EFL investigating AFC Wimbledon for 'disrespecting' MK Dons last night

[The Large One]

I wouldnt argue with that it was just the then Chairman of Wimbledon FC Sam Hamman selling his sole to any town that would have them. He approached Guildford to build a ground at The Spectrum and become Guildford Dons, but the council turned him down.

Hammam wasn't the chairman. He'd sold up in 1997 to Kjell Inge Røkke and Bjørn Rune Gjelsten.

Just looking stuff up, the then Charlton Athletic board in 1973 were proposing a move to Milton Keynes in a move against the London Borough of Greenwich's opposition to Charlton's expansion plans. It wasn't the last time they came up against such intransigence - Charlton left the Valley after the council refused them permission to make safety improvements, and they ended up sharing at Selhurst Park and Boleyn Ground from 1985 to 1992.

 

[The Large One]

What's done is don(e). Banter between the fans is one thing but for the officials of AFC to deliberately disrespect another team is out of order especially as they had been warned before.

I think you'll find MK Dons completely disrespected the life, history and existence of Wimbledon FC. Worth bearing that in mind before you start becoming an apologist for the way MK Dons' board and club behaved at their start-up.

 

[drew]

I wouldnt argue with that it was just the then Chairman of Wimbledon FC Sam Hamman selling his sole to any town that would have them. He approached Guildford to build a ground at The Spectrum and become Guildford Dons, but the council turned him down.

Er, Sam Hamman wasn't the owner/chairman at the time! Wasn't it Pete Winkleman?

 

[drew]

I think you'll find MK Dons completely disrespected the life, history and existence of Wimbledon FC. Worth bearing that in mind before you start becoming an apologist for the way MK Dons' board and club behaved at their start-up.

In what way?

They were a club that hadn't played in their own borough for over a decade. I don't agree that the move to MK was right but it was sanctioned. They've not kept the history of the old Wimbledon and have returned all the trophies won by that team to the Borough of Merton.

So, apart from keeping in existence by moving to MK, exactly how what else did they do to disrespect the life history and existence of Wimbledon FC.

Good luck to AFC with their new ground but they should look to the future rather than dwell on the past. Like I said earlier, let the grudge be part of the banter between fans but the club should play by the league rules.

 

[drew]

Er, Sam Hamman wasn't the owner/chairman at the time! Wasn't it Pete Winkleman?

Stand corrected about Winkleman although I believe he might have been on the board at the time.

 

[bobby baxter]

Wonder what the chaps at MKTV make of it?

 

[lawros left foot]

Did anyone sh1t in their dressing room.

 

[drew]

And you'd obviously say the same if that happened to us and Crawley and Hove Albion came to play AFC Brighton?

Possibly. Reserve judgement although, of course the rules have changed to prevent the same thing happening again. It could have been us but we had the advantage of a council that helped us secure a new home whereas Merton, at the time, were apparently not so accommodating.

That said, it's not about what I think or say. As I said the fans can keep up the banter/grudge but the club itself can't disrespect their opponents. We don't do it to Palace, Soton don't do it to Portsmouth etc etc.

Try and differentiate between what fans do and say and what a professional club should do or say!

 

[Iggle Piggle]

Where to start with this. Quite why the FA have jumped on this I don't know, it hardly up there in the grand scheme of things and say QPR and FFP would be a better place to start.

That said, MK Dons have been going for 13 years and are in all honesty a well run club. Live within thier means, returned the trophies to Wimbledon and developed the odd good player (Dele Ali). We invaded thier ground a couple of years ago not like say Villa who left a stand shut with thier completely odd owners and told us to do one. Yes I'd feel differently if it was us but I struggle to get annoyed about MK Dons. In the basket case that is football they are arguable one of the better ones.

 

[BensGrandad]

Hammam wasn't the chairman. He'd sold up in 1997 to Kjell Inge Røkke and Bjørn Rune Gjelsten.

Just looking stuff up, the then Charlton Athletic board in 1973 were proposing a move to Milton Keynes in a move against the London Borough of Greenwich's opposition to Charlton's expansion plans. It wasn't the last time they came up against such intransigence - Charlton left the Valley after the council refused them permission to make safety improvements, and they ended up sharing at Selhurst Park and Boleyn Ground from 1985 to 1992.

Nothing whatsoever to do with Charlton it was when Wimbledon were due to leave Merton that Sam Hamman approached Guildford to take them to play there and it was also rumoured they had approached Dublin to re house them. I had a pub in Guildford at the time and was involved with others in trying to revive Guildford City, which proved unsuccessful as the money raised was filtered away by others.

 

[Curious Orange]

Nothing whatsoever to do with Charlton it was when Wimbledon were due to leave Merton that Sam Hamman approached Guildford to take them to play there and it was also rumoured they had approached Dublin to re house them. I had a pub in Guildford at the time and was involved with others in trying to revive Guildford City, which proved unsuccessful as the money raised was filtered away by others.

Guildford City still play at the athletics ground at the Spectrum... and Guildford still isn't a City.

Michael Harper tried to get a small stadium built at the Spectrum for the team for a while, but that was rejected too.

 

[Peter Ward]

This is one of those issues like the Sun and Hillsborough, and Dick Knight and Albion that will always start me off and risk me having an apoplectic fit of spleen splitting venom and sheer hatred. I'm 100% on the side of AFC on this issue. What the owners of Wimbledon FC did was criminal, and epitomises everything that is bad about British football club ownership.

 

[atfc village]

There was a Milton Keynes City AND I think they went out of business because of the other lot? I could be wrong.

Who were Bletchley Town FC before that.

 

[BensGrandad]

Guildford City still play at the athletics ground at the Spectrum... and Guildford still isn't a City.

Michael Harper tried to get a small stadium built at the Spectrum for the team for a while, but that was rejected too.

That was not until about 1996 long after I had been on Radio Surrey or whatever it was called then, trying to drum up support and before the Spectrum was built and was still in the planning stage. After the Spectrum was built with a football pitch in the middle, Burpham or perhaps they were called AFC Burpham took over the ground as their home ground on the condition that they changed their name to AFC Guildford. The trustee of the Guildford City Fund were very old when I was asked to help them in about 1989. The then chair of Godalming Town got onto the committee with her partner and said that Guildford City would never resurface so her and her partner persuaded the old men on the committee not Reg Lympus or Ken Tester two ex players who were trustees, to give the money to Godalming Town FC and they would change their name to Guildford and Godalming. This they did until the money had been spent then I think that they reverted back to Godalming Town dropping the name of Guildford. I didnt think that AFC Guildford had changed their name to Guildford City but wouldnt argue on it. I would think Reg and Ken have passed on now as probably have all the old people on the committee bar that woman who read the Combined Counties results out on Radio Surrey.

 

[atfc village]

That was not until about 1996 long after I had been on Radio Surrey or whatever it was called then, trying to drum up support and before the Spectrum was built and was still in the planning stage. After the Spectrum was built with a football pitch in the middle, Burpham or perhaps they were called AFC Burpham took over the ground as their home ground on the condition that they changed their name to AFC Guildford. The trustee of the Guildford City Fund were very old when I was asked to help them in about 1989. The then chair of Godalming Town got onto the committee with her partner and said that Guildford City would never resurface so her and her partner persuaded the old men on the committee not Reg Lympus or Ken Tester two ex players who were trustees, to give the money to Godalming Town FC and they would change their name to Guildford and Godalming. This they did until the money had been spent then I think that they reverted back to Godalming Town dropping the name of Guildford. I didnt think that AFC Guildford had changed their name to Guildford City but wouldnt argue on it. I would think Reg and Ken have passed on now as probably have all the old people on the committee bar that woman who read the Combined Counties results out on Radio Surrey.

1992 Guildford and Godalming took the name .

 

[BensGrandad]

1992 Guildford and Godalming took the name .

That sounds about right but I left the PIg in 1995 after my cancer op and Michelle Harper hadnt become involved then.

 

[Tooting Gull]

As I said the fans can keep up the banter/grudge but the club itself can't disrespect their opponents.

Every time Millwall host Palace they deliberately play 'Living Next Door To Alice' (sometimes twice) in the build-up, and the whole ground shout along 'Who The F**k Are Palace'. It's hilarious.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

This is one of those issues like the Sun and Hillsborough, and Dick Knight and Albion that will always start me off and risk me having an apoplectic fit of spleen splitting venom and sheer hatred. I'm 100% on the side of AFC on this issue. What the owners of Wimbledon FC did was criminal, and epitomises everything that is bad about British football club ownership.

what did Dick Knight do to you?

 

[BrianWade4]

There was a Milton Keynes City AND I think they went out of business because of the other lot? I could be wrong.

Correct
Disgraceful decision

 

[BrianWade4]

What's done is don(e). Banter between the fans is one thing but for the officials of AFC to deliberately disrespect another team is out of order especially as they had been warned before.

What if Celtic did the same to Rangers and there was trouble at an already tense game. There are plenty of rivalries and if it was a free for all who knows where it would end up.

I fundamentally disagree
They stole another club's name (Dons) and heritage (they actually kept their FA Cup)
Nothing less than they deserve

Not even Rangers v Celtic stoops that low