Southend United boss Sol Campbell unsure if Karl Robinson speculation will affect Oxford United

Oxford, who host the Shrimpers at the Kassam Stadium on Saturday, have rejected an approach from Blackpool to speak to Robinson.

But Campbell does not know if that will make an impact on the game.

“Sometimes when you look at it, anything like that we take a little bit away,” said Campbell.

“People are focused but it might take a little smidge off your performance.

“At Southend we have to try and take anything positive that comes our way.

“There might be a little bit of that but they are professional guys and Karl is professional so I can’t see it taking too much but you never know. “

Blackpool, who are 14th in League One, are on the lookout for Simon Grayson’s successor following his sacking earlier this month.

But Oxford, currently one point outside the play-off positions, are not willing to let Robinson go.

Chairman Sumrith Thanakarnjanasuth said in a statement on Oxford’s official website: “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.