Former Burton Albion manager Dino Maamria has reflected on his time at the club in an exclusive interview with The Deck‘s ‘League One Lowdown’ podcast.
He labelled his time at the Brewers, where he managed more than 70 games, a “huge success”.
What Has Dino Maamria Said?
In the near hour-long interview, Maamria said: “For me, my time at Burton was a huge success. Keeping that club in League One, and keeping that club comfortable, not just keeping them in League One. And, selling some big assets, while I left some assets at the club as well.
“I can only look back at my time at Burton Albion as a success. And I look back at the season-and-a-half I had there, they accumulated more points since when Nigel Clough was there in 2019. And, that was their first season back from the Championship.”
When asked about his exit from the club, the Tunisian-born manager candidly added: “Football is a crazy game… I think if I would have stayed a little bit longer, the club would have been in a much better position last season. And, they certainly would be in a better position this season.
A “Harsh” Dismissal:
When quizzed on his exit from Burton Albion, which came after a poor run of form, Maamria described it as a “harsh” decision. It came after six league games without victory, while cup wins left him with only two wins in his last 11 games in charge of the Brewers.
Maamria, who is also a former Stevenage manager, revealed that some of his Burton players contacted him after his sacking with “shock” and “disbelief” at the news.
Before the stretch of results that led to his exit, Burton had gone on an eight game unbeaten run. That included wins over Lincoln City, who had fortress-like home form at the LNER Stadium, and a 4-1 win against Bristol Rovers.
Burton Albion In the Bottom Four – Opinion:
Burton Albion currently sit in the relegation zone of SkyBet League One. Only Garry Monk’s Cambridge United have less points, with just a single draw from their opening nine games.
The Brewers are winless, drawing four and losing five of their outings so far this term.
When Maamria was shunted out of the club, in December last year, Burton sat 19th in the table. They ended up finishing one position lower, while maintaining their third tier status by the skins of their teeth.
New manager Mark Robinson has been given an injection of cash over the summer, and with that has signed a glut of fresh signings. However, things are taking time to gel at the Pirelli Stadium.
Maamria certainly thinks the fortunes of Burton Albion would be different had he still been at the club.