Dan Micciche spoke of his pride after being named MK Dons’ new First-Team Manager but the 38-year-old knows he and his team must get to work right away.
Micciche, the Club’s former Head of Academy Coaching, was appointed First-Team Manager on Tuesday morning, while the experienced Keith Millen also arrived to take on the role of Assistant Manager.
The management team will begin their tenure this weekend with an Emirates FA Cup tie against Coventry City at Stadium MK and while looking forward to Saturday’s clash, Micciche knows the immediate task at hand is to improve on the side’s current position in the Sky Bet League One table.
“I am so proud to be MK Dons manager,” Micciche told iFollow MK Dons. “This Club has so much potential and the Chairman has a fantastic vision for this Football Club – one I’m really excited to be a part of, moving forward.
“I fully understand the position we are in – it’s not the position we want to be in. First and foremost, our priority is to begin climbing that Sky Bet League One table by bringing some confidence and belief back to this squad. That is our absolute priority over the next few weeks.
“We’ve got terrific players at this Football Club, who are capable of much more, and it’s our job to bring that talent out in the coming weeks.”
This week’s appointment sees Micciche return the Dons, with whom he had great success while working in the Academy, playing a key role in shaping the values of the Football Club and developing the likes of Dele Alli, Brendan Galloway, Seyi Ojo and Kevin Danso.
“We had such good success together during my time in the Academy. The Club gave me a great platform as a coach to come in and have an impact.
“In all honesty, I don’t feel like I ever left. I still live in the area and my kids have all been brought up in Milton Keynes. I always felt at home whenever I came back to watch a game here and MK Dons were the first team I would look out for on a Saturday.”
The Dons boss is renowned across the country for his belief in playing attack-minded, expressive football and for changing the perceptions of English players. Micciche hopes to see his Dons side play in a similar fashion.
“We are here to entertain. What the Chairman wants and what the supporters want is an attacking side that is creative, expressive and expansive – we are all on the same page with that. We also need to make sure we are tactically disciplined and we are clinical in both boxes.
“We hope to make everybody proud by bringing a brand of football that the supporters are going to enjoy and I have no doubts that the fans here will get behind the players too. We’re all in this together at the end of the day – as we hopefully move forwards, we are going to do it together.”
Here’s what else we learnt from Micciche’s interview with iFollow MK Dons...
On relishing the challenge...
“It has been a bit of a whirlwind because we have a lot of work to do but it’s a challenge I relish. The challenge is why I’m here. It was a challenge coming here 10 to 12 years ago and thankfully we had some success. It was the same when I went to The FA too – that was a challenge and I had success there as well.”
On Keith Millen...
“It was fundamental that I brought someone of Keith’s ilk in. I was fortunate, during my time at The FA, to work with a number of experienced people – people such as Paul Williams, Paul Simpson, Paul Nevin and, of course, Gareth Southgate. They have that craft knowledge that you can’t buy. Keith will bring that for me here – he’s going to be absolutely invaluable. I’m confident that it will be a good combination because we both have different skill sets but we both buy into the same philosophy.”
On developing young players...
“Developing players from our Academy into the first team, is what this Club is all about and part of the reason why the Chairman brought football to Milton Keynes in the first place. We’ve had four of the Academy kids coming in to train with the first team this week, two for the very first time. We’re going to make sure we work closely with the Academy. It’s going to be competitive for them but there is an opportunity for everyone to impress and earn their place in the first-team – they all start on an even playing field, whether that’s a senior player of a young player.”
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Book your tickets for Saturday's Emirates FA Cup tie with Coventry City - Dan Micciche's first match in charge of MK Dons!
Tickets for Season Ticket holders are priced from £15 adults, £12 over-65s, £4 under-18s and £1 under-12s (£3 in East Centre). Seats in clubRed are priced at £20 adults, £16 over-65s and £8 under-18s for Season Ticket holders.
General sale prices, meanwhile, start from £17 adults, £14 over-65s, £5 under-18s and £1 under-12s. Upgrades are available to East Centre and clubRed.
Postcode restrictions apply.
To book tickets click HERE, visit the Box Office/centre:mk store or call 0333 200 5343. Tickets will be available to buy right up until kick-off.
