Warne wants to see substance over style from a new-look MK Dons

Style of play has been a fundamental talking point and bone of contention amongst MK Dons supporters this season. Paul Warne’s philosophy is a relatively simple one though: Win.

Having secured three promotions in six years at Rotherham, and another at Derby County, Warne certainly knows what it takes to get sides up.

The much-maligned and creaking ‘MK Way’ appears to be on the way out as a philosophy at Stadium MK, replaced instead with Warne’s approach, which will strip the game back, make it easier to understand, and, he hopes, will bring success back to MK1.

“We over-complicate the game too much, for me,” he said. “There are so many stats out there, you can go insane. My style is trying to win. It’s quite binary. When we’re on the ball, I want the lads to play forwards. When we have the ball, it’s an opportunity to score, it’s an opportunity to do something great.

“I love players who can take players on, I love wingers who get crosses in, I love set-pieces, I love high energy football. Formations don’t bother me, all of my teams who have won promotions have never stuck to one style. I like my players to be fearless, relentless and to play with a smile on their faces. If we can do that, we’ll be on the way to being a successful team.”

He continued: “I’ve watched a load of Dons games over recent weeks and I can see there is talent in there. This is not a criticism of what has come before, but everyone sees football in a different way. We’ve seen things we would do differently, and how we can win games.

“I haven’t come here to be fifth bottom in League Two for four years, that would be horrific. I’ve come here because I think we can get it right and have a really exciting time. But I’m not naive enough to create magic overnight. It will take time and hard work.”

The morale of the players after a brutal season, and now their fifth head coach of the campaign, is something Warne must address quickly. The ‘culture’ of the club too is something the new man in charge is eager to align with his, and those he believes who do not want to join will need to look elsewhere for game time.

He continued: “I’m not saying the culture is wrong yet, I’ve only been here a few hours. Fundamentally, something hasn’t worked when I see where the club is at the moment, and where it wants to go. I’m a massive cultural driver. I know how I want to work, how I want it to look, how I want people to be treated, these are the things that are important to me.

“Some clubs have their own stance, and my only role as a head coach would be to deal with the players. Here, I feel the job is bigger than that, and that I can play a bigger part.

“I like my players to do a lot in the community, to engage with the fans, the schools, the city. If players don’t like it, that’s fine, but they won’t play for me. If you can connect the players with the people they play for, it is a powerful force.”