KARL Robinson described the 24 hours which saw him wake up as Charlton Athletic manager and finish the day in charge of Oxford United as a “whirlwind”.

But it did not show during an impressive first act as Pep Clotet’s long-awaited successor, as he laid out the first broad brushstrokes of what supporters can expect.

Quick to praise the work of a coaching staff who will be staying in place, Robinson also paid glowing references to the job done by Michael Appleton, which he had admired from afar.

Talk of establishing the right culture, keeping the best players and having a duty to those in the stands should go down well.

There is a difference between talking a good game and playing one, but it was hard to fault Robinson’s opening salvo.

“This is a long-term plan in my view,” he said.

“I want to settle here. I was at MK Dons for seven years and I don’t think I’m a quick-fix man.

“There’s a methodology behind things and a philosophy that’s very clear.

“It’s about good habits and a good work ethic.

“These take time to integrate.”

Inevitably when a manager comes in with ten games of the season remaining, there is a need to keep the existing routine.

It can be dangerous to make sweeping changes at this stage, particularly given United’s position in Sky Bet League One.

But the squad will get an introduction to life under Robinson when he meets them for the first time at their Roman Way training ground this morning.

He said: “We’ll just talk about very basic things about what a team should like that and what a blame culture can create.

“We’ll ask people to leave egos in the car.

“We all have one as human beings, but not when you walk in this building.

“We’re here to help each other – it’s about finding that balance of respect, a work ethic an enjoyment of what they do.

“They have the best job in the world, in my view.

“If you can’t enjoy doing the best job in the world, then it’s not for you.

“On top of the standards we can create, there are some very basic things I ask of them as human beings.

“That’s the start of hopefully what we can build.”

Before any sort of grand plan for the future can be unveiled, the priority is to make sure United kick off next season in League One.

Victory against Peterborough United last Saturday ensures the new man takes over a club whose outlook is certainly brighter than it was a week ago.

It happened while Robinson was doing them a favour, as his Charlton side shared a goalless draw with Fleetwood Town – one of the sides United are trying to keep below them in the table.

Security could be all-but guaranteed by Good Friday if the new era gets off to a flier, but nothing is being taken for granted.

“Nothing takes care of itself, ever,” he said.

“When you get to 50 points you can say ‘job done’.

“Not until you reach that milestone is anybody (safe).

“The teams at the top I would guarantee when they got to 50 points they’d have said ‘that’s us safe’.

“If anybody thinks it’s job done then they’ve got a lot of thinking to do, but it’s important they use the confidence that result will have given them last weekend.”

Up to this stage Robinson had been best known to U’s fans as the manager who loaned out – and then recalled – George Baldock.

And the full back, who was hugely popular during a 12-month loan spell at the Kassam Stadium up to 2016, helped shape Robinson’s perception of his new club.

He said: “George wasn’t meant to come back here in the second season, but he was so desperate to come back.

“I was thinking ‘what’s special about that place?’ “But when I spoke to him he was just full of fond memories.

“He just said ‘you don’t realise, it’s a great football club’.”