Mike Williamson has been joined by coaches Chris Bell, Carl Magnay and Ian Watson in taking over at Carlisle United from League Two rivals MK Dons for a fee in the region of £200k.
Williamson’s playing career
As a player, he was a colossal centre-back. Playing at a high level in the EFL with Wycombe Wanderers and Watford before making the step up to the Premier League with Newcastle United in 2010 where he appeared over 150 times.
Williamson’s managerial record
Williamson’s managerial record at Gateshead was a good one and his style of play was very easy on the eye. The 40-year-old then got the manager job at MK Dons, where his playing out from the back style of football was welcomed and he guided them to the League Two playoffs last season where they were beaten by Crawley Town.
This season hasn’t been easy so far, Williamson and MK Dons have endured a really poor start to their League Two campaign even though a lot of people tipped MK Dons to get promoted before the season began. MK’s last league game was a heavy 3-0 defeat to rivals AFC Wimbledon.
What are the positives to Williamson’s appointment?
There are positives and negatives to this deal. I’ll start with the positives.
The 40-year-old manager plays an attractive and expansive style of play.
Williamson also has a very good managerial record with a win percentage of 48%.
Knowing that the Carlisle United owners have chosen him and have paid significant compensation shows that he will certainly have the full backing of everyone in the boardroom.
What are the negatives to Williamson’s appointment?
One thing that may concern some fans is that some current players seem incapable of playing this manager’s way. If the new manager had been appointed in the summer he would have been a lot more comfortable if he’d had a transfer window and pre-season behind him to implement his very specific style of play.
Final thoughts
It would be easy to get caught up in the start to the season MK Dons have had but if you take that away and look at last season and Williamson’s previous job at Gateshead you can see why he would be the best man for the job in my opinion.
This appointment may raise some eyebrows but one thing that is certain about the whole move is that he will have nothing but 100% backing of every single Carlisle United fan.