David Beckham & Gary Neville wield the axe! Salford City sack manager despite club's best EVER season

In a move that has sent shockwaves through the EFL, Salford City have confirmed the departure of Robinson. The 45-year-old was unable to survive the fallout from a devastating 3-0 defeat in the hand of Notts County in the League Two play-off final at Wembley, which left the club’s high-profile owners visibly frustrated in the stands.

The club announced the decision via social media, stating: “Karl Robinson has left his position as Head Coach of Salford City with immediate effect. Karl has conducted himself throughout his time at Salford City with professionalism and integrity. He has worked tirelessly on behalf of the Club and has been fully dedicated to helping us achieve our ambitions, both on and off the pitch. We wish Karl all the best and every success in the future.”

Robinson’s dismissal comes as a surprise to many given the relative success of the campaign. Under his guidance, Salford achieved their highest-ever finish in the English football pyramid, finishing fourth in League Two. However, the club narrowly missed out on automatic promotion by a single point to Cambridge United, a failure that forced them into the lottery of the play-offs where they ultimately fell short.

During his two-and-a-half-year tenure, Robinson oversaw 132 games, securing 60 victories. While he initially inherited a side that had slumped to 20th in the table, he successfully stabilised the project and turned them into promotion contenders. Nevertheless, a damaging run of five defeats in six games during January proved costly in the final reckoning for automatic spots.

Robinson himself was critical of the team's performance following the defeat in the capital. Reflecting on the loss, he admitted: “I feel that we’ve let people down. I don’t think we’ve let people down for the last 10 months, we’ve been nothing short of magnificent, but today we had too many who didn’t turn up. You can use so many excuses, but we were beaten by the better team.”

The manager’s "magnificent" effort over 10 months was not enough to save his position. Beckham and Neville appear determined to accelerate the club’s rise into League One, and the disappointment of the final day draw against 22nd-placed Crawley seems to have lingered within the boardroom.

Salford must now begin their search for a new head coach who can bridge the gap between being play-off contenders and winners. After years of establishing themselves as a mid-table League Two side following their ascent from the National League in 2019, the owners clearly feel a change in leadership is required to take the final step.

With pre-season on the horizon, the pressure is on the Class of '92 to identify a successor who can handle the intense media spotlight that follows the club. Robinson's departure marks the end of a steady chapter, but for Beckham and Neville, only promotion will satisfy their long-term ambitions for the Moor Lane outfit.