KARL ROBINSON will welcome Chelsea to ‘The Jungle’ today providing Guus Hiddink’s side have safely negotiated some of the 369 roundabouts which encircle Milton Keynes.
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| Karl Robinson was the youngest boss in the Football League at 29 when he took over MK Dons in 2007 |
Louis van Gaal’s illustrious Manchester United were certainly left in a spin early last season after being crushed 4-0 at Stadium mk in the League Cup.
Now it’s Chelsea’s turn to add to the embryonic history of a club which was only given its own identity in 2007.
Manager Karl Robinson arrived three years later, at 29 the youngest boss in the entire Football League.
The fact he is still happily ensconced in a town once better known for its concrete cows and a road system which can infuriate, has surprised many people in football who see the amiable Scouser as an innovative coach going places.
“I’ve had loads of offers. I can’t name them but there have also been four quite big clubs. I’ve sat down with them but chose not to go,” Robinson explained.
“I didn’t think I was good enough. I think it’s good to stay somewhere for a while and learn the bad side as well as the good. Learn to cope with all the demands.
“I’m still relatively young. I’m 35 but have around 310 games under my belt. I want to make sure I’m the best I can possibly be. I just coach the way I think is right. I’m a motivator of men. Not that it looked like it last Saturday (lost at Bolton 3-1).”
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| A capacity crowd of around 30,000 is expected at Stadium MK |
Robinson’s coaching skills were nurtured under his mentor Steve Heighway in Liverpool’s academy.
“Because of him I was able to listen to stories of some of the greatest managers we have ever seen. Bob Paisley, Bill Shankly, managers of that era," he enthused.
“He’s probably the most important man in my life because he gave me an opportunity when I was very young. I was only 19 when I started at Liverpool under him.
“If it wasn’t for him I would be just a season ticket holder at Liverpool, on The Kop probably.”
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| Alan Smith had a spell with MK Dons with Robinson as coach and a player |
But one thing Heighway and Liverpool couldn’t prepare him for was the frustration of often having to beg, steal or borrow training facilities because although the Championship club own an impressive 30,000 capacity playing arena their working base leaves a lot to be desired.
Any persistent rain and Robinson is literally looking to the heavens in despair.
He added: “I’m probably the only manager who has to ask everyday where are we training today? There’s a training pitch we use but it’s clay based and with the weather we have had it becomes unbearable. The fatigue index shows it takes so much out of the players.
“We have a nice 4G pitch as well but it’s only 60 by 40 yards. We’re the top five a side champions in the country!”
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| Robinson celebrating the famous 4-0 win over Manchester United in the League Cup last season |
After giving the players five days off following the Bolton defeat the familiar problem of how to prepare properly for a game was consuming the MK Dons boss as he held court on Thursday.
“The more and more you coach the more I scare myself and the more I bore myself! So this was an opportunity for them to enjoy themselves for five days and be with their families.”he said.
“Tomorrow we will try to go on the training pitch. We can’t train on it on Saturday and in the gym there’s a party of under fives playing a mini soccer tournament. You never know we might join in it.
“We might even win a game!”
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| MK Dons beat Northampton in a replay in the last round |
Robinson takes all this in his stride, although acknowledging that Hiddink and Chelsea wouldn’t have encountered anything like this at their ultra modern Cobham complex.
A strong working relationship with chairman and former music producer Pete Winkelman ensures there are no damaging issues.
“The chairman would probably admit he’s done things the wrong way around. He would have started with a small training ground and built the stadium up slowly," Robinson stated.
"But I said to him ‘look what you have built’. On Thursday there were two conferences here. At the weekend we’ve got the world darts here. The finals are after we go home following the Chelsea game.
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| MK Dons players celebrate seeing off Northampton to earn their fourth-round date with Chelsea |
“The city needs a hub, a focal point and this is it.
“For many years it’s been known as a concrete jungle. Funny enough the first song the team ran out to was ‘Welcome To The Jungle’ by Guns N’Roses.
“When I got the job I reverted back to this for our anthem. So instead of ‘This Is Anfield’ we have ‘Welcome To The Jungle’.”
And if Robinson had his way the band’s iconic guitarist Slash would make an appearance at Stadium mk.
He added: “At one time we were sponsored by Marshall Amplification. The Marshall Amplifier is an iconic name in music. You can see the building from the stadium.
“People like Slash have used these amplifiers for years. We are redoing our tunnel and we’re going to put some massive Marshall stacks (speakers) with Welcome To The Jungle above it.
“The chairman’s background is music and he’s always said this is football rock and roll. I’m a massive Guns N’ Roses fan and told him my dream would be walking out to Slash playing in the middle of the pitch.
“He just laughed at me saying it would cost millions. I’m better off buying a striker aren’t I?”
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