Ex MK Dons boss Karl Robinson takes over at Charlton Athletic in advance of the two clubs meeting in the Cup!

The ex MK Dons manager Karl Robinson is set to be named as Charlton boss later today in a quirky twist on the Road to Wembley from Scotland.  On Tuesday night another good result for the Addicks and another disastrous result for the Dons as the two teams gear up for the big match.

Karl Robinson was regarded as one of England’s brightest young managers in his early days at Stadium MK. He guided the Dons to promotion to the Championship and most football fans outside of Milton Keynes reckoned that the Dons were probably punching above their weight. When relegation back down to League One followed it was no great surprise. The Dons have started their first campaign back in League One badly and in mid October Karl paid the price of a run of poor results and left the club he had bossed so successfully for 6 years ‘by mutual consent’. To this outsider it did seem as if the trigger had been pulled too soon. One month later the talented Robinson is back in football and is certain to be named as Charlton Athletic manager later today. The bookies have closed the book and this is a sure sign that the appointment is imminent. Charlton Athletic have moved fairly quickly to replace the sacked Russell Slade.

Karl Robinson: The new boss at The Valley - Charlton going up ?

Trawling through the Charlton Athletic fans facebook pages and twitter feeds the appointment of Karl Robinson seems to have been met with general approval. However the Campaign Against Roland Duchatelet (CARD) advise fans to continue to protest against the owner. Further protests are planned for Saturday when the Addicks play host to high flyers Sheffield United. Young Karl is indeed assuming the ‘hot seat’ moving into this turbulent environment and the controversial Belgian Charlton owner Roland Duchatalet has now appointed 6 different managers in the last 30 months. I wish Robinson well.

Taxi for Roland: The Campaign Against Roland Duchatelet takes to the road

Meanwhile in Milton Keynes the search for a manager goes on and is rivalling Coronation Street for longevity of a soap opera. It is now over a month since Karl Robinson left. At various times Ryan Giggs, Steven Gerrard and Steve Evans have been prominent in the betting. Steve Cotterrill has always been a short price and is now quoted at 1/4 and seems very likely to be given the job – but when? The Dons hierarchy are certainly taking their time in making an appointment. While the saga goes on the results on the pitch are getting worse and earlier this week things hit a new low.

At Stadium MK on Tuesday night the visitors for the League One fixture were bottom of the table Chesterfield. Before the match Chesterfield had never won an away league match this season. They got rid of that unwanted record when they left Milton Keynes with all three points having defeated The Dons 3-2. The MK Dons have still to win at home in the league this season and they desperately need a new boss in place to help turn things around. At this rate they are hurtling towards two successive relegations. On the same night the Addicks won 5-1 away at Bristol Rovers and are moving smoothly up the table in advance of Karl Robinson’s arrival.

How will the two protagonists play on Saturday as they complete their preparations for the Cup tie in South London on the 3^rd December? Will MK Dons finally appoint a new manager? What sort of reception will Karl Robinson get when he takes his seat in the dug-out at The Valley? Come back on Sunday for the answers to these questions … and much more. Keep reading.