Wednesday 26 February 2020 11:55, UK
Oxford United have declined a request from Blackpool to speak to head coach Karl Robinson.
Blackpool sacked manager Simon Grayson on February 12 after a run of one win in 12 games left them 14th in League One.
Speaking to Sky Sports News, Oxford chairman Sumrith 'Tiger' Thanakarnjanasuth said: "When a club is doing well there will always be interest in the manager as well as players; that is inevitable and we thank Blackpool for going through the right procedure.
"Everything has been done properly and we wish them well in their search for a new manager.
"Karl is a central part of what we are building and I hope will be here for many years to come.
"To set the record straight, we spoke to Blackpool yesterday before the game but I didn't want to disturb Karl's pre-match routine.
"It was unfortunate that rumours started coming out just before kick-off, but I rang immediately after the game although Karl was very busy as usual at that time, and by that stage it was 5am in Bangkok and even I need a little sleep sometimes!
"We talked this morning, and we talked a lot about last night's game, an important win, and then about our plans for the rest of the season.
"The team is playing so well right now and we are chasing down the teams above us. It is going to be such an exciting finish and we look forward to facing the challenge together."
Oxford beat Accrington Stanley 3-0 on Tuesday night. The win was their third in a row and leaves Robinson's side just one point off the play-off places in League One.
