Question about supporting Fans United ?

[drew]

Good question Ernest

in my view, no i couldn't see myself having sympathy or supporting MK Dons if they were in that situation. Fans Utd is about standing up against the corporate asset stripping or poor governance of football clubs and protecting them for their local communities.

It is precisely because MK Dons actively sought to take a football club away from its core base and driven by a type of corporate greed that I couldnt do it.

professional club handed on a plate to a town who didnt even appear to have a competitive non-league outfit - who've now accumulated approx 10 years history as MK Dons

v

Genuine football club with 125 years history of climbing and falling through the football pyramid, supported by local residents along the way.

But not supported by their traditional local council!

Not yet, no. Nor can I imagine too many Milton Keynes fans getting that upset about it if they do get into trouble and go bust, there would be a reason for it and its not like they tried that hard to save Wolverton or Bletchley when those MK based clubs went bust in the not too distant past.

But perhaps one day, when I'm 85, and MK have properly become part of the football fabric. They're not claiming to be Wimbledon any more; all the trophies and honours have been handed back to the London Borough of Merton (which still can't find a home for Wimbledon); they've got supporters associations and a community football scheme that's one of the best. Small change perhaps, but a start.

I thought all the trophies were handed back to the London Borough of Merton!

So, are the London Borough of Merton welcoming AFC back with open arms. You make it sound like they are actively trying to find a suitable location for AFC to return when in effect it was the actions of the local borough that forced Wimbledon into exile in the first place.

I can't believe some of the sanctimonious clap trap on here about MK Dons. Had they not relocated then they too would probably have gone bust as they fell down the divisions. Lets not forget they were tenents of Palace for 12 years and in that time there was no sight of any new stadium being built.

The move to MK was probably the last desperate bid to keep the club alive and, at that time it was allowed by the league. The rules have apparently be changed so it will never happen again so surely it is now time toe put it to rest. AFC Wimbledon are now at Kingstonians old ground and what is the likelihood of that being developed to support a championship team or even progress to the premiership. Wimbledon at Plough lane were always a bit of joke in terms of a top flight team but they valiantly punched above their weight but it was never going to last.

 

[bassking]

:

Fans United happens in part because supporters want to prevent things happening like the destruction of Wimbledon and the theft of their league place, and subsequent franchising. So no, I'd never join any such movement for Milton Keynes. Clear enough, Ernest?

couldnt have put that any clearer

 

[Hove Seagull]

Ernest, there were about 14 or 15 of us on Monday evening, including a couple of Plymouth lads. We are trying to help a club in trouble. In a similar situation to the one we were in a few years ago. The guy that first came up with the original idea for Fans United back then was a Plymouth fan. We're trying to do what we can, now we are in a position to help them, and they are in the unfortunate position of needing help.
If you don't want to be involved, then good! That is up to you. But why try and rubbish it??

 

[Ernest]

You called the campaign nonsense and the organisers hypocrites and self-publicists.

Where did I swear ? It is my opinion and you're certainly hypocrites with the MK Dons support so hardly same as calling someone a prick because he has a different opinion

 

[Simster]

Because from the start I wondered why Plymouth aren't so passionate as 14 people on here ? It's no good people here supporting PA's cause when they're not supporting it themselves. If Plymouth survive which I hope they do as much as anyone else it will be because of things Fans United cannot influence such as someone taking the club on , if they don't they will go the same way as Chester , Maidstone and other clubs that have gone bust.

I'm not sure why others can't see that, even the publicity of Fans United won't do anything unless the PA supporters get doing something themselves and do it quickly. They should be leading not supporters from a club 250 miles away and until they get with it their club will die.

Maybe you should have said as much in the first place, rather than sneering at people trying to make a difference.

 

[djm21]

Always help your fellow fans, they are not at fault.

 

[Ernest]

So what if Arsenal, formerly Woolwich Arsenal, got into trouble? Would we help them or is there a statue of limitations for punishing clubs after they move location?

It also tends to be skated over that AFC Wimbledon sort of nicked Kingstonian's ground and were considered a bit of a pain in the arse during their rise through the non-leagues.

You're not allowed to have that sort of opinion on here

 

[Ernest]

Maybe you should have said as much in the first place, rather than sneering at people trying to make a difference.

I have been saying that since this started, trouble is everyone here is stirred up about it whilst down in Devon it seems hardly anyone gives a shit

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

To be fair isnt Merton council now looking to get Wimbledon back? Plough Lane I believe is still currently undeveloped.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Because from the start I wondered why Plymouth aren't so passionate as 14 people on here ? It's no good people here supporting PA's cause when they're not supporting it themselves. If Plymouth survive which I hope they do as much as anyone else it will be because of things Fans United cannot influence such as someone taking the club on , if they don't they will go the same way as Chester , Maidstone and other clubs that have gone bust.

I'm not sure why others can't see that, even the publicity of Fans United won't do anything unless the PA supporters get doing something themselves and do it quickly. They should be leading not supporters from a club 250 miles away and until they get with it their club will die.

So you're agreeing now, then, that should this campaign rouse the Plymouth masses to react, then its completely worthwhile?

Where did I swear ? It is my opinion and you're certainly hypocrites with the MK Dons support so hardly same as calling someone a prick because he has a different opinion

Sorry, just for a bit of clarity here, when I called you a boring prick, it wasn't in reference to your offering of a different opinion on this particular issue. I just meant in general.

 

[Buzzer]

Where did I swear ? It is my opinion and you're certainly hypocrites with the MK Dons support so hardly same as calling someone a prick because he has a different opinion

Where have I expressed an opinion on MK Dons? In fact a quick glance reveals none of us 14 self-publicising hypocrites have even ventured one opinion on MK Dons on this thread.

This thread is just you on a wind-up mission. You know it and I know it. You've been getting your digs in about Fans Reunited for a few days now and this was more of the same. I don't know why but if you're as thin-skinned as you appear to be now then you're probably best off not starting things like this in the first place.

 

[Herne Hill Seagull]

So what if Arsenal, formerly Woolwich Arsenal, got into trouble? Would we help them or is there a statue of limitations for punishing clubs after they move location?

It also tends to be skated over that AFC Wimbledon sort of nicked Kingstonian's ground and were considered a bit of a pain in the arse during their rise through the non-leagues.

Not sure what we can do about something that happened decades before we were born. Bit pointless concerning yourself with that now isn't it? Whereas Plymouth's is a fight in the here and now, and a cause that can be taken up while there's still a chance to do something about it.

Pain in the arse Wimbledon? Considered so by whom? By the Combined Counties League clubs who gained more receipts from one game with Wimbledon than in the rest of the season combined, for example? 'Sort of nicked the ground'? How? They bought it, and Kingstonian, who were desperate for the money, still play there – they haven't been forced out.

 

[Buzzer]

You're not allowed to have that sort of opinion on here

Quite clearly you are. It's just an internet message board. You live and die by what you put up and how you put it. If you put forward a cogent argument that doesn't reek of a massive piss take then you are likely to get reasoned responses. If you come across as a snidey prick then don't act all surprised if people treat you like a snidey prick.

 

[big nuts]

I wouldn't support MK Dons they epitomise everything I hate in modern football, but more than happy to support Plymouth, particularly as one of their fans was highly instrumental in orchestrating one of my favourite days in football.

 

[The Large One]

I can't believe some of the sanctimonious clap trap on here about MK Dons. Had they not relocated then they too would probably have gone bust as they fell down the divisions. Lets not forget they were tenents of Palace for 12 years and in that time there was no sight of any new stadium being built.

The move to MK was probably the last desperate bid to keep the club alive and, at that time it was allowed by the league. The rules have apparently be changed so it will never happen again so surely it is now time toe put it to rest. AFC Wimbledon are now at Kingstonians old ground and what is the likelihood of that being developed to support a championship team or even progress to the premiership. Wimbledon at Plough lane were always a bit of joke in terms of a top flight team but they valiantly punched above their weight but it was never going to last.

Totally revisionist horseshit.

 

[djm21]

Pretty much any team who truly needed it.

 

[The Large One]

Because from the start I wondered why Plymouth aren't so passionate as 14 people on here ? It's no good people here supporting PA's cause when they're not supporting it themselves. If Plymouth survive which I hope they do as much as anyone else it will be because of things Fans United cannot influence such as someone taking the club on , if they don't they will go the same way as Chester , Maidstone and other clubs that have gone bust.

I'm not sure why others can't see that, even the publicity of Fans United won't do anything unless the PA supporters get doing something themselves and do it quickly. They should be leading not supporters from a club 250 miles away and until they get with it their club will die.

Just because they're not storming the barricades every five minutes, it doesn't follow they're doing nothing.

 

[Rich Suvner]

So, are the London Borough of Merton welcoming AFC back with open arms.

Reconciliation underway
Merton Council Leader Stephen Alambritis apologises to AFC Wimbledon for Plough Lane exodus From Your Local Guardian)

 

[severnside gull]

Ernest. Before you meander off on another bout of self justification for what began as an unashamed wind-up and has only latterly turned into any sort of justified argument (prompted no doubt by the criticism of your unquestionably shallow and mean-minded approach) please take time to read my comments on another thread which I (as unashamedly as you) repeat here.

These are my justifications and those of many others who genuinely understand the pain of losing something they hold dear and will do all I can to encourage Argyle fans to take up the fight with a renewed vigour knowing that they are not alone. I am neither altruistic nor I hope hypocrytical. Just a football fan who is happy to offer help if it is wanted and where I can. Of course these two "campaigns" (bit of a pompous term that for going to a football match but I guess if it trends on Twitter these days it has to be termed a campaign) won't change the world for Plymouth or anyone else. What will happen though, and what your intendedly mean opening premise ignores, is that in the longer term this is only partly to do with Plymouth Argyle. It is also in very large part about every club that is struggling in the face of financial mismanagement, opportunism and, more specifically, asset stripping. Maybe people in football will be more aware as a result of what is happening here and across the land, that fans are the ultimate bottom line and will possibly pause for thought before denying fans of their passion. If it makes Ridsdale and Guillfoyle et al pause for a moment then maybe the Argyle fans can regroup and maybe they will divert their confident march towards personal profit whilst the club rushes headlong into oblivion. And maybe the owners at Barnet or Mansfield or Wrexham - and all those other clubs who are teetering on the edge - will stop and think about the opprobrium which they will bring upon themselves should they ignore the fans. So maybe, just maybe, it will make just a little difference and maybe those who have tried to repay a fourteen year old favour will at least know that they tried rather than stood by.

My memory comfortably encompasses the original Fans United and I still recall it with a tear in my eye. I felt then as I still feel today, that knowing we had the support of other fans up and down the country, not because we were either friends or rivals but simply because we were football fans and others understood how it would feel to lose our club, to have no-one to support....................... .................... well, it was simply the most amazing feeling and the truth rang out loud and clear that football is more than just a game because it is what takes us away from the daily grind, the humdrum and the plain awful that constitutes many peoples' lives. Sometimes if you are lucky it unites people like few other things can but mostly it just gives us something positive to think about and when the match kicks off we are all there living it. Even when we can't be there in the flesh we still live every game. We read every match report. We devour all the stats. We talk about it and we dream about it. To deny people that is simply wrong and I don't care how financially sustainable it may be. What I care about is the excitement of supporting my team whether it is doing well, or more often over the years, not - and it matters not at all whether the sun is shining or it's pissing down with rain just as long as it doesn't snow so the game is off. I care about the hope that I feel every time my heroes run out onto the pitch. I care about the way I can't wait for the next game. Nothing else gives you those feelings and I don't want to lose it and because I know that every other fan of every club that is "theirs" whether it's their home town club or adopted, feels the same way I don't want them to lose it either.
And yes I remember how I felt walking across Hove Park and onto the OSR and seeing scarves and hats from clubs everywhere because they knew how I was feeling and it mattered to them and they cared enough to be there. I stood there that day in absolute silence just drinking it in and then I sang myself hoarse knowing that there was just a glimmer of a beginning of a chance that it might not be the last time I would do so. It wasn't then and it isn't now about the club or the rivalry or the lack of it. It's about being a fan and knowing what that means so if you don't feel it and don't care then just jog right off because I DO and I want Argyle fans to know that I do and for them to keep feeling as they do about THEIR club. I wasn't there at Wrexham. I wish I had been. I can't be there at Leeds. But I will be watching to see our fans make me feel proud and I will be at Home Park to see fans from everywhere stand shoulder to shoulder for something that may be insignificant in the greater scheme of things but in the lives of ordinary folk it matters.

So do you understand now why I'm happy to respect your right to comment but on just this one thing you are so so very wrong. Call yourself a visionary, call yourself a martyr, call yourself what you will but on a football fans' forum you don't belong.

Now reply as you like, random capitals and all .................................... someone on here called you a one trick pony but you are more than that - just something less than a busted flush these days. If your "right to comment" was genuine I would happily listen but you know as we mostly all know that this little piece of petty mean mindedness had nothing to do with a genuinely held view and everything to do with winding people up and mischief making (there you go - more than one trick!). Happily you will not change good peoples' views of what is right nor divert them from offering succour when it is needed.

There. Rant over - and not a single swearword.

 

[Herne Hill Seagull]

Outstanding post, severnside. Wish I'd written it!