Gilbey on replacing Lewington as skipper, ego trips and MK Dons' new signings

Skipper Alex Gilbey believes the new summer signings at MK Dons are the right sort of people to represent the club, something he has not always been able to say in previous years.

For the first time, MK Dons embark on a season without Dean Lewington, leaving Gilbey to lead the dressing room solo. With seven new additions to the squad this summer, not to mention the regime change at the head with Paul Warne taking over the reins in April, the 30-year-old has been charged with carrying what the club means to the supporters on his shoulders.

Getting that message across though has been an easy one with the calibre of signings Warne has made thus far, according to the captain. That, though, has not always been the case.

He said: “I’ve got a safe feeling about how people think about this club, whereas the last few seasons lads have come here for a sort of ego trip. Some lads over the years have just turned up, seen the big stadium and thought it would be nice to just stroke it about. These new lads mean business and they want to be successful.

“I’ve been at the club a long time over two spells now, and this is my club. When you see lads coming into it now, only seeing it for what it is now, it feels good.

“Losing Lewie, I’ve had to take on the mantle and tell people what the club represents, and that has been so easy.”

Though Lewington remains around the fold as a coach in the development squad, Gilbey has taken on the role of dressing room leader, a responsibility which he does not think will change him.

“I’m still the same man,” he added. “You have to move with the times, and the days of screaming and shouting at people have gone. There is a time and a place but for me, with the help of the senior pros, we have to get the best out of people.

“If people are happy off the pitch, the better you are on it. I want to create an environment where everyone is happy, playing football and winning.”