Football Season Guide

Milton Keynes Dons entered the 2017/18 season dreaming of a return to the Championship, but their campaign ended in what chairman Pete Winkelman described as a disaster, as the Dons are set to return to the fourth tier after nine years in League One and one in the Championship. Despite not having a bad squad by League One standards, the Dons paid the price for risky managerial appointments. Most of their fans felt that Robbie Neilson was given far too much time in charge, while the club's decision to replace him with the unproven Dan Micciche badly backfired, as the former England U16 boss left the Dons with a month of the season to go and on the brink of relegation. It was therefore hardly a surprise that the club opted for experience this time around, as they named Paul Tisdale their new manager. Tisdale has a reputation for playing possession-oriented football that the Dons themselves are known for and joins after managing Exter for as long as 12 years. Tisdale has overseen a turbulent summer that saw as many as fourteen players leave and seven join. The list of those who departed includes a lot of deadwood, but two regular players have also left in Ed Upson and Scott Wootton, while Elliott Ward, Scott Golbourne and Marcus Tavernier all featured regularly but are now back with their parent clubs. However, several key players are still with the club, with Chuks Aneke and Kieran Agard representing a decent firepower even by League One standards, while Tisdale was keen to bring in players he was familiar with, with three of the new signings coming from his now ex-side Exeter. After the disappointment of last season, the Dons seem to have reasons for optimism this time around. With an experienced manager in charge and an excellent squad by League Two standards, they seem well equipped to battle for a swift return to League One.