MK Dons’ new Irish contingent are flattering to deceive

Football is a game that is lived on the edge. If you win, the highs will be high, but should you lose, the lows can be catastrophic.

To build a successful football team, you need harmony in every aspect; between the Boardroom and Supporters, Supporters and the playing staff, and the playing staff and the boardroom.

Break one link in the chain and your season can spiral on a negative trajectory in the blink of an eye.

A squad can have good cohesion amongst themselves and connect with the fan base, having them on their side, rather then backs on game day, but if the boardroom are not paying their wages, the displays will worsen and as a direct result of the uncertainty in the stability.

This season has seen Milton Keynes Dons fall upon rockier than normal ground.

Performances have been turgid and below par, the supporters are far from happy with the displays and the alterations made to the playing staff and a clear attempt has been made to forge a new nucleus within the first team squad following the failed promotion campaign of last season.

Stadium MK in late 2022 is anything but terra firma.

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In an attempt to go again following last seasons promotion challenge which fell just short, finishing third and losing in the Playoffs, MK Dons recruited a whole host of new players following key departures, practically ripping apart last campaign’s blueprint and trying again, given the high player turnover figure, 19.

With the aim being to go one step further that last year, the squad has been a shadow of the previous.

The playing staff has had an Irish injection, with six players heralding from across the Irish Sea joining the first team and looking to be bedded into, however this has not worked.

The players entrusted with carrying the mantle lack a harmony and could arguably be the worst playing staff in the 20-year existence of the club.

Clearly by adding six Irishmen into their ranks it is another attempt to try and make the avenue work, however with significantly younger individuals.

Dawson Devoy, Darragh Burns and Conor Grant are three of the marquee signings trying to break through.

Given the track record it is easy to see why this has been a favoured route although this time questions can be asked as it the side they have arrived into.

Those joining are following similar footsteps along the Milton Keynes – Irish path. Having seen previously Shaun Williams, Ian McLoughlin and Stephen Gleeson to name a few head the Irish contingency and it has been a nation where Milton Keynes have always been able to nurture talent and see potential flourish.

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Dawson Devoy has failed to hit the heights which were hoped following his arrival from Bohemians in the summer transfer window. Having been courted by the Buckinghamshire outfit for several months, initially rejecting a move six months prior, fans hopes were always going to be raised.

A combination of both the longevity of the pursuit and the fact that Bohemians were midway through their league campaign saw supporters expect big things from a player making his first foray away from home.

The 21-year-old has made an auspicious start to his career, making his debut at just sixteen and being seen as one of the brightest prospects in the League of Ireland.

It was during the first half of the 2022 season that Devoy built upon the early admiration, netting eight times from his 22 appearances before making the move across the Irish Sea.

In his twelve Dons displays, it has failed to live up to what Liam Sweeting, head of recruitment at Milton Keynes would have hoped for. No goals and a red card are not making pretty reading for a player that was harbouring supporters hopes of becoming a key lynchpin.

Despite the lack of success to Devoy’s new venture, he can arguably be described as having had the most joy out of the three, with Darragh Burns and Conor Grant unable to showcase anything of note.

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Burns, aged 20, a year younger than Devoy, arrived in Buckinghamshire from St Patricks, has featured just as many times as his countryman with twelve displays, but is yet to contribute in any statistical capacity; no assists, no goals, no disciplinary record either.

It would be unfair to state that Burns has been anonymous as you can see the effort and intent is there when he is on the field, but on each occasion it has failed to lead to anything of substance.

Grant is in a similar position to Burns given the fact that he has played twelves matches but has picked up one goal, coming away at Morecambe back in August.

He is more of an enigma however, as the 21 year old spent his last two seasons playing in League Two at Spotlands, having a successful spell for Rochdale where he won the League Two Player of the Year.

Already with two years’ experience of the Football League under his belt, it seemed to all and sundry that Grant was all set fair to make his mark on the level above.

At times seeming a little out of his depth and at times looking lost, however, the former Spirite makes a lot of the hard yards for his teammates, running into the channels to take defenders out of their positions, creating space for others, yet football is a simple game, the amount of running may help you get to where you need to be, but the scoreboard never lies.

You can run more, be fitter, shoot and pass more, yet if you do not score, you will never win.

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For all the hard yards and effort put in on a pitch, it does not guarantee that you leave with the points each Saturday and Dons head coach Liam Manning will be hoping for more from his new Irish contingent to move themselves onwards and upwards in the Sky Bet League One table.

If they are to do so, it will help to harmonise the Buckinghamshire outfit.