New faces are yet to bed in at Stadium MK

Karl Robinson has asked Dons fans to be patient with a side still trying to gel together.
MK DonsMK Dons
MK Dons

After six matches, Dons sit 14th in League 1 after what Robinson describes as an ‘average’ start to the season.

Struggling at both ends of the pitch, fans have been quick to get on Robinson’s back on their return to League 1, but the manager has urged patience from the stands despite his side’s indifferent start.

“I can’t sit here and tell you it has been a good start - I’m not that stupid,” he said.

“It has been an average start. It’s not the start we wanted, obviously, but this has been a transition for us, and we’ve had a tough start. We’ve had two teams from the play-offs last year and a team that came up with a lot of momentum.”

More than 20 players have left Stadium MK in 2016 leaving Robinson with an almost unrecognisable squad to the one which began the year taking on Leeds United away at Elland Road.

And Robinson feels that level of change, along with injuries, has cause more problems than he anticipated.

He said: “I’ve not been able to pick my best team yet, but we’re getting there slowly. But we’ve got players in who haven’t been firing yet, and haven’t been fit.

“This year will be a slow burner. We’ve had a huge turnover of players, this is the youngest squad we’ve had for a young time and we’ve had to bed them all in. But we get judged on results, so all this talk will ultimately be judged on what happens on Saturday afternoon.

“We can’t change the group, so what else can change? Get rid of the manager? Get rid of the fans and bring a new set in? At the end of the day, only the 18 players we have fit can affect what’s happening on the pitch. There’s a ruthlessness at the back that we need to sort out, we need to take our chances at the front, and now we’re going up against the biggest team in the league.”