The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Neilson benefited from tough spell
Former defender believes time at MK Dons made him a better manager
His English adventure with MK Dons may have ended in bitter disappointment but Robbie Neilson believes the whole experience improved him considerably as a manager.
The 38-year-old moved down south as one of the highest-rated young coaches in Scotland after fantastic success in charge at Hearts.
However, following a difficult start to last season, he parted company by mutual consent with MK Dons in January.
Neilson admits it was a steep learning curve for him but one that will be invaluable as he takes charge of Dundee United with the aim of doing what he achieved with the Jambos and winning promotion to the Premiership.
He said: “I’m a better manager for being at MK Dons, 100%.
“The first part of it was fantastic, we did really well but then had a couple of tough months.
“The problem down in England is that you have a couple of bad months and that’s you, you’re out.
“We struggled along for another month and a half but it’s difficult when you have had that two months, you’re done.
“Working in England is a fantastic experience, but it’s crazy at times.
“It’s a big realisation down there it’s a real results business, but you just have to take it on the chin.
“It’s how you bounce back from it. “When you speak to other managers they tell you that you don’t really know what it’s like until you get sacked.
“Until it happened to me I thought ‘nah’, but it’s true because it gives you time to evaluate.
“Once you have had that hit, you come back and think, ‘Right, this is it – lets go’.”
Despite losing his job with MK Dons, Neilson insisted he had no regrets about trying his luck down south.
He said: “I would say to any coach or manager that if you get the opportunity to go and try it.
“Scottish football is fantastic and I’m so glad to be back.
“But English football is different – the way it gets played, the pool of players, the different types of players, the different types of coaches.
“The league has 24 different teams in it so every style is different and every team is different.
“You are Saturday, Tuesday right the way through. It’s tough but it’s a real learning curve.
“I feel that coming out of that and coming back up here, it excites me.
“I’ve now got a chance to prep Saturday to Saturday and really do our work.
“Because down there there’s the pressure of turning it over SaturdayTuesday, now with Saturday-Saturday there’s a lot more time to do work and put more quality into it.”
United fans have had little to cheer about in recent seasons and Neilson is determined to bring back the feelgood factor but he insists he wants the supporters to judge him and the team on what they do and not on what they say.
He said: “I would say come and see a team that’s hungry, works hard and wants to do well for this club.
“We want to win football matches. The proof will be in the pudding on Saturday.
“We can come here and talk the talk but ultimately we’ve got to walk the walk and we plan to do that.
“We all know in football that if you win football matches everything is different. The crowds come, the income comes, players come. That’s the key, just win.
“I think everyone knows that the main way to do it (get the fans on board) is to win. That’s how you get the fans onside.
“To do that, we need to work hard behind the scenes, not just in the football department but in the media and the commercial, everywhere.
“A lot of people are doing that and it’s the football department that’s been having a little bit of a problem recently.
“My job is to come in and try to drive that forward. We do that by bringing energy and stability.
“Just the stability of how we’re going to play and stability to formations and things like that. I’m really excited.”
Neilson is also excited about the prospect of working with the squad that he has inherited.
He added: “I’ve seen them on TV and I watch Wyscout. I’d been to a game previously in the season.
“Working with them today, I was really impressed. We trained today without a couple of the key players and they’ve still got a really strong squad in there with quality.
“Once we get them back, I look at them and think they’re a match for anyone in that league.”