Robbie has shown he’s not Don as a top boss
Snapping at ankles and barking at team-mates.. is that all Scottish terrier Bremner was good for?
BY SCOTT BURNS
PETER PAWLETT reckons Robbie Neilson has proved MK Dons were rash to bin him as boss.
The midfielder and his Dundee United teammates returned to training yesterday after Neilson led them back to the top flight.
Pawlett played under the 39-year-old at Stadium MK until he was shown the door in January 2018 just 13 months into the job.
Since then the highlyrated coach has taken the Terrors into the Premiership while his former club have continued to hover near the bottom of League One down south.
Pawlett, who followed Neilson to Tannadice almost 17 months ago, said: “The manager has rebuilt his career again after MK Dons and he deserves all the credit for the team going up this season.
“He was very unlucky in England because he did well. But it’s so harsh there and if you have a few bad weeks you’re under pressure.
“When he left we were mid-table to the lower end but the chairman expected a lot more from the team.
“The aim had been to finish in the top half so it didn’t work out. We’d had some good periods then some bad results.
“But a short period of time, a few bad results and they made their decision.
“It wasn’t as though we were having a nightmare so it was tough on him. Once he left we didn’t pick up so I’m not sure it was a good decision.”
Despite four years out of the Premiership, Pawlett reckons United will be back with a bang and can be challenging at the top end.
The ex-Aberdeen player said: “The biggest thing we have here is the connection between everyone at the club. There is a real togetherness here – between the players and the manager, the players and the fans and also with the people running the club.
“The momentum built steadily over the last 18 months or so and we just have to keep that going.”