MK Dons manager Mike Williamson has responded to the media regarding former Swindon Town loanee Dan Kemp’s form since his return to his parent club, in quotes provided by MK Citizen.
The 25-year-old quickly became a fan favourite at the County Ground, forming a formidable partnership with Bradford City loanee Jake Young. During his time with the Robins, he was prolific in front of goal contributing 16 goals and eight assists in 27 appearances. He received an average rating of 7.40 on the statistics website whoscored.com throughout this period. He also maintained a pass success rate of over 80% whilst also averaging 2.3 key passes per 90. His goal-scoring and creativity played a key role in the club’s attack. Swindon averaged 1.84 goals scored during the period Kemp was at the club, compared to 1.44 goals scored per game since his departure.
The Recall
Kemp was recalled by parent club MK Dons shortly after the New Year’s Day trip to Crawley Town and slotted straight into new manager Mike Williamson’s squad for the remainder of the season. The attacking midfielder only scored once (against AFC Wimbledon) in the eight games after his return. seemingly struggling to settle into the system. His WhoScored average rating reflected this with an average of 6.4 including a season low of 5.59 against former Bradford City. However, after a much-improved performance against his former side Swindon Town (7.65), he has now registered two goals and an assist in the last two fixtures with ratings of 7.33 and 8.27 in consecutive games showing a marked improvement. He also achieved the Man of the Match award for the first time since his return to the club.
What caused the improvement?
Manager Mike Williamson has stated that Kemp is being asked to perform a different role than he was at his former club Swindon Town, and it has taken him some time to adapt to the “new MK Dons”.
Speaking to the media he stated: “He had more freedom at Swindon, and we try and give him as much freedom as we can but we have a structure which we believe is the strength of the club. He understands that, has taken it on and has confidence in everyone around him to get him the ball.”
“Sometimes, when he occupies a space, he occupies players as well. Especially now, players fear him and know if he’s in space he’s dangerous, so they have to do something about him, and that stretches the team, and gives others the chance to hurt teams as well.”
“With Kempy, his ceiling is so high because of his work ethic and his honesty. No one questions his ability and technically how good he is. He will go through peaks and troughs, but because he is so hard-working, he will always gravitate towards the top end of the metrics. He is a pleasure to work with.”
“When we watched his clips from his time at Swindon, we were immediately looking forward to getting him back. His input is incredible.”
This has seemingly been backed up by teammate Alex Gilbey: “It takes a while for people to get used to how we play, and I think it took Kempy a little while,”
“But in the last few weeks, he’s been brilliant.”
It is clear that if Williamson can unlock Kemp’s potential, he has arguably one of the best players in the league at his disposal, which alongside the creativity of players such as Tomlinson and Payne could be the difference between League One and League Two next season.