Managers are in constant fear for their job, admits Tisdale

Though Dons are on their worst run in club history, with just one point from eight games and one place above the League One relegation zone, Tisdale remains calm and say the mood in the camp is 'remarkable' considering their form.

After admitting he was 'professionally concerned' last week, Tisdale says all managers live in fear of the cutthroat nature of football nowadays.

"I fear for my job every week, because that's professional football," he said. "It's the starting point for any football manager and always will be. In terms of where we are at the moment, all I can do is look to the next game.

"The mood is remarkable good because the circumstances are dreadful, looking at the last six or seven weeks. In terms of how the department is functioning, how we're training and how we're all getting on, it's remarkable. You'd assume it would be a pretty dark and miserable place, but it's not. That's a credit to the coaches, physios, everyone who is a part of it. The players too, who are receptive to ideas and requests and training really hard.

"We've got some real quality in our squad and I know when the wheels start turning, we'll be fine. I believe that, and if I believe that, the players will too. I've had more enjoyable periods, but there is nothing going on Monday to Friday at the moment which is worrying me.

"It's not the darkest moment (in my career). I still love coming to work, love the players. I have a belief in what they do.

"I've had to find a way so often of detaching from the aftermath of a Saturday, because I don't want to spend my life up and down like a rollercoaster based on whether we've won or lost.

We've not had it all our own way this season, but it's challenging. When it's really tough, sometimes the solutions become obvious, and when it's simple, you can work on it. We've got a simple challenge at the moment. I'm not lost for ideas or clarity, we're just having a challenging time. And I enjoy challenging times."