Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford has hailed new Milton Keynes Dons manager Mark Jackson as ‘fantastic’ after Jackson left the Whites to take on his first senior head coach role in football. Jackson has joined the Dons as they try and fight relegation following the sacking of Liam Manning two weeks ago, with his first game in charge coming against fellow League One strugglers Forest Green Rovers in what is certainly a six-pointer at this stage of the season. The Whites striker, who made 44 appearances for the Dons himself while out on loan from former club Chelsea, highlighted how Jackson’s personable coaching style will make him a great manager.
Patrick Bamford said: “He’s a great person and a great coach. He came up to the first team at a difficult time and was really composed and relaxed in a tough situation, in the position we were in last year. The way he was able to use man-to-man coaching, as well as speaking to the players to keep the calm, was excellent but also his use of positive reinforcement to let us know what we needed to do tactically. I remember when I was coming back from my injury and I played with the Under-23s, the respect he got automatically from all the players showed that he’s got that personable side to him that automatically makes players like him. I think he will be a fantastic coach.”
