Opinion: Ex-Charlton Athletic and Swindon Town boss could be perfect fit for MK Dons vacancy | OneFootball

Milton Keynes Dons took the decision to relieve Liam Manning of his duties as the club’s manager at the weekend, following the Dons’ 2-1 defeat at home to Fleetwood Town.

It has been an incredible fall from finishing third in the division last season, with summer recruitment not proving as effective as previous windows have been.

Since appointing Russell Martin on a full-time basis in the 2019/20 season, there has been a clear identity in place at MK Dons when it comes to style of play.

Given the severity of their situation, six points adrift in the relegation zone with just three games to go until we reach the season’s halfway mark, the Dons may be comfortable straying from the strict possession-based brand of football that they have adopted, to find a manager capable of keeping them up, and experience at the level may help with that.

However, a continuation of their style of play to an extent could be an attractive commodity and skill for a potential new manager to bring, given the fact that this squad has been recruited to fit certain ideas about the brand of football.

Ben Garner was sacked by Charlton Athletic last weekend, winning five, drawing nine, and losing six of his 20 League One games in charge, in combination with some success in the Carabao Cup, Papa John’s Trophy, and FA Cup.

Garner likes to implement a possession-based style of play and was successful in doing so when he led Swindon Town to the play-off semi-finals in League Two last term.

The 42-year-old would likely admire the environment that has been created off the pitch at Stadium MK, and the approach that they take to manager and player recruitment.

Quiz: Have any of these 25 ex-MK Dons players ever played for a London based team?

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James Tavernier

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Garner’s time as a League One manager has not gone completely to plan, but external circumstances have made things difficult on both occasions.

Bristol Rovers were arguably worse in 2020/21 after Joey Barton had replaced Garner at the helm, ensuring that the job he carried out did not age too badly, and Charlton have had their off-pitch issues in recent years, which made the 42-year-old’s job a lot harder this season, with many supporters believing that he performed well given the hand he was dealt.

Garner has shown enough promise in the last few seasons to earn another crack at the big time either at the top end of League Two or in League One, and, in a perilous position at present, MK Dons look like a good fit in terms of the make-up of their squad and the football that they like to play.