The shackles are off but Lindsey still wants to rein MK Dons in

From being too structured and rigid, Scott Lindsey admitted he may have loosened the shackles on his MK Dons players a bit too much in the early stages of his tenure at Stadium MK, and now he is having to rein them back in.

Taking over from Mike Williamson in September, Lindsey felt the squad was too regimented when they took to the field, too easy to predict and ultimately break down as a result. Urging them to play with more freedom and expression, the head coach believes he may have opened the door a bit too much, seeing his side go too far the other way.

“We've got to get that balance right to let them play with freedom but also to stick to a structure,” he explained. “When I first came here, they were really structured but rigid. I wanted to take the shackles off, but I think they went too far with it and there is no shape to the team.

“I've got to rein it in a little bit now, and make sure there's more discipline around the pitch, how we play through and around teams.

“They're not used to doing the things I'm asking for, so it won't happen over night. We're getting better each game.

“We have to keep banging the drum about how I want it, and literally be on the training pitch with them to talk through the actions I want, how aggressive I want them to be. The more you do it, the better you get at it. We keep repeating actions and manners of how we want to play, and we're not quite there yet but we will be.”

When asked if he was pleased with what he has seen from his side thus far, Lindsey continued: “Not as much as I'd like. The games have come thick and fast, we've not had many clear weeks of training.

“In the performances, I've not been one million per cent pleased with. I thought we were really good against Morecambe, but it's only been bits and pieces in the other games I've been pleased with.”