It’s been a fairly lengthy period of uncertainty for MK Dons. After their promotion to the Championship in 2014/15, they suffered direct relegation, survived one season back in League One before succumbing to the drop again, and then bounced back to the third tier at the first time of asking. Five people have held the managerial spot in that period, starting with Karl Robinson, who was then followed by Robbie Neilson, Dan Micciche, Keith Millen and Paul Tisdale respectively.
Tisdale, the man currently at the helm, was the one to finally add another promotion to the Dons’ record, albeit from League Two, a level which the club had not played in since 2007/08. That said though, the club is at least now in a position where they can rebuild once more in a similar fashion to the way they did in the past. The past, though, didn’t have the relegations to contend with and, as such, this season must be about stabilising the club again more than anything.
Paul Tisdale Must Stabilise MK Dons This Season
Stabilise, Not Just Survive
It goes without saying that survival this season is imperative. If it’s not achieved, it’s highly likely that Tisdale would lose his job, amongst all the discontent the fans would have at the club continually going backwards.
To stabilise though is not to merely survive. The team that was relegated in 2017/18, on paper, had more than enough quality to achieve a top-half finish in League One, and there are some key assets from that side still at the club such as Lee Nicholls, Kieran Agard, Joe Walsh and Alex Gilbey. Across their season in League Two and in the summer of preparation for League One, they have also acquired top-quality players in Jordan Houghton, Hiram Boateng, Rhys Healey and Jordan Moore-Taylor among many others. Essentially, this squad simply has to survive. It’s too good not to.
Just surviving, though, might still be viewed as a failure in the eyes of some. The club should also be looking to stabilise once again and begin to prepare themselves for another promotion assault. That most likely won’t happen in 2019/20, especially with League One now containing sides such as Sunderland, Portsmouth and Ipswich Town. It may not even happen the season after; as long as there are obvious signs of improvement, it would mark progress. However, at some point during Paul Tisdale’s project at the club, they must make another serious attempt at promotion to the Championship and, if achieved, go about it much differently to last time.
This year should be the beginning of that stabilisation, and each year thereafter a notable improvement should be made.
Transfer Business
Paul Tisdale was relatively quick to get his transfer business done this season. It’s a mistake the club have made in the past, waiting too long, as it doesn’t allow players to train and compete in friendlies together and develop a chemistry. That was well combatted this summer.
Hiram Boateng was the first through the door from Tisdale’s former club Exeter City, closely followed by Brennan Dickenson from Colchester United. Two further free signings arrived in the form of strikers Joe Mason and Jordan Bowery. Former Dons youth keeper Laurie Walker followed, and the business was rounded off by Regan Poole and Rhys Healey joining the club, the latter for an undisclosed fee.
The signing of Healey, in particular, has delighted fans after his successful loan spell at the club last season, while Poole looked like a quality player for Newport County last season as they reached the League Two play-offs during his loan spell from Manchester United.
All of the business so far looks to be good business. Signings have been made in the required places, and all of them will bring their own set of qualities too to provide something different; something that, ultimately will aid the stabilisation of the club.
Where Will it Take Them?
As aforementioned, promotion likely is not the aim this season. More than survival but not quite promotion more often than not means a boring season of mid-table obscurity. After so much happening in the recent past though, particularly two relegations, maybe a boring season isn’t the worst that could happen.
As long as there is a desire and willingness to play properly and win as many games as possible, fans are largely going to stay on this team’s side. If that is maintained throughout the entire campaign, a comfortable finish awaits at the end.
Prediction – 12th
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