Johnnie Jackson made mistake in giving AFC Wimbledon youngster a second chance

Another proud alum of the AFC Wimbledon system, Hus Biler made his debut in 2022 and rose to prominence as a formidable opponent for Johnnie Jackson’s right-back position.

But after just over a year in the first team, he was fired and Isaac Ogundere replaced him due to a reckless red card against MK Dons the previous season, as well as fitness and injury concerns.

Many supporters anticipated that Biler would be made available by summer. That hasn’t occurred, though, as Wimbledon manager Johnnie Jackson has given the young player a fresh one-year contract as a final chance.

Early indications point to the possibility that the new deal was a mistake.

The young player started behind the aforementioned Ogundere, but Jackson saw enough in the 22-year-old to start starting him at right-back after his outstanding debut against Tranmere Rovers in November 2022, when he was playing on his less-used left side due to an injury crisis at left-back for the Dons.

Throughout the remainder of the 2022–2023 season, he would continue to showcase his attacking prowess, frequently launching daring raids up the right side and using either foot to find a good cross into the opposing area. By the end of the season, a lot of supporters believed that the team had Biler and Ogundere nailed down for years to come in the right-back position.

But by the time the 2023–24 season got underway, Biler had apparently transformed into a more combative, terrier-like defensive player. Amidst the thrill of making the first team, many fans were unconcerned about Jackson’s slip-ups during his breakout campaign, believing that Jackson would rectify the situation during the offseason.

However, that was far from the reality, and Biler was rapidly turning into a minor liability for the team. He would frequently commit too much forward in attacks and, rather than remaining cool and collected while returning to defend, would decide to attempt a tackle, which was rarely successful.

In the aforementioned away game against MK Dons, this freshly formed aspect of his game reached a boiling point. With a 3-1 deficit, the Dons were open in the defensive end, hoping to mount a spectacular comeback with a second goal. But MK took advantage of it by pushing the ball long, leaving Max Dean slamming into the Dons’ net.

In order to give the referee the impression that the bout was fair, Biler decided to take Dean out by tussling with him and making a trip. However, the guy in charge did not see it that way and sent Biler out, forcing the Dons to substitute Ogundere for an attacker after they had already used up one defensive substitute.

Due to his red card and a number of other health and injury concerns, largely relating to a hamstring injury he initially sustained in February 2023, Biler was unable to play for Jackson again in the 23–24 season, which raised doubts about the end of his Wimbledon career.

But at the beginning of July, it was revealed that Biler would be sticking around for an additional year, with Jackson seemingly willing to give the young guy another shot.

Though there aren’t many preseason games to evaluate it on, Jackson may come to regret giving that second opportunity. It seems like a pretty bad choice.

This is mostly because Biler hasn’t completely overcome the rashness that impairs his defensive skills, even after playing men’s football for two seasons.

While not tested too much at Met Police FC last week, Biler faced a much sterner task in the form of Brentford when they came to visit Plough Lane over the weekend, with the right-back featuring for the opening 60 minutes.

In his hour-long cameo, he was kept quiet attacking-wise, with the Dons being more successful down the left-hand side, and defensively, the same old issues came to the fore.

While he did not receive his marching orders, he did dive in and give away a needless penalty, which Brentford scored from and in doing so, answered a query on every fan’s mind – Had he grown and developed defensively with the reward of a new contract?

Many people believed that Biler had certainly turned the round and impressed Jackson enough to win himself a new contract because, just a few days prior to the announcement that he had signed fresh terms with the Dons, he was being linked to a move to Turkey. His impulsive behavior over the weekend, though, made it clear that this does not appear to be the case.

It might indicate that Jackson isn’t permitted to send reinforcements down the right side. Josh Neufville and James Tilley are two Wimbledon players that can play on the right side of midfield, but it’s obvious that Jackson wants his wingers to play more like wing-backs and contribute defensively. Neufville has performed admirably.

This means that Jackson’s only remaining choice is to sign a contract with Biler. However, considering that Biler was benched last season and became a “out-of-favour” player after serving his punishment, this seems like a last-resort move that may not have been well-considered.

With a couple more preseason games still for the Dons and the entire season ahead of them, Biler has plenty of time to capitalize on his chance to shine. In a back three, Biler has the opportunity to establish himself at center-half, but his academy teammate Ogundere is preferred in the right-sided position.