[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"header-nav":3,"footer-nav":29,"article-salford-sack-robinson-play-off-defeat":82,"category-counts-nav":94,"related-salford-sack-robinson-play-off-defeat":105},[4,8,11,14,17,20,23,26],{"label":5,"to":6,"exact":7},"Home","\u002F",true,{"label":9,"to":10},"World Cup","\u002Fworldcup",{"label":12,"to":13},"Standings","\u002Fstandings",{"label":15,"to":16},"Football","\u002Fcategory\u002Ffootball",{"label":18,"to":19},"Basketball","\u002Fcategory\u002Fbasketball",{"label":21,"to":22},"Tennis","\u002Fcategory\u002Ftennis",{"label":24,"to":25},"F1","\u002Fcategory\u002Ff1",{"label":27,"to":28},"Long Reads","\u002Fcategory\u002Flong-reads",{"brand":30,"columns":32,"tagline":80,"copyright":81},{"description":31},"In-depth sports journalism covering football, basketball, tennis, F1, and beyond. Daily analysis, long reads, and expert opinion.",[33,51,59],{"heading":34,"links":35},"Leagues",[36,39,42,45,48],{"label":37,"to":38},"Premier League","\u002Ftag\u002Fpremier-league",{"label":40,"to":41},"La Liga","\u002Ftag\u002Fla-liga",{"label":43,"to":44},"NBA","\u002Ftag\u002Fnba",{"label":46,"to":47},"Formula 1","\u002Ftag\u002Fformula-1",{"label":49,"to":50},"Champions League","\u002Ftag\u002Fchampions-league",{"heading":52,"links":53},"Content",[54,56,57],{"label":55,"to":16},"Analysis",{"label":27,"to":28},{"label":58,"to":16},"Data & Stats",{"heading":60,"links":61},"Company",[62,65,68,71,74,77],{"label":63,"to":64},"Terms of Service","\u002Fservice",{"label":66,"to":67},"Privacy Policy","\u002Fprivacy",{"label":69,"to":70},"Editorial Policy","\u002Feditorial",{"label":72,"to":73},"Contact Us","\u002Fcontact",{"label":75,"to":76},"About Us","\u002Fabout",{"label":78,"to":79},"Website Disclaimer","\u002Fdisclaimer","Built for the love of sport","© SportPulse. All rights reserved.",{"title":83,"slug":84,"category":15,"badge":55,"author":85,"excerpt":86,"date":87,"readTime":88,"image":89,"imageAlt":83,"tags":90,"body":92,"_path":93},"Salford Sack Robinson After Play-off Defeat","salford-sack-robinson-play-off-defeat","Ethan Daniels","The League Two club acts swiftly, parting ways with Karl Robinson just nine days after the Wembley heartbreak.","2026-06-09","1 min read","https:\u002F\u002Fimages.unsplash.com\u002Fphoto-1574629810360-7efbbe195018?auto=format&fit=crop&w=1920&q=80",[91],"League Two","## The Final Blow\n\nSalford City have **parted company with manager Karl Robinson**, a decision that comes just **nine days after their League Two play-off final defeat**. The move signals a ruthless response from a club whose owners have made **promotion an absolute priority**.\n\nRobinson, 43, took charge in October 2022 and steered Salford to a **seventh-place finish** in his first season, bowing out in the play-off semi-finals. This year, he guided them to **the cusp of League One**, only for the final hurdle to prove insurmountable.\n\n### The Cost of Falling Short\n\nFor the **Class of ‘92-owned** outfit, patience ran thin. The club has invested heavily, both financially and emotionally, in its quest to climb the football pyramid. A **second consecutive play-off campaign** ending in agony was judged a step too far.\n\n> \"Close is a word that never sits well in the boardrooms of ambitious clubs. For Salford, the gap between almost and achievement has become a chasm.\"\n\n- A second consecutive play-off campaign ending in disappointment\n- The weight of expectation from the Class of ’92 ownership group\n- A fiercely competitive League Two that punishes any sustained inconsistency\n\n## What Comes Next\n\nThe search for a successor will begin immediately. The new manager will inherit a squad **capable of automatic promotion** but burdened by the ghosts of recent failures. Expect Salford to target a figure with **proven League Two promotion pedigree** or a charismatic leader who can harness the club’s unique DNA.\n\nThe next appointment will define whether Salford’s project accelerates or stalls. For now, Robinson becomes another statistic in the **brutal mathematics of lower-league management**.","\u002Farticles\u002Fsalford-sack-robinson-play-off-defeat",[95,96,97,98,99,100,101,102,103,104],"analysis","basketball","cricket","f1","football","general","golf","mma","long-reads","tennis",[106,118,126],{"id":107,"stem":107,"path":108,"title":109,"category":15,"badge":110,"badgeType":111,"author":112,"authorRole":113,"authorInitials":114,"date":87,"readTime":115,"image":89,"imageAlt":109,"tags":116,"excerpt":117},"roly-gregoire-breaks-silence-racism-football","\u002Farticles\u002Froly-gregoire-breaks-silence-racism-football","Gregoire Breaks 46-Year Silence on Racism in Football","Feature","category","James Carter","SportPulse Contributor","JC","3 min read","English Football League, Sunderland AFC","Roly Gregoire, forced out of football by injury and racism in 1980, finally tells his story.",{"id":119,"stem":119,"path":120,"title":121,"category":15,"badge":110,"badgeType":111,"author":122,"authorRole":113,"authorInitials":123,"date":87,"readTime":124,"image":89,"imageAlt":121,"tags":9,"excerpt":125},"fifa-unveils-offside-tech-end-delayed-flags-2026-world-cup","\u002Farticles\u002Ffifa-unveils-offside-tech-end-delayed-flags-2026-world-cup","FIFA unveils offside tech to end delayed flags at 2026 World Cup","James Richardson","JR","2 min read","FIFA's latest innovation aims to eliminate the delayed offside flag, speeding up decisions for the 2026 World Cup.",{"id":127,"stem":127,"path":128,"title":129,"category":15,"badge":130,"badgeType":131,"author":132,"authorRole":113,"authorInitials":133,"date":134,"readTime":135,"image":136,"imageAlt":129,"tags":9,"excerpt":137},"salah-exorcises-world-cup-demons-egypt-historic-win","\u002Farticles\u002Fsalah-exorcises-world-cup-demons-egypt-historic-win","Salah Exorcises Demons as Egypt Claim First-Ever World Cup Win","Match Report","tag","Adebayo Oluwafemi","AO","2026-06-23 05:47:16","7 min read","https:\u002F\u002Fichef.bbci.co.uk\u002Face\u002Fstandard\u002F976\u002Fcpsprodpb\u002F43c7\u002Flive\u002F78d9b8c0-6dec-11f1-bb15-8fda38f0ff7f.jpg","Ninety-two years of waiting ended as Mohamed Salah fired Egypt to a landmark World Cup victory."]