Next MK Dons Manager Odds: Could Scott Lindsey be the ideal candidate?
MK Dons are looking for a new head coach after Mike Williamson left for Carlisle this week. EFL pundit Gab Sutton argues why Scott Lindsey is perfect for the club – and the other way around...
Although Williamson delivered nearly top three form after taking charge in October last season, his exit is almost welcomed by the Buckinghamshire club, off the back of heavy defeats in crunch clashes in the previous campaign, especially in the Play-Off Semi-Final, and a poor start to this one.
The move to Carlisle makes sense for the former Newcastle centre-back, who has roots up north, and now he has a blank sheet of paper at Brunton Park, as opposed to being under fire under the new ownership at Stadium:MK.
MK Dons may have identified the perfect replacement in Scott Lindsey, the opposing manager who oversaw Crawley’s shock 8-1 aggregate victory.
Now 52, Lindsey has gone under the radar in his coaching career, and made certain sacrifices for his personal and family life, which shows a kind, caring person with strong values, and you can see how that’s reflected in his people skills.
As such, Lindsey’s stock is rising later than it might for other coaches of similar ability, but what he achieved at Crawley Town last season, after keeping them up in 2022/23, was phenomenal.
#MKDons can confirm Head Coach Mike Williamson has departed the club to join fellow Sky Bet League Two side Carlisle United.
— Milton Keynes Dons (@MKDonsFC) September 19, 2024
One or two out-of-work managers had noticed the Red Devils’ performances under Lindsey in his first half-season, like the 2-1 defeat at megabucks Stockport, where they were outstanding between both boxes and it could be seen what he was trying to do.
After a 22nd-place finish, however, the Sussex club lost key men in Jack Powell, Ashley Nadesan and Dom Telford, and were almost unanimously tipped for relegation.
Despite this, Lindsey built a team that played great football, and managed to reach the Play-Offs, where they demolished MK Dons, as above, before defeating Crewe 2-0 in the Final.
Perhaps the most impressing aspect of the best set of Semi-Final performances in EFL Play-Off history was their ability to master both sides of the game.
The 1st leg was about their cute, intricate build-up, and the advanced, audacious notion of bringing goalkeeper Corey Addai out into the right-back spot to allow others higher up the pitch and provide more passing options – the footballing equivalent of taking a snooker shot from behind the back, one might say!
After winning that 1st leg 3-0 at Broadfield, Lindsey made clear that it was only half-time in the tie, and the intensity of their press in the 2nd leg at Stadium:MK was greater, than that of MK when the game was goalless in the 1st.
That shows an admirable hunger and courage to play one’s natural game, to continue to try and score more goals – five of them, in this instance! – and take the pressure off one’s own defence by keeping the opposition’s honest.
It’s all too common for managers to be so affected by game state that they make decisions that will invite pressure onto their team, whereas Lindsey always wants his teams to continue to play.
So, this is a manager who has kind, gentle people skills and an emotional intelligence, shaped by his own unique life experiences.
This is also a modern-thinking manager ahead of the curve, who has innovative ideas that give his teams an edge.
And, this is a manager who is proven to deliver results against all the odds: he’s got a squad largely of non-league pedigree playing tiki-taka and executing it effectively.
Even in League One, Crawley have managed to amass a respectable seven points from their first five games under Lindsey’s guidance, despite being far greater underdogs – in arguably the most demanding ever iteration of the third-tier - than even they were in League Two.
With greater resources, so the theory goes, he could deliver even greater results.
Plus, Lindsey already has a relationship with diminutive playmaker Liam Kelly, whose low centre of gravity gives him a speed of decision-making that allows him to unlock opponents in tight areas – Kelly could be the best player in the league if the two reunite.
He also knows left centre-back Laurence Maguire, poached by MK Dons from Chesterfield after his loan spell with Crawley last year.
And, whereas at another job, Lindsey might have to start cultivating a style from scratch, MK have possession-based football ingrained into their DNA, right from the Karl Robinson days.
Plus, while the move would mean dropping down to League Two temporarily, the resources at MK Dons under the new, Kuwaiti owner, are such that they have the potential to reach the Championship in the next five years.
Whereas, even Crawley fans who are understandably pro Preston Johnson (which this writer isn’t necessarily), would have to concede that there isn’t the finances, squad or infrastructure to do much more than survive at this level.
As such, Lindsey would be well-advised to bank his achievements at Broadfield and go somewhere that he has a real opportunity for continued success.
Stadium:MK looks to be that destination.
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