Recruitment process had to change after MK Dons' relegation to League Two

The ripple effects of MK Dons’ recruitment process in 2022 are still being felt now, according to Sporting Director Liam Sweeting.

After the highs of the 2021/22 season, albeit ending in a failed play-off campaign, Sweeting undertook one of Dons’ biggest ever squad overhauls, but it would result in Dons exiting League One via the trapdoor to League Two rather than the ladder to the Championship – a move which saw the director offer his resignation.

Since then, Sweeting and his team have significantly changed the parameters by which they seek out players, research them and approve moves to best avoid a repeat.

And after bringing in 15 new players to the club over the summer – surpassing the number they brought in in 2022 – Sweeting hopes the improvements they have made to the process will be far more obvious.

“It felt like the second rebuild, which from a recruitment process, it has been really good,” he said. “There was a lot to learn from the last one. Our processes have changed significantly since that last one. Not just in terms of backroom staff, but also the checks we put in place, non-negotiables we look for in certain positions, and the way we discuss players too, the minimum time we get people to watch them - including the coaches - has all been tweaked post that window.

“In the two home games, you can see how we want to look, and it's now about trying to produce that performance consistently, and that's what we're looking for.

“You hope and believe your decision making will improve this time around, but ultimately the proof will be in the pudding.

“After the window, we always speak positively about new characters and new people, but everyone is professional, and we have to perform. People will be bored of hearing me say people need to gel, and I will resit in saying it again, but when there is this amount of change, things need to settle.”

The start of the season has not gone fully to plan though. Integrating the 15 players has taken time, and three defeats in five matches to start their campaign has been far from ideal. Head coach Mike Williamson has mentioned in several interviews that his side, in defeat, have won on several metrics apart from the key one being the scoreline.

And while some fans have voiced their annoyance at this, Sweeting said: “I understand the frustration when we talk about the metrics, but it's a process and we're trying to play in a certain way, and we have to trust it and believe in it.

“When we're working on something, we have to use those metrics to measure it and in all the games, we've created better chances than the opposition, and if you believe that is the aim of the game then we're doing ok. But there are other things, further details that haven't been quite right.”