A tale of two Robbies: Neilson heads for MK in time for the cup tie v Charlton as Muirhead KO's Rangers

The unique feature of the Road to Wembley from Scotland is that for each match along the ‘Road’ I look for a connection between the match and Bonny Scotland. The next match is only two days away when Charlton Athletic host MK Dons in round 2 of the FA Cup. Both teams have a rich Scots heritage and many of their former players hail from Bella Caledonia. However, with the exception of loanee centre back Jack Hendry at MK Dons, it was looking as if this upcoming fixture would be light on current Scottish involvement and influence. Then on Monday afternoon – BOOM ! Manager-less MK Dons made an approach for the Head Coach of my beloved Hearts Robbie Neilson and as I write the appointment is all but a done-deal. The bookmakers have suspended betting on who will be the next manager and ‘Sky Sports sources’ have reported that Robbie will assume full control at Stadium MK later today. Hence I have my link with Scotland but not a link I was hoping for.

Social media on both sides of the border has been in meltdown. So many questions: (i) is he a good coach? (ii) why does he want to leave Hearts? (iii) why do some Hearts fans not like him (iv) will he be a good fit for MK Dons and (v) what sort of a legacy does he leave at Tynecastle? OK, let’s take them one by one.

Yes! Robbie Neilson is a very good Head Coach. Everybody keeps saying that football is a results driven business so let us have a look at his record. Hearts is his first job as a Head Coach and in his first season he won the Championship division by a country mile. Hearts were crowned Champions with 7 games to go leaving a re-emerging Rangers and a fairly strong Hibs team in their wake. That season was truly magical for me. So many goals and so many big victories, so much good football to watch and so many truly memorable experiences. Robbie put his stamp on proceedings and his watermark was pass pass pass then score! He inherited a talented group of young players but so many of them he improved and they became better players under his tutelage. In Hearts first season back in the Premier Division Hearts finished 3^rd and qualified for Europe. Not many promoted teams finish so high after coming up and this too was a truly remarkable achievement. This is his third season in the job and what a way to end his time in Gorgie. Last night Hearts beat Rangers 2-0 in front of a sell out crowd at Tynecastle. The scoreline does not do Hearts justice and Hearts should have scored more goals – Rangers were lucky to get nil! Defeating either of the ‘Ugly Sisters’ is always sweet but to hammer them with an energy, skill level and relentless determination was beautiful to watch. In the results driven environment Robbie ticks every box.

My view on why Robbie wants to leave Hearts is connected to the fact that there is a perception up here in chilly Jocko land that all the footballing streets in England are paved with gold. I was in the Merchiston Hearts Supporters Club last night (aka The Merky) and standing in the queue for the bar idly glancing at the pre match coverage on the big screen TV. Robbie Neilson’s coupon appeared on the screen. The sound was off but you could see him smiling as he answered questions – this is very unusual for the normally dour Neilson. “Aye yer smiling now because yer thinking of yer first pay packet from Milton Keynes ya cunt” commented the guy in front of me at the bar.

Robbie Neilson last night: He smiles once a year but needs an anesthetic first

Despite the fact that MK Dons are in the third tier of English football and Hearts sit proudly in second position in Scottish Premier Division it seems very likely that his wage at MK Dons will be significantly higher than his salary at Tynecastle. I don’t think this is the full story though. I think the ambitious Robbie wants to test himself in another environment. Call it self actualisation if you like. MK Dons have a magnificent 30000 all seater stadium and the town has a population of 230000. The potential is there. I have only been to Stadium MK once but it is an environment that would not look out of place in the Premier League. Robbie must be thinking ‘now if I could get this club going..’

As you will have guessed by now I am a big fan of Robbie Neilson. A great young coach and a decent man and when he was younger he gave great service to my beloved Hearts as a player, notably scoring the pivotal penalty in the shoot-out in the 206 Scottish Cup Final (see my blog post dated July 3^rd). However I have to concede that he is not universally popular with all of the Hearts fans. The guy at the bar at The Merky was not completely off message with the whole of the Hearts fan base. A couple of things don’t work in Robbie’s favour. One is his dour demeanour and secondly his role as ‘Head Coach’ rather than ‘Manager’ encourages some of the Hearts fans to think of him as ‘Leveins puppet’ (or poodle as some of the more cruel fans will have it). I don’t have a problem with ‘dour’. I would rather my team boss was serious and business like than animated and flippant. The relationship with Levein is interesting . Unusually for Scottish football Hearts have a ‘Director of Football’ and ‘Head Coach’ arrangement rather than the God Almighty figure-head ‘the buck stops with me’ Manager set up. Ex Scotland manager Levein is The Director of Football and does have influence but Robbie takes the training and Robbie picks the team. The relationship between the two in my opinion is often misunderstood. I firmly believe that the current success of the Hearts team on the pitch is attributable to Neilson. Also, some fans are very difficult to please and have very short memories. Prior to the back-to-back wins at Tynecastle over the last four days Hearts had been on a short win-less run that included a loss to Kilmarnock and a draw at Hamilton. Hardly the end of the world in my opinion but enough to have some of the mad dogs within the Hearts support foaming at the mouth (and yes, I do mean you Roy Robertson!). So, on balance there are a few vocal and social media-savvy dissenters but the majority of the Hearts fans were behind Robbie and it was great to hear the chorus of “there’s only one Robbie Neilson” ringing out at Tynecastle during the last five minutes of the match last night.

I think Robbie will be a great fit for MK Dons. The one occasion I saw them in action I got the impression that this was a team that wanted to pass pass pass. They seemed to have a team full of players who looked comfortable on the ball and Robbie will build on that. He has a commitment to develop young players and I imagine this too will go down well at Stadium MK. In Chairman Pete Winkelman the Dons have a figure head who has a reputation for giving young managers time and space to progress the club. This could be a match made in heaven. It is reported that Robbie will take his trusty assistant Steve Crawford with him and I am confident that it won’t be long before the two of them are celebrating success at Stadium MK

Neilson and Crawford last night: Not long before they will be celebrating at Stadium MK

Robbie leaves Tynecastle with the Hearts beating strong. Last night was just such a great night to be at Tynecastle. Seeing one half of the bigot brothers getting humped by a commanding young well coached Hearts side was a joy. In the current Hearts squad Scottish International Calum Paterson, Jamie Walker and Sam Nicholson have all progressed from the Academy to become first team regulars under the watchful eye of the fastidious Neilson. Hearts have also gone into the transfer market and picked up young players from elsewhere in Scotland and then turned them into better players. Ex Dundee United fringe players John Souttar (20) and Robbie Muirhead (20) both starred last night. Robbie’s legacy is that he leaves behind a young side full of flair and aggression that should claim a place in Europe at the end of this season and are poised to challenge for domestic honours.

It is a quirky coincidence that on the night Robbie Neilson said goodbye to Tynecastle another Robbie (young Muirhead) announced himself as a Hearts star of the future. Signed in the summer he has been gently introduced to the first team action and has started very few games appearing mostly as a late substitute. Last night he was given the left side midfield berth and scored two great opportunist goals. His first two goals for the Jambos.

Robbie Muirhead celebrates scoring his first ever goal for Hearts

... and then kneels before the Hearts fans ... oh what a feeling !

That other Robbie puts Hearts 2-0 up against the team formerly known as Rangers

Robbie Muirhead seemed to enjoy scoring for Hearts and I certainly enjoyed seeing him do it.

Last night I watched as Robbie Nielson directed operations from the dug out in Tynecastle. On Saturday I will sit with the MK Dons fans at The Valley and watch as Robbie Neilson directs operations for the MK Dons side. Funny how things work out.

Who will win? Will I be following Robbie from Charlton to Milton Keynes in round 3. Will The Addicks turn it on and knock the Dons out of the Cup. Will the Coalition Against Roland Duchatelet stage a protest at the game on Saturday. It is going to be fascinating stop on The Road to Wembley from Scotland. Keep reading to see how it all pans out.