Tisdale has breathed new life back into MK Dons and chairman Winkelman too

Hiring Paul Tisdale has put the smile back on MK Dons chairman Pete Winkelman’s face.
Paul Tisdale and Pete WinkelmanPaul Tisdale and Pete Winkelman
Paul Tisdale and Pete Winkelman

After two appointments - Robbie Neilson and Dan Micciche - which the chairman admitted were poor choices with hindsight, Tisdale has taken Dons to the brink of promotion to League 1 again.

Winkelman said: “Paul has it all, he has all the experience and knowledge, and a team around him and he’s making the most of what’s around him.

“There are some great ideas going on off the pitch as well as on it, and I’ve been very impressed by what he’s brought to the club.

“We haven’t had it easy. The defence was Paul’s first job, and we had the best defence in the league, but then I’ve never seen anything like it. These are all bad luck injuries, and it has happened far too many times. It’s not been easy but we don’t expect it to be easy.

“There’s no doubt my confidence was shattered in choosing managers. I had been quite good at it previously. We had Karl for a long time so maybe I got rusty, and the last two choices didn’t work out.

“Paul has brought us a stability, a concerted focus, a confidence and an enjoyment. Now, we have to do it on the pitch.

“All of those ingredients go towards creating a good football team. And we’ve got a chance to go up.

“I’m so pleased that after the last few years when I’ve had my head in my hands, we’ve come back and had a much better year. It’s so much better to be talking about the exciting end to this season rather than the horrors we’ve had recently.”