Wimbledon must DIE

[Easy 10]

I sincerely hope the whole thing falls flat on its face and Wimbledon fold, once and for all. Because its not "Wimbledon" at all, is it ? Its a hybrid, a new club living off its old name. Wimbledon FC ceased to exist when Koppell abandoned all plans of staying in South London, and moving lock-stock up to MK. They no longer have an identity of their own, they can't be considered "Wimbledon" any more.

The FA and the Football League are culpable in all this. They have set a dangerous precedent in allowing Koppell to permanently move a football club out of its own community and relocate a hundred miles up the road. Now whats to stop the owner of a football club in a congested catchment area (Stockport ? Oldham ? Tranmere ?) thinking "I know. Lets close down here and move the club to Sussex/Norfolk/Dorset (or wherever) and see if we can double our crowds, and sort out a new stadium while we're at it".

What if, when we were stuck at Gillingham, we had someone running the club who thought "naah, lets forget going back to Sussex and go somewhere else, start afresh". Do we really want franchising to become part of the game in this country ?

Koppell is using Wimbledon as nothing more than a business opportunity, and to hell with the heart and soul of the club and its fanbase in South London, and it worries me that the football authorities have stood by and let him. For the sakes of all football clubs, this MK Dons thing must fail miserably, and Wimbledon must be seen to finally die a death. If it really takes off and succeeds, I fear they may not be the last.

 

[albiongirl]

It wont be long before Wimbledon will become Milton Keynes FC!!After the novelty factor wears off and the hard core Wimbledon fans realise how bloody far MK is the crowds will start to dwindle.

 

[pasty]

Top post Easy 10


It is yet another example of how little the money men in football think of the fans. I know it's begining to sound like an old cliche nowadays but you can't get away from the fact that there is too much money involved in football now.

It pisses me off something rotten that it seems to be all too conveniently forgotten now, that without fans, football would not exist.

 

[beorhthelm]

well thats the hardest part of the part of the situation to comprehend - how come Wimbledon have managed to change the rules, up sticks and move to 70 miles, while we weren't allowed to move more than 3 miles from the Pavilion.


No fear, MK residents will get bored and the few (must only be a couple hundred) persistant Wimbledon fans will give up and join the rest following AFC Wimbledon. In a coule of years Wimbledon will disappear, AFC will be back in the league and change their name to reclaim their heritage - its the fans that make the 'club' after all.

 

[Windmill]

The novelty will soon wear off. Any footie fans in the the MK area will already be supporting a team even if they don't go to watch them.

They certainly aren't going to start watching Wimbledon, and after they are relegated they may well fold.

 

[Jameson]

Not so sure. I think it might take off. Agree, not Wimbledon. But this team seems to survive....

I saw the Dons play Leeds United (when WFC were a Southern League side) in the FA Cup at Selhurst in (I think) 1974/5. 0-0, Dickie Guy in goal, 48k gate (it's true I tell you).

Feel so sorry for their fans but destruction is not the answer. Let's see.

 

[sherriffbart]

My only real view on this, is the fact that if Wimbledon fans were so bloody wonderful, then why is it when they were at Plough Lane, Selhurst Park etc etc, no bugger went to see them.

I dont get this " Oh we have no home therefore we cant get to see them" when in the fA Cup Semi Final at Spurs ground, there was around 8000 to 10000 Wimbledon fans in the ground, which for a semi final was scandallous.

If the local population will not support the side, then sod em. This is not about the Albion as we have passionate fans ( who went all the way to Gillingham, 170 mile round trip every week) Dons fans wouldnt even travel down the road to Selhurst...tough shit lads.

Anyway, I dont know what all the fuss is about. Wimbledon "fans" now support a non league side called AFC Wimbledon. I dont care about Wimbledon FC or AFC Wimbledon.

 

[Hamilton]

As important as that is the death of Oldham, which I think will happen next week.

I hope the MK Dons fail and hope Oldham survive

 

[Bwian]

well thats the hardest part of the part of the situation to comprehend - how come Wimbledon have managed to change the rules, up sticks and move to 70 miles, while we weren't allowed to move more than 3 miles from the Pavilion.

I thought we were restricted to a distance of 7 or 8 miles? That figure seems to implanted itself into my memory....

I also think MK residents will adopt the club eventually-especially when they change the name to MK. You see it all the time in N. America-teams up sticks and move and generally get an instant large following. I fear this will happen in this case and we'll then see other clubs moving

 

[¤DãŃn¥ §êãGüLL¤]

As much as I hope this whole Milton Keynes FC thing falls flat on it's face I feel sorry for the people of Wimbledon, left without a team. Ok there's AFC but is it fair that Wimbledon's fans should be left to support a team practically still in the Sunday league stage with a ground that holds no more then 4k when not so long ago their team were in the Premiership?

 

[Citrus]

It wont be long before Wimbledon will become Milton Keynes FC!!

They have already changed the badge to an MK eagle!

 

[Bwian]

As much as I hope this whole Milton Keynes FC thing falls flat on it's face I feel sorry for the people of Wimbledon, left without a team. Ok there's AFC but is it fair that Wimbledon's fans should be left to support a team practically still in the Sunday league stage with a ground that holds no more then 4k when not so long ago their team were in the Premiership?

Perhaps if they'd have shown true support over the years, fought like hell to get Plough Lane fixed up or replaced maybe they wouldn't now be looking at MK as their home.

I hate to say this (especially after all we've been through) but perhaps Wimbledon (the town) isn't interested in their football team. If they were there'd have been more of a collective effort to help get the club back to where it belongs.

Doesn't mean I like what's happening but with so few passionate fans (even when in the Premiershit) maybe it's best to let them go, re-build with AFC Wimbledon and build up a loyal passionate fan base that cares about the club. At least they'll know their true level-both in terms of support and status in the footballing world.

One thing's for sure, we wouldn't be so passive if we were talking about somebody moving The Albion to somewhere like Dover in order to give the place a league club at our expense.

 

[Rougvie]

Its worrying how easily it took off in Scotland when Meadowbank Thistle became Livingston and moved the 20 or so miles to become the first true franchise FC
At the time there was a lot of objection to it, but the Livingston money men shrewdly put their money behind the rather large youth population of Livingston (just as there is in MK) letting them in for £1, subsidised family season tickets etc etc and all in all the whole thing is a huge triumph.
Livvy are now thought of as a top 6 club in the SPL with a good home and away support and one of the few teams in the SPL not in dire fianancial straits.
The money men behind MK have taken a lot of advice from Dominic Keane at Livingston and are basing a lot of their business plans on the original Livingston model.
As much as it pains me to say it, the vast majority of the country has short memories when it comes to football, the residents of MK will go as long as its cheap to do so.
Its a very sad reflection of our plastic society with very little loyalty that this will undoubtedly be a success

 

[sherriffbart]

I do not think we will have a franchising situation here in the UK

North America is a huge place and the marketeers have looked for "untapped" population where if a local team be in Hockey/basketball/Football is not being supported, then they will move it to an area where they think people will want to come and see them.

England has almost a football club in every major town/city ( more than 1 in most) so therefore to upsticks a decent side, say Arsenal and move it to Newcastle would simply not work.

Wimbledon fans showed in their apathy that they couldn't gice a toss about WFC when the going got tough ( when Sam the Arab moved on) and they have to their credit started a new side which they go and watch and therefore that is the end of the story. If the poeple of MK go and watch WFC in MK then good luck to them.

 

[Sorrel]

As much as it pains me to say it, the vast majority of the country has short memories when it comes to football, the residents of MK will go as long as its cheap to do so.

The MK residents I know are quite keen on the team. They see it as something interesting happening in MK, which doesn't happen very often. One of them is an armchair Watford fan, and he's thinking of going along to see the MK/Dons. I've told him that would be wrong, but he just sees it as something new that might be different.

I think MK/Dons will be more successful than people think. Let's hope they go down, as that should make them much less popular.

 

[Brovion]

Wise words from the likes of Rougvie sadly. I really wanted it to fail for all the obvious reasons but I fear after yesterday that the doom and gloom merchants are going to be right, it IS going to be successful. Bugger. Oh well, that's the end of football then.

 

[merlin the happy pig]

My main problem with Wimbledon is the whole ground sharing farce at Sh*thurst Park. They were there for what, around 12 years. Yet weren't we threatened with getting a new home or being wound up after sharing with the Gills after 2?
One rule for one...

 

[El Presidente]

I thought Koppell has finished at Wimbledon and the club was in administration with the superbly named Peter Winkleman at the helm

 

[Biscuit]

Instead of us loaning all our player to crawley, I think we should loan them off to AFC Wimbeldon! Who's with me....? Hope this hole MK thing fails and dies and horrible but quick death..bye bye Wimbeldon FC, once such a proud club, rest in peace. Long live the real Wimbeldon, AFC that is. They must be getting huge gates for a non league team!

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

I've tried to look at this objectively, look at both sides of the story. My natural urge has been to think its wrong, but my mates a season ticket holder for (MK)wimbledon and has been for the past ten years and he believes its the only way the club was going to be saved. But, having seen pictures in the paper today of fat, gurning pricks claiming to be wimbledon fans and with the players wearing t-shirts saying they're glad to be there, and comments about creating a new era, I've come to the conclusion that my gut instinct was right and that is wrong, simply wrong, f***ing wrong. And, like Easy 10, I hope the club dies(and maybe milton keynes can be quarintined(sp?) and banned from associating with the rest of britain).