MK Dons boss Karl Robinson spoke to his club's official website ahead of his side's League One match against Carlisle at stadium:mk tomorrow, Robinson looking forward to the game :
“Carlisle are a wonderful team and they play great football, they will provide a challenge that we can't shirk away from but we're looking forward to it. The FA Cup has given us confidence and shown us where we want to be, games like Saturday, and every Saturday from there afterwards we have to win if we want to have aspirations of having a full house every week. We had someone watching Carlisle on Saturday and they told me this will be one of our hardest games this season. We’re playing them when they’re bang in form, but so are we.
“The form they are in, the way they play, the players they have got, they have got players who can mix it, they have got players who can run, they have got defenders who want to defend, they have got so many components to their game that is making our game and our preparation for this game extremely difficult. It couldn’t have come at a tougher time for us to be playing Carlisle at home off the back of the QPR game, it is going to make it difficult but we are looking forward to the challenge.
“They have got Lee Miller upfront and you can go through a number of their players who you know are going to be a threat, there's (Matty) Robson who is more like a left-winger than a left-back and he provides a width and an attacking prowess. They have (Peter) Murphy at the back and (Lubomir) Michalik, they are decent at the back, they are big, they are strong, they look to play, it's probably unfair to highlight individuals because collectively they have got some great results. Look at the teams they have played, Sheffield United, Huddersfield, they have played against everybody this year and have never once been brushed aside.
“Winning in style up there was a memory we won’t forget and we still talk about it because it is the example that we want to set for ourself. But, if we want to win here on Saturday we have got to perform above and beyond that because Carlisle are coming here on Saturday a better team than we played at the beginning of the season. So, our challenge and the gauntlet that has been laid down is to perform to the levels we know we can do, retain and press and pass and do all the different things that we know we can to win games.
“Then hopefully the luck is on our side and we go away with a victory, but the amount of hardworking effort that is going to have go into the game is going to be an awful lot and it is going to be difficult. We have noticed Carlisle, we have always made sure we have kept in touch so we know what is happening in the league. We don’t particularly pay too much notice to it week in and week out, but I do know where teams are because people keep throwing the league table in front of me and when you turn the television on it is constantly there."
“So, we do understand where teams are but our job is to win our games and not to get worried, whether that is with a Sheffield team or a Carlisle or Brentford or whoever it may be, Huddersfield or Charlton, it is just a case of MK Dons and that is all I really care about. This job is difficult enough as it is without having to worry about other football clubs performances. I will treat Carlisle with the utmost respect, and we will as a football club and we will as a group of players. Nobody comes here on Saturday expecting a victory because we are all collectively, fans and players and staff alike, going to have to work hard if the outcome is to be that. So, it is going to be a good game and I am looking forward to it.
“When we lose we forget it very quickly and when we win and put good performances in then we just talk about the next game. That is the philosophy of the club and that is the way I like it, I like the fact that you have got to speak about the game to the media, but internally we don’t talk about it. If there are mistakes that have occurred in that game then we will show them, the good bits we will also show them on Monday morning and then after that we put it to bed and we move on to the next match.
“We have got some great players on the fringes too though, Shaun Williams, Mathias Kouo-Doumbe, Tom Flanagan can come in, Jabo Ibhere has shown what he can do as a single striker if Charlie MacDonald is out, OK the goalscoring prowess is taken away when Charlie is not fit but collectively as a team against QPR I thought we played very strongly. Whatever team I pick on Saturday I know it is going to be a team that can compete and give their all, and that is the most important thing, but it is going to be difficult.
“Everybody is working hard at the club at the moment with the transfer window, I am 12 hour days and more at the moment, I am getting in for 8am and not going home until 8pm or 9pm. Last night I think it was 11.30pm by the time I got back in the house, so it is busy times but everyone knows that it is worth every single minute because our goal is to get out of this league, and without hard work you are not going to achieve anything. The group of people at this club want to take it forward but we have also got to strengthen at the same time.
“Our support throughout the season has been fantastic and it has been steadily growing. We recently saw a spike in half-season tickets purchased with supporters recognising the potential thrills and drama to come. I hope those who attended the QPR game come back with the knowledge that the performance they saw from the players was not a one-off, but it was assisted by the knowledge that the people of Milton Keynes were all right behind them.”