.jpg) Robins as manager of Stoke City in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mark Gordon Robins[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1969-12-22)22 December 1969 (age 55)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Ashton-under-Lyne,Lancashire, England[1] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Stoke City (manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1984–1988 | Manchester United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1988–1992 | Manchester United | 48 | (11) |
| 1992–1995 | Norwich City | 68 | (20) |
| 1995–1998 | Leicester City | 56 | (12) |
| 1996 | →Copenhagen (loan) | 6 | (4) |
| 1997 | →Reading (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 1998 | Ourense | 18 | (5) |
| 1998–1999 | Panionios | 13 | (1) |
| 1999 | →Manchester City (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 1999–2000 | Walsall | 40 | (6) |
| 2000–2003 | Rotherham United | 107 | (44) |
| 2003 | →Bristol City (loan) | 6 | (4) |
| 2003–2004 | Sheffield Wednesday | 15 | (3) |
| 2004–2005 | Burton Albion | 9 | (1) |
| Total | 393 | (111) | |
| International career | |||
| 1985 | England U16 | 9 | (3) |
| 1990 | England U21 | 6 | (7) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2007–2009 | Rotherham United | ||
| 2009–2011 | Barnsley | ||
| 2012–2013 | Coventry City | ||
| 2013–2014 | Huddersfield Town | ||
| 2014–2016 | Scunthorpe United | ||
| 2017–2024 | Coventry City | ||
| 2025– | Stoke City | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Mark Gordon Robins (born 22 December 1969) is an Englishfootball manager and former player who is the manager ofEFL Championship clubStoke City. As a player, he was astriker and is best known for his time in thePremier League withManchester United,Norwich City andLeicester City.
Robins began his career withManchester United. During this period, he scored a goal againstNottingham Forest in a1989–90 FA Cup tie that has subsequently been credited with "saving" managerAlex Ferguson's job at Old Trafford. After spending time with Norwich and Leicester, Robins went on to play forReading,Manchester City,Walsall,Rotherham United,Bristol City andSheffield Wednesday in theFootball League. Robins also played across Europe during spells withCopenhagen,Ourense, andPanionios before finishing his career withBurton Albion in theConference National.
In 2007, he became manager ofRotherham United, and joinedBarnsley in the same capacity in 2009, before leaving in 2011, following differences between him and the board. In 2012, he became manager ofCoventry City until 2013 when he joinedHuddersfield Town. Robins left Huddersfield Town in 2014 by mutual agreement. A few months later he became manager ofScunthorpe United before leaving in 2016.
In March 2017, Robins rejoined Coventry City and a few months later won theEFL Trophy. In the2017–18 season, Robins won theEFL League Two play-offs with the Sky Blues and were promoted toLeague One. After a solid eighth placed finish inLeague One in the2018–19 season, Robins led Coventry to promotion to theEFL Championship asLeague One Champions in the2019–20 season. He followed that up by guiding Coventry to a respectable 16th placed finish in theChampionship in the 2020–21 season, and further improved upon this with a 12th placed finish in the2021–22 season. In the2022–23 season, Robins led Coventry to a fifth place finish in theChampionship, qualifying forpromotion play-offs.Coventry City metLuton Town atWembley in the final, where they ultimately lost on penalties. In the2023–24 season saw Robins lead Coventry to reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup for the first time since 1987, where they lost to his former club Manchester United. Robins left Coventry in November 2024 and later was appointed manager ofStoke City in January 2025.
Robins played an important part in winning theFA Cup forManchester United in1990, which was the first trophy of managerAlex Ferguson's reign at the club, scoring the winning goal in the semi-final replay against Oldham Athletic.[3][4] United were playing away from home againstNottingham Forest on 7 January 1990, in the FA Cup third round tie. It was widely speculated in the media (but perennially denied by then-chairmanMartin Edwards) that under-pressure United manager Alex Ferguson would have been sacked had United lost and gone out of the Cup, as they were 15th in the league by this stage and had already been eliminated from theLeague Cup. Instead, Robins scored the winning goal from aMark Hughes cross. That goal was a turning point in the history of the football club – Ferguson would keep his job and go on to achieve an unmatched run of success at the club over the next 23 years.[5]
In that season, Robins scored seven First Division goals and a further two in the FA Cup, bringing his tally that season to nine in all competitions. His goal in the FA Cup third round also had the distinction of making him the player to score the first goal of the 1990s for Manchester United.[6] He also scored one of United's two goals in the semi-final replay where they beatOldham Athletic.[7]
He was second only to Mark Hughes in the goalscoring charts atOld Trafford, while Hughes's regular strike-partnerBrian McClair had managed a mere five league goals and it was starting to look as though Robins could displace McClair as the club's regular second striker. However, McClair recovered his goalscoring form in1990–91, and Robins managed only 19 First Division appearances and four goals. He was, however, in the squad that won theEuropean Cup Winners' Cup that season. September was a good month for him, as he scored twice in a 3–1 home win overQueens Park Rangers in the league and the winning goal in a visit toLuton Town.
However, the1991–92 season was a frustrating one for Robins as he played just twice in the league, failing to score, and in total made just eight appearances in all competitions. His only goals that season came in the League Cup second round at home toPortsmouth, when he scored twice in a 3–1 win at Old Trafford. When the opportunity for a place returned in the first team arose in April as fixture congestion took its toll on an increasingly goal-shy United, who were being overhauled byLeeds United in the title race, Robins was injured and unavailable for selection.
On 19 November 1991, he collected aEuropean Super Cup winner's medal (as an unused substitute) as United beatRed Star Belgrade in the game at Old Trafford.
Following a frustrating season, and with United looking to sign a new striker, he asked to be transfer listed.[8]
He left Manchester United forNorwich City for a fee of £800,000 where he played an important role in some of the club's greatest successes, including theremarkable win in theOlympiastadion againstBayern Munich in theUEFA Cup.
In his first game, his two goals helped Norwich defeatArsenal 4–2 atHighbury on the opening day of the first everPremier League season. The Canaries were 2–0 down with a quarter of the game remaining before Robins scored the club's first Premier League goal in the 69th minute, followed swiftly by goals from wingersDavid Phillips andRuel Fox, before Robins completed a 4–2 triumph with an 84th-minute goal.[9] On 9 November 1992, he became the first English player to score a hat-trick and the first player to achieve that in an away game in the Premier League in a 3-2 win againstOldham Athletic.
He helped them qualify for the UEFA Cup at the end of the1992–93 season, in which Norwich finished third in the Premier League, having led the league at several stages and featured in the title race until well into April, before his old club Manchester United finally won the title. His1993–94 season was interrupted by a serious injury, and coincided with a slump in form for Norwich, who finished 12th, after spending most of the first half of the season in the top five.
In1994–95, after falling out with Norwich managerJohn Deehan, he was sold toLeicester City, but was unable to prevent them from being relegated to Division One. He did, however, help them win a promotion return to the Premier League via the play-offs in1995–96, and win the League Cup in1996–97, when they finished ninth in the Premier League. While at Leicester, Robins was loaned out toCopenhagen andReading.
Leicester loaned Robins to Copenhagen in 1996. He played six games for the Danish club, scoring four goals. Among the FC Copenhagen supporters, Robins and his then attacking partnerMichael Manniche got the nicknames "Batmanne and Robins".[10][better source needed]
After leaving Leicester in January 1998, Robins had further spells abroad playing for Spanish sideOurense and Greek sidePanionios. While at Panionios, he had a brief loan spell on return in England forManchester City; however, this was disrupted by injury.[11]
Robins returned to England when he signed forWalsall in the summer of 1999, and went on to score eight goals in 46 appearances in his one season at the club.[12] After one season at Walsall, Robins signed forRotherham United in the summer of 2000. Ironically, he made his debut for the club against Walsall, and scored two goals as his former side won 3–2.[13] He went on to score 26 goals in all competitions in his first season at Rotherham, including a hat-trick in a 4–3 win overSwindon Town.[14][15] In February 2003, Robins was loaned toBristol City.[16] He scored on his debut for the club in aFootball League Trophy tie againstCambridge United.[17] In his brief spell at Bristol City, he scored five goals in eight appearances and helped his side reach the2003 Football League Trophy Final. However, by the time of the final, he was recalled by Rotherham and unable to take part. Bristol City went on to win the final in his absence.[18]
After falling out of favour at Rotherham, Robins joinedSheffield Wednesday in December 2003.[19] As he had done at Bristol City, Robins made an impressive debut for his new club in theFootball League Trophy, scoring twice as Wednesday defeatedCarlisle United.[20]
Robins ended his playing career atConference sideBurton Albion, whom he joined after leaving Sheffield Wednesday in 2004. He stayed at Burton until leaving to take up an assistant manager role at Rotherham United in January 2005.[21]
Robins made his debut for theEngland under-21s at theToulon Tournament in May 1990.[22][23] He started the opening group game againstPortugal as England lost 1−0.[22][23] In the next game, he scored five goals againstFrance in the 7−3 win, then followed that up with a goal againstRussia as England qualified for the final.[22][23] Robins played the whole game in the final as England beatCzechoslovakia to lift the trophy.[22][23] On 11 September, he scored in the friendly againstHungary as England ran out 3−1 winners atThe Dell.[24] His last appearance was in the defeat againstPoland during qualifying for the1992 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.[24] Overall, Robins made six appearances for the U21s and scored seven goals.[22][24]
Robins joinedRotherham United in June 2000 as a player and subsequently as assistant manager,[25] under managerAlan Knill. However, by the end of February 2007, the Millers sat 13 points adrift of safety, making the threat of relegation almost inevitable. This resulted in Knill being sacked on 1 March, with Robins becoming caretaker manager.[26] After a spell of three wins in six games while in charge as caretaker manager, and moving the club off the bottom ofLeague One,[27] Robins's position was made permanent on 6 April 2007.[28]
Robins gained much praise for his first two seasons with the Millers.[citation needed] The first saw Rotherham consistently in the automatic promotion places until a late dip in form, and the second almost brought promotion despite a 17-point deduction imposed by the Football League. Robins also attracted several high calibre players to theDon Valley Stadium, including League 2 player of the seasonNicky Law and prolific goalscorerAdam Le Fondre.
Robins was appointed as the new manager ofBarnsley on 9 September 2009, succeedingSimon Davey. After his first game in charge, the Championship club sat at the bottom of the table looking likely candidates for relegation. By Christmas, Robins had taken them a full nine points clear of the relegation zone and on a run of eight games unbeaten. This was followed by a poor spell towards the end of the season, and Barnsley finished 18th in the table. Robins resigned from his job at the end of the 2010–11 season, because of differences with the board.
On 19 September 2012, Robins was appointed as the new manager ofCoventry City, signing a three-year deal. His first game was a 2–1 home defeat againstCarlisle United at theRicoh Arena.
Robins became a fan-favourite catapulting them up the league from relegation battlers to play-off contenders in the short time that he had been at the club.[citation needed]
Robins took the club to the Area Final of theFootball League Trophy which left the club two games away fromWembley. Coventry City also had to face twoPremier League clubs away from home during his time. The first beingArsenal in theLeague Cup third round, which resulted in a 6–1 defeat and the second being Arsenal's North London rivalsTottenham Hotspur which ended as a 3–0 loss, knocking the Sky Blues out of theFA Cup third round.
Robins was first linked[by whom?] with the vacant managerial positions atDoncaster Rovers andBlackpool.[29] On 12 February 2013, Coventry City released a statement saying they had allowed Robins to go into talks withHuddersfield Town about their vacant managerial position.
On 14 February 2013, Robins was unveiled as the new manager of Huddersfield Town on a rolling contract.[30] His first game in charge came three days later, a 4–1 defeat toWigan Athletic in the FA Cup fifth-round atJohn Smith's Stadium.[31] On 19 February 2013, Robins took charge of his first league match as Huddersfield manager, a 6–1 defeat away from home againstNottingham Forest.[32] Robins earned his first win as Huddersfield manager on 26 February 2013, a 1–0 victory against Burnley atTurf Moor.[33] Huddersfield avoided relegation to League One on the final day of the 2012–13 season after drawing 2–2 withBarnsley.[34]
After surviving the following season, Robins and Huddersfield mutually agreed to part company after the first game of the 2014–15 season, a 4–0 home defeat toBournemouth.[35]
On 13 October 2014, Robins was appointed manager of League One clubScunthorpe United.[36] After a run of two wins in eight games, Robins was sacked by Scunthorpe on 18 January 2016, leaving the club six points above the League One relegation zone.[37]
On 6 March 2017, Coventry City re-appointed Robins as manager with immediate effect, the day after the sacking of previous managerRussell Slade.[38]
On 2 April 2017, Robins led Coventry to a 2–1 victory over Oxford United in theEFL Trophy final at Wembley.[39] Robins won his first promotion as a manager after leading Coventry to a sixth-place finish in League Two, and winning the play-offs at Wembley.[40] Over the course of the 2017–18 season, Robins broke numerous records as Coventry City manager, including the club's first top six finish in 48 years,[41] their first promotion in 51 years[42] and their most points in a season.[43] Robins's achievements gained much plaudits from local press and fans alike,[44] when considering Coventry City had only moved down the Football League since relegation from the Premier League in 2001. The win in the League Two play-off final represented Coventry's third competitive win at Wembley and Robins' second trophy in just over a year.[45]
After an eighth-place finish in the2018–19 season, Robins signed a new contract with the club in October 2019.[46] In the2019–20 season, Robins tookCoventry City to the Championship after winning the league, with just three defeats all season and unbeaten since 14 December 2019.[47] On 8 May 2021, Robins guided Coventry City to beat Millwall 6–1 to secure a 16th-place finish, in the club's first season return in theChampionship in nine years. The following season, Robins guided the Sky Blues to a 12th-place finish in the Championship, their highest league placing in over ten years.
Robins signed a new deal with the club in May 2022.[48] Robins said he was "delighted" to have signed a new deal. The2022–23 season under Robins' stewardship saw further improvement, having guided Coventry to a fifth-placed finish, which secured them a place in the Championship play-offs. Coventry were ultimately unsuccessful in their bid for promotion to the Premier League, narrowly losing the penalty shootout in thefinal at Wembley againstLuton Town, after playing out a 1–1 draw following extra time. On 17 May 2023, Robins agreed to a four-year contract to remain at Coventry until 2027.[49] In the 2023–24 season, Coventry reached thesemi-finals of the FA Cup for the first time since 1987, losing to Manchester United on penalties.[50][51] Coventry had initially fought back from 3–0 down to level the match in stoppage time before losing on penalty kicks.[51] On 7 November 2024, after a slow start to the 2024–25 season, Coventry announced they had dismissed Robins. At the time, Robins was the longest serving manager in the Championship.[52]
Robins was appointed manager ofStoke City on 1 January 2025 on a three-and-a-half year contract, withPaul Nevin andJames Rowberry as his assistants.[53][54]
In 2024, Robins was awarded an honorary doctorate from Coventry University for his impact on bothCoventry City and the area of Coventry itself.[55]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Manchester United | 1988–89 | First Division | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 0 | ||
| 1989–90 | First Division | 17 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 10 | |||
| 1990–91 | First Division | 19 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3[a] | 1 | 1[b] | 0 | 29 | 7 | |
| 1991–92 | First Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3[a] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | |
| Total | 48 | 11 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 72 | 19 | ||
| Norwich City | 1992–93 | Premier League | 37 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 37 | 15 | ||
| 1993–94 | Premier League | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | — | 16 | 1 | ||
| 1994–95 | Premier League | 17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 4 | |||
| Total | 68 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 73 | 20 | |||
| Leicester City | 1994–95 | Premier League | 17 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 5 | ||
| 1995–96 | First Division | 31 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | — | 2[d] | 0 | 38 | 10 | ||
| 1996–97 | Premier League | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | — | — | 16 | 2 | |||
| 1997–98 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 56 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 73 | 17 | ||
| Copenhagen (loan) | 1996–97 | Danish Superliga | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 4 | ||
| Reading (loan) | 1997–98 | First Division | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| Ourense | 1997–98 | Segunda División | 18 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 5 | ||
| Panionios | 1998–99 | Alpha Ethniki | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 1 | ||
| Manchester City (loan) | 1998–99 | Second Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Walsall | 1999–2000 | First Division | 40 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 46 | 8 | ||
| Rotherham United | 2000–01 | Second Division | 42 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 1[e] | 1 | 48 | 26 | |
| 2001–02 | First Division | 41 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 43 | 16 | |||
| 2002–03 | First Division | 15 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 19 | 7 | |||
| 2003–04 | First Division | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 0 | |||
| Total | 107 | 44 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 120 | 49 | ||
| Bristol City (loan) | 2002–03 | Second Division | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[e] | 1 | 8 | 5 | |
| Sheffield Wednesday | 2003–04 | Second Division | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3[e] | 4 | 18 | 7 | |
| Burton Albion | 2004–05 | Football Conference | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[f] | 0 | 10 | 1 | |
| Career total | 393 | 111 | 24 | 6 | 31 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 10 | 6 | 466 | 136 | ||
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Rotherham United | 1 March 2007 | 9 September 2009 | 129 | 56 | 30 | 43 | 043.41 | [58] |
| Barnsley | 9 September 2009 | 15 May 2011 | 92 | 29 | 25 | 38 | 031.52 | [58] |
| Coventry City | 19 September 2012 | 14 February 2013 | 33 | 17 | 6 | 10 | 051.52 | [58] |
| Huddersfield Town | 14 February 2013 | 10 August 2014 | 68 | 23 | 14 | 31 | 033.82 | [58] |
| Scunthorpe United | 13 October 2014 | 18 January 2016 | 71 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 032.39 | [58] |
| Coventry City | 6 March 2017 | 7 November 2024 | 387 | 154 | 106 | 127 | 039.79 | [58] |
| Stoke City | 1 January 2025 | present | 42 | 16 | 12 | 14 | 038.10 | [58] |
| Total | 822 | 318 | 216 | 288 | 038.69 | |||
Manchester United
Leicester City
Individual
Coventry City
Individual
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |