The second annual Buckingham fans forum was held last night (2nd February) and was once again opened by the Mayor of Buckingham who stated that the ties formed with the MK Dons over the last few years were invaluable to the Town and something that both parties should be proud of.

 

The evening was split into two halves as Karl Robinson was attending a referees meeting and wasn't able to attend until after 9pm. The opening panel consisted of Dean Lewington, Pete Winkelman, John Gorman, Jim Gunn & Paul Warnecki. Dean was presented with the first question by Andrew Cullen who asked him as the longest serving member of the squad what it meant to him. Dean answered that he was proud to be associated with the club and all that it stood for. The club play football in the "right way" and that is exactly what he wants to do. He had moved from London to MK and now feels at home in the area and loves being a part of something special.
 

Pete talked about the MK Dons responsibility as the senior regional club. The fact that there are a lot of connections between Buckingham & MK in terms of work and housing with people commuting both ways on a daily basis. The regular Buckingham events are aimed at keeping the history of the local towns alive and discovering the roots of football in the local area, hearing about the exploits of the Buckingham teams.

 

John Gorman was asked why Dean Bowditch was on the wing when he was known as a 20 goal a season striker? John joking stated that question was for Karl when he turned up. He then went on to explain that Dean likes to play wide and he had played in that position for Yeovil at times. He's actually scored nine goals this season - not bad for someone on the wing.When John had him on loan at Swindon he'd played him just behind the frontline and he was equally as good there.

 

Pete was asked about EPP (the replacement academy system). In his view it is a great concept. It means more coaching, sports science and medical backup for young players. A 10,000 hour high quality programme to work with young players bringing out the best in them. It will mean more coaches and more funding. Unfortunately this comes with decreased compensation packages when players are picked up by the "big clubs". There is also a possibility that it will actually narrow down the opportunities for young players which is the opposite of the original concept. MK Dons are looking at a Cat 2 academy structure but this will mean improved training facilities will need to be secured.

 

The work in the community was also mentioned and Pete was keen for supporters feedback pointing them to the MKDSA's Chair, John Brockwell ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  ), to discuss how they view the SET and have a say in how they feel it should evolve. 

John Gorman was questioned on our tactics of pulling everyone back for a corner - he once again stated that this was a question for Karl! He then went onto describe how tactically it was better to win the ball and break fast having drawn all of the opposition players forward.

 

Pete was asked about the stadium completion. He talked about the seven retail units currently under construction with M&S being nearest the stadium and Primark being the furthest unit. He is looking forward to the complete site being finished with landscaping, trees and kerbs. The outside cladding will all be finished before the end of the season. Besides the cold wind that blows around the East Stand the lack of protection had caused 17 burst pipes last winter whereas the West stand hadn't suffered any. During the end of season break the toilets, bars and concessions will be installed but the upper tier will not open until the lower tier is full. Pete firmly believes that you need the infrastructure to make any progress up the leagues sustainable. The funding will also allow some work in the arena but will not allow for a full fit out. Training facilities are a priority as these are beginning to hold the club back.

 

Adam Smith's recall was discussed. It seems that Spurs backroom staff were as surprised as we were with Leeds making a last minute request for his services. Unlike previous seasons our scouting network had already got dossiers on replacement players for every position hence the prompt signing of a replacement.

 

Tom Flanagan was discussed as he was a popular choice of MOTM against The Owls. Lewi was asked of his opinion of Tom and he stated that he had the right attitude was well liked and is causing selection headaches for the management. John Gorman stated that he was very proud of him. He reminds John of Roger Johnson (now at Wolves) who John had handed the captains armband to a Wycombe at a young age. He talked about the difficulty of loaning a young centre half out to gain experience and that Kettering had assisted. Tom was now proving that despite his young years that he's a talented footballer.

 

A beer break was called soon after which Karl Robinson arrived.

 

A question was raised on whether or not the MK Dons would continue the close relationship with MK College providing education support for the academy. Pete stressed how important the link had been and the fact that his own son had benefitted from it. The relationship is wholly dependant on the FL funding continuing.

 

Dean was asked if supporters in the East Stand shouting at him to "get it forward" annoyed him. He stated that he understood their frustrations but this isn't the way our team is set up and doesn't suit the style of play we have adopted. Who can he play it too? Charlie at "five foot nothing" up against a six foot four defender? Who would win the ball? He did admit that sometimes the team were guilty of over playing the ball instead of going for goal - they are aware of that and are seeking to improve but, yes, it is frustrating at times to hear the shouts.

 

Pete was asked does he lose sleep each time a manager is sacked from the Championship wondering if Karl & his team will leave. He stated that he will never stand in the way of someone wanting to advance but expects them to work with the club to ensure that we are adequately compensated. He is aware that both Karl & John have had offers to leave and finds it encouraging that they have decided to stay. Karl is enjoying it here and wants to stay and achieve something special here. Pete's proud of spotting and developing talent. He wants players with ambition like Sam Baldock who work hard for the team and on their game assisting the club whilst they are here.

 

Dean was asked about his aspirations - does he want to play in a higher league?  He stated that it's crossed his mind but he's never felt that he actually wants to leave. He was sold on the dream that Pete presented to all the WFC players and wants to achieve with MK. He's not in football for the money purely to fulfill his personal goals and the club are going in the same direction as these so why leave? He talked about the surreal experience of playing at Wembley and winning two competitions in one season. Dean was asked what was the best player he'd played against. He said without question it was Aaron Lennon in a pre season friendly but in a match it was Jason Kumas of West Brom.

 

A QPR supporter then asked John Gorman a few questions about QPR after stating "I thought that the Dons were superb when you played us. You played us off the pitch in both games". John answered the QPR questions and then talked about the comments that he'd had from around the world on our style of play and what a fantastic team that we've got.

 

Karl was then asked about defending corners and he backed John's answer up and stated that statistics proved that defending in numbers was the better option. He was asked if it was better for a manager to manage from the stands and he stated that he felt that you were more involved and can "feel" the game better on the touchline. He was asked about the experience of only getting players in at the end of the transfer window. He stated that it was a strange window with minimal movement. We knew that we needed something at the top end of the pitch but we were not prepared to sign a player unless they "got" our club. It must mean something to them to come to us, if it didn't then Karl was unwilling to sign them. Our squad is currently full of winners, we only want those with similar personalities and will most likely pick up one or two more loan signings that fit this bill in the near future.

 

He was asked about Alan Smith's signing. He inform the audience that Alan was looking to go on loan to QPR and therefore he watched the two matches. After the games he said to his agent "I want to sign for MK Dons as they are playing the way I want to play and I want a challenge". As you can imagine his agent wasn't best pleased as they work on a commission but he knew John Gorman well and a meeting was arranged. Alan watched the video shown to all prospective players, talked to Karl, John and Pete and walked out of the door saying to his agent "just get it done!" Karl pointed out that despite what the press portray not all footballers are purely money or ego driven. There are many like Alan Smith who love football, want to play it in the right way and want to work to push the team forward. Karl did point out that even in training he works hard and takes no prisoners putting two players on the floor only today. He's been bought up with the philosophy that you can't behave in training any different to a match day and that you must give 100% at all times.

 

Dean was asked about Darren Potter. Straight away he said that he's the best midfielder that we've ever had. He's always available and his passing and vision are first class. Karl stated that he leads by example and is a model professional.

 

Discipline was talked about. Karl stated he didn't want anyone in the team to be bullied by the opposition. The players need to have drive and ambition to get the club into the championship and therefore they need to display the right type of aggression on occasions.

 

Buckingham Athletic were thanked for hosting the evening and a raffle was held, all proceeds going to Buckingham Athletic