2007, is one thing and can be put down to ambition, naivity, or even accusations that comments have been taken out of context (which they weren't, I hasten to add).

But doing it twice is another. Openly declaring that you want out, before then telling people you wish to join Mowbray at Celtic (absolutely no chance of that happening) is just reckless.

Robinson must have known that Jeremy Peace only sells at his price.

The player will find Albion fans in an unforgiving mood when he's next on the pitch in a competitive fixture. Like Davies, Robinson too missed that game at Burnley due to 'outside issues'. Let's hope Albion's pre-season and opening weeks of the new campaign aren't, once again, over-shadowed in this way.

The Robinson saga must not drag on any further.

This is one deal where Peace must be prepared to skip over a few pages in his own rule-book.

Robinson must be allowed to leave. It would be dignified if he went with a pat on the back for his services and messages of good luck, although I suspect too much has been said on his part. Shame really as this was the man who used to thank the fans come win, lose or draw.

This is an exciting new era for Albion - it would be a shame for it to be ruined by an unsavoury episode.