Carlisle United boss on MK Dons defeat and post-match boos

The Blues went down to a 3-0 defeat at Stadium MK after a poor showing which was jeered at full-time by many travelling fans.

United’s sub-standard display has brought fresh criticism from some fans, including renewed calls for a managerial change in some quarters.

Further scrutiny is now on the Blues after a second successive away-day hiding.

On the post-match reaction from some of the 734 travelling fans, Simpson said: “It’s normal – we've lost 3-0 away from home, so we have to accept that. There's nothing more I can say about that.”

And on the further criticism coming his and United’s way, he added: “I've been in football since 1982. You know that you have to take the rough with the smooth in football as a player, but certainly as a manager as well.

“When you lose three another away from home, and maybe could have been more other than [Aaron Hayden’s] fantastic block at the end, then we've got to have thick skin and we've got to be able to deal with it.”

• MATCH REPORT: Carlisle United beaten by MK Dons after dire display

Carlisle’s second defeat from three League Two games saw the Blues well adrift of Mike Williamson’s MK Dons, who scored two first-half goals through Callum Hendry and Alex Gilbey before Joe Tomlinson wrapped things up late on.

It was a serious backward step from United a week on from their derby victory over Barrow, the Cumbrians now 19th in the fledgling table after three games.

Asked what was the fundamental flaw in the performance, Simpson told the News & Star: “The basics – simple basics of when you have the ball, keeping it properly, keeping it better, and when you get opportunities, to be clinical, but then also dealing with what they've got, and going and locking on and not allowing them to play.

“We set up knowing that they were going to play out from the back and we set up to just try and stay together and stay compact, but in the first half, it didn't work because of silly individual mistakes and not doing the basics right defensively.

“We didn't take the moments that we had and, in the second half, we didn't take those moments either.

United were outplayed by MK Dons who claimed their first win of the campaign (Image: Richard Parkes)

“There was a lot wrong today, but we still had opportunities that, if we were a bit better on the ball, would have made things count.”

United, after an aggressive display helped them get on top of Barrow, did not have the same impact on Williamson’s ball-players as MK Dons ended a three-game losing run with an emphatic victory.

“No, it was different today,” admitted Simpson. “The question is why? I can't actually give you an answer, but we weren't [the same].

“We certainly didn't set up to give the ball away back to them each time, but unfortunately, that's what we did.”

Simpson admitted MK’s two first-half goals were carbon copies as United failed to prevent the hosts’ right-sided attacker Aaron Nemane from finding space to set up Hendry and Gilbey respectively.

“Before then they hadn't been inside our 18-yard box and yes, they'd had a lot of possession, but mainly in their own half or round about the centre circle, and we looked comfortable,” Simpson said.

• MK Dons v Carlisle United - as it happened

“But then we got done. We always talk about forcing it outside of us, not allowing them through the middle and we just took one or two steps too wide and they threaded the ball through.

“It's a good ball inside [for the first goal], but it shouldn't have been allowed to happen. We wanted it to go out to wide players and then we'd go and press from there, but we allowed it inside.

Debutant sub Dominic Sadi was denied a second-half goal by home keeper Tom McGill's save (Image: Richard Parkes)

“And then both goals were a good bit of quality from Nemane, and he's picked the players out and they've had simple tap-ins because we've not picked up in the box.”

Simpson was asked on BBC Radio Cumbria what United’s “plan” was, given it looked much less evident than MK’s, and he said the Blues certainly did have a plan, but the way Carlisle gave up possession too easily put paid to its chances of succeeding.

It meant new signing Dominic Sadi had a losing debut even though the AFC Bournemouth loanee showed some brightness after coming off the bench at half-time - though another sub, striker Georgie Kelly, limped off with another calf injury which will now be assessed.

“There was a chance for Daniel Adu-Adjei at the far post where the keeper gets across and makes a good save, and there was a chance for Dominic where he gets his volley [on target], and another chance for Daniel where we have a good bit of play and he shoots wide – he's just got the ball stuck under his feet,” Simpson added.

“There were definitely some signs there. We got in down the left a couple of times towards the end, but we didn't find the right pass and that's the same from the first half.

“If you're not able to take those, whether they're half-chances or more than half-chances. If you don't take them, then you're giving yourself a problem.”