His time in England is a blot on an otherwise excellent CV, but new Dundee United boss Robbie Neilson believes a spell in charge of MK Dons has made him a better manager.
Robbie left Hearts to head south in 2016 but was unable to repeat his spectacular Tynecastle success there and left at the beginning of the year.
It was a tough experience, but one he’s in no doubt he benefited from.
“It’s hard to put your finger on it and say this or that’s got better but I think it’s just the experience of being in England,” he said.
“I would say to any coach or manager that if you get the opportunity to go down and try it. But Scottish football is fantastic and I’m so glad to be back.
“English football is different. The way it gets played, the pool of players, the different types of players, the different types of coaches.
“The league has 24 different teams in it so every style is different and ever team is different.
“You are Saturday, Tuesday right the way through. It’s tough but it’s a real learning curve.
“I feel that coming out of that and coming back up here, it excites me. I’ve now got a chance to prep Saturday to Saturday and really do our work. There’s a lot more time to do work and put more quality into it.”
While he knows it’s the work he does on the training pitch and results that will determine if his time at United is a success, he does believe having previous knowledge of the club is a help.
He played 23 games in tangerine during the 2011-12 campaign and was also aware of its history from his time playing against United.
Robbie said: “I think it helps that I have played here but it’s not something that is a massive thing. But having the feeling of the club and knowing what it’s like is a good thing.
“When I went into MK Dons I kind of went in blind, I didn’t really know the whole history of the club or the way it was set up.
“I didn’t really know what the club was like but that’s not the case here. I already know a lot of the players here and also know the former ones like Paul Hegarty, Maurice Malpas and that generation. It’s an advantage to know what the club is like and what it can be.”
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