Milton Keynes manager Paul Tisdale is happy to see big-name former players taking managerial positions in League Two.
Manchester United legend Paul Scholes was installed as manager of Oldham Athletic last month, while Arsenal Invincible Sol Campbell has been in charge of Macclesfield since November. Both men enjoyed medal-laden careers and represented their country at the highest level many times.
Speaking to the MK Citizen ahead of MK Dons clash with Campbell’s Macclesfield, the experienced former Exeter boss said it was great to see the calibre of ex-player taking jobs in the lower leagues and believes it is a sign of how serious they are about learning their trade. ‘These players are being given an opportunity, which is great, but more importantly, they’re coming in at this level and trying to prove themselves – well done to everyone.’
He added. ‘Football will always be interested to see how they get on, and it can only be good for coaching, generally, that players who have had great playing careers and experienced great coaching and are given an opportunity and are prepared to mix it in lower league football and improve themselves.’
Since taking over at Moss Rose Campbell has picked up 17 points from a possible 45 to keep the National League champions survival hopes alive. However, they are without a win in six games and lost last time out at second-placed Bury 3-0. They have picked up only three points since the end of January drawing games against Crewe, Colchester and Crawley.
Meanwhile, after a mid-season slump which saw them lose seven out of ten games, Milton Keynes recent form has been excellent. They head to Cheshire looking for their fifth win in a row against a team they have yet to suffer defeat in six previous meetings. Earlier this season Tisdale’s men ran out 2-0 winners thanks to goals from Chuks Aneke and Kieran Agard at Stadium MK.
Tisdale felt that complacency could be his sides biggest threat as they look to put further pressure on Lincoln, Bury and Mansfield in the automatic promotion places. He said. ‘The cliché of football is that it’s all about the next game, it’s a cliché, but it’s true. Regardless of how we’ve played in the last four, there are three points available on Saturday. We feel a lot better for ourselves, but the trap is getting complacent.’
Our View
Campbell deserves enormous credit for taking on the monumental task of keeping Macclesfield in the EFL on a shoestring budget.
He is learning on the job, and in Tisdale, he will come up against one of the most experienced and tactically astute managers in the lower leagues.
I expect harsh lesson for the ex-England international and can see nothing else but an MK win on Saturday.
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