M.K.Dons new Stadium

[Lady Whistledown]

I guess over time, people will gradually forget what that greasy weasel Pete Winkleman did to Wimbledon.

My instinct is still to dislike MK Dons immensely, however I'm trying to work out what would be worse- for all the kids in MK to buy Chelsea or Man United shirts (whoever's winning at the time) because they have no team, or for them to go along to MK Dons- at the end of the day, I guess it's still better to have loads of kids going along to League Two football than the Premiership.

Like Easy, I really resent them using the Dons name. Fine, steal another club's league place, to save yourself the hassle of doing things the proper way (ie coming up through the non league pyramid), but don't try and cling on to their heritage and name, because what MKFC are is NOTHING to do with Wimbledon FC.

Do us all a favour, Winkleman: drop the Dons bit, remove the references to WFC's history on your website, and admit to yourself and the rest of football the truth- ie that you're a completely new (and somewhat plastic) football club, with no history or tradition at all.

Maybe then people would resent you less, and you might be allowed to move on and try to gain a bit of respect after all this time.

 

[SULLY COULDNT SHOOT]

They allegedly give away hundreds of tickets each week to schools, parents, local council employees and the like. I would be careful about taking their attendance figures at face value.

Didn't really want to get dragged into this... but this rumour is totally untrue.... presumably another rumour AFC fans have been spreading.

If it happened to Brighton I'd be sick to the teeth and I'd fight tooth and nail to stop it happening.

However..... it happened.... time passed on and a new team was born with a new set of fans... AFC fans and the like need to get over it and stop blackening a team whose only sin today is that Winkelman is the chairman. With or without Winkelman the team goes on.

 

[Big Jim]

Of course we'd be upset but what would be the alternatives apart from sliding in the Conference and then through that into the same leagues that most of the Sussex clubs inhabit? I don't think even DK and his co-directors would still be around if that happened. Is moving to Guildford worse than becoming a small non league club playing in front of 400. There is no way many more than that would bother if we slid that far

Slid that far, do you mean if we don't get Falmer? As far as I'm aware (from what I've read), there isn't a plan two. So we'll be in exactly the same position as Wimbledon were (similar). I'd still watch Brighton in the conference, because they are Brighton. In the same way I'd watch the dons if I were a dons fan.
I'd hate for the team to be sold off and sent to some other town and renamed, it would be an embarrasment to our City.

 

[SULLY COULDNT SHOOT]

So, everybody who supports the dons, or is invloved in any way with them, is a git who deserves to rot?

All of what your saying is rubbish, it happened over 3 years ago yeah, its happened, deal with it, move on.

TENS OF THOUSANDS of people in this area have benefited from the dons moving, probably much more than lost out from them moving (harsh i know, but a fair point, no??)

The club has a very family-orientated atmosphere, and they do a shit load of work in the community, from what i know much much more than most clubs (including ourselves)

But hey, i guess some people cant stop being fuckin pig-eyed and look at the positive things going on.

and yes call me a 'FRANCISE SCUMMER' because i go and watch and support my local team, anything wrong with that??

 

[Icy Gull]

Slid that far, do you mean if we don't get Falmer? As far as I'm aware (from what I've read), there isn't a plan two. So we'll be in exactly the same position as Wimbledon were (similar). I'd still watch Brighton in the conference, because they are Brighton. In the same way I'd watch the dons if I were a dons fan.
I'd hate for the team to be sold off and sent to some other town and renamed, it would be an embarrasment to our City.

But don't you think that the directors would have the right to mitigate their losses by selling off the team and league placing if we didn't get Falmer and had to leave Withdean? God forbid it happened but I would have sympathy with DK trying to claw something back when it became clear he was throwing good money after bad with no future for the club apart from a groundshare at Crawley or Worthing for ever and nobody willing to pump in any more money.

 

[SULLY COULDNT SHOOT]

I guess over time, people will gradually forget what that greasy weasel Pete Winkleman did to Wimbledon.

My instinct is still to dislike MK Dons immensely, however I'm trying to work out what would be worse- for all the kids in MK to buy Chelsea or Man United shirts (whoever's winning at the time) because they have no team, or for them to go along to MK Dons- at the end of the day, I guess it's still better to have loads of kids going along to League Two football than the Premiership.

Like Easy, I really resent them using the Dons name. Fine, steal another club's league place, to save yourself the hassle of doing things the proper way (ie coming up through the non league pyramid), but don't try and cling on to their heritage and name, because what MKFC are is NOTHING to do with Wimbledon FC.

Do us all a favour, Winkleman: drop the Dons bit, remove the references to WFC's history on your website, and admit to yourself and the rest of football the truth- ie that you're a completely new (and somewhat plastic) football club, with no history or tradition at all.

Maybe then people would resent you less, and you might be allowed to move on and try to gain a bit of respect after all this time.

Sensible response.....

 

[Superseagull]

Drove past Plough Lane the other day. it is now a full scale building site. Looks like lots of flats and probably the associated supermarket. Its a real shame that for years fans of Wimbledon saw the ground slowly decay whilst the club was sold off to the money men. At least the Goldstone was developed quickly rather than sitting there for years unused and derelict.

http://www.apwj49.dsl.pipex.com/lost/plough.htm

 

[Big Jim]

But don't you think that the directors would have the right to mitigate their losses by selling off the team and league placing if we didn't get Falmer and had to leave Withdean? God forbid it happened but I would have sympathy with DK trying to claw something back when it became clear he was throwing good money after bad with no future for the club apart from a groundshare at Crawley or Worthing for ever and nobody willing to pump in any more money.

Definately not. They'd be worse than Bill Archer.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

It just annoyed me at the time the way Winkleman kept saying that MK deserved a football team, therefore should have one.

Why did it deserve a team? The residents had never bothered to support a local team before? Why MK? Why not any other town with no football league club? Why is MK more deserving than say Guildford? Or Bath, Corby, Huntingdon, Peterlee, Devizes, Oswestry, to pick a few random, undeserving places.

I still cherish the traditional view that if you want a league club, start at the bottom, like everyone else does, buy a non-league club and chuck money at it, a la Rushden & Diamonds or Truro, and see what happens. Or start a new club, fine, but work your way up.

When it comes down to it, I still can't accept the idea that a millionaire can just go along and buy someone else's club and effectively steal it, moving it miles away to suit his purpose. What's to stop someone picking up Torquay and moving them to, say, Dunstable? Or buying out Rochdale's owner and stealing the name and league place for a new club in Great Yarmouth ("because Great Yarmouth's crying out for League football")? All justified by the myth that clubs with small crowds and no permanent homes (sound familiar, anyone?) can't survive.

I don't doubt MK are making great strides locally now, but it won't stop people resenting how they came to be there in the first place.

 

[Big Jim]

Drove past Plough Lane the other day. it is now a full scale building site. Looks like lots of flats and probably the associated supermarket. Its a real shame that for years fans of Wimbledon saw the ground slowly decay whilst the club was sold off to the money men. At least the Goldstone was developed quickly rather than sitting there for years unused and derelict.

As far as I know there were plans to develop Plough lane as a football stadium with a supermarket and allsorts but it was rejected by the council.

At least in our case Brighton Council support Falmer it's just that other bunch ot t0ssers who can't have been to Falmer for at least 50 years, either that or they're blind.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

PS am deeply jealous of the new stadium at MK, even if it is another from the IKEA flat-pack range (Plopp model), also seen in Middlesbrough, Swansea, Leicester, Darlington and coming soon to a town or city near you.


Unless you live in Brighton & Hove

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

So, everybody who supports the dons, or is invloved in any way with them, is a git who deserves to rot?

All of what your saying is rubbish, it happened over 3 years ago yeah, its happened, deal with it, move on.

TENS OF THOUSANDS of people in this area have benefited from the dons moving, probably much more than lost out from them moving (harsh i know, but a fair point, no??)

The club has a very family-orientated atmosphere, and they do a shit load of work in the community, from what i know much much more than most clubs (including ourselves)

But hey, i guess some people cant stop being fuckin pig-eyed and look at the positive things going on.

and yes call me a 'FRANCISE SCUMMER' because i go and watch and support my local team, anything wrong with that??

I take your points, but if the FA hadn't finally brought in the Centre for Dispute Resolution to sort out the dispute between Dick Knight and Archer and Belotti, would you have been happy for Archer and Belotti to have run the club into the ground, and then sold the BHA name so some shyster could come along and create MK Seagulls. Because if you would have been, I'm sorry, but you are NOT an Albion fan. In addition, correct me if I am wrong, but I understand that the creation of MK Dons led directly to the end of Milton Keynes City, an old established football club.

 

[wigman]

Stadium doesnt look that nice- just a typical 'dome' arena like coventry, reading, southampton, etc, etc. What happened to having 4 seperate stands?

i drove by it earlier today and i can assure you it knocks spots off reading, southampton, coventry, derby etc it is honestly unbelieveable! it really is. i couldnt believe it when i saw it. i know they dont deserve it but it is a breathtaking stadium!it relly is!

 

[Big Jim]

It just annoyed me at the time the way Winkleman kept saying that MK deserved a football team, therefore should have one.

When it comes down to it, I still can't accept the idea that a millionaire can just go along and buy someone else's club and effectively steal it, moving it miles away to suit his purpose.

Absolutely spot on and why I think the FA should have stopped it.

What's stopping someone doing exactly the same with Brighton, we're really not in too different a position if Falmer goes on much longer.

 

[Frutos]

and yes call me a 'FRANCISE SCUMMER' because i go and watch and support my local team, anything wrong with that??

No really 'your' local team though, is it?

Just someone else's that's been plonked on your doorstep.

 

[BensGrandad]

What would we all be saying if Brighton moved away? I think we're all still upset about the Goldstone, yet alone being called Guildford Seagulls?

Sam the Man was negotiating with Guildford Council to build a stadium at the Spectrum and they become Guildford Dons and the name Dons be dropped after 3 years. I would assume the same will happen to MK Dons they will change their name when the stadium is all complete and being used the Dons will be dropped and they will become Milton Keynes Utd or similar.

It is just a way of getting a team into the football league. Crawley could have done the same with us had they wished.

 

[Billy the Fish]

But don't you think that the directors would have the right to mitigate their losses by selling off the team and league placing if we didn't get Falmer and had to leave Withdean? God forbid it happened but I would have sympathy with DK trying to claw something back when it became clear he was throwing good money after bad with no future for the club apart from a groundshare at Crawley or Worthing for ever and nobody willing to pump in any more money.

You must be our of your tree. The whole reason we fought to save this club was because it does not belong to the directors, it belongs to the fans. I take it you sympathise with Ar*her then, because he didn't fancy pumping money into a club on a downward spiral.
Football clubs are closely linked with the local community and are defined by their history, you can't just move one to a different city. What actually happened is that one club died and another one knicked it's place in the league. If MK wanted a league then then should work their way up the non league pyramid. If this were to happen to the albion, I'd sooner kill the club and start again, than see it move 100 miles away.

 

[Gully]

I drove past the new Shrewsbury stadium last Thursday, that is looking pretty reasonable and not far off completion, though not quite as impressive as the pictures of the MK one.

 

[Icy Gull]

You must be our of your tree. The whole reason we fought to save this club was because it does not belong to the directors, it belongs to the fans. I take it you sympathise with Ar*her then, because he didn't fancy pumping money into a club on a downward spiral.
Football clubs are closely linked with the local community and are defined by their history, you can't just move one to a different city. What actually happened is that one club died and another one knicked it's place in the league. If MK wanted a league then then should work their way up the non league pyramid. If this were to happen to the albion, I'd sooner kill the club and start again, than see it move 100 miles away.

Big difference is that Archer wanted to kill the club DK saved it but if Falmer was turned down and Withdean was no longer available, there would not be a viable alternative venue that I can think of for a league club, except a groundshare. We would probably go out of business and have to start again anyway, which I'm sure we would. My point is merely that I would have some sympathy with those that had spent so much time and energy and millions of pounds on trying to build us a ground would have some justification in trying to recoup some of the money they spent. It seems you'd rather they lost everything and the club folded with everybody being the loser?

 

[Yorkie]

I guess over time, people will gradually forget what that greasy weasel Pete Winkleman did to Wimbledon.

Like Easy, I really resent them using the Dons name. Fine, steal another club's league place, to save yourself the hassle of doing things the proper way (ie coming up through the non league pyramid), but don't try and cling on to their heritage and name, because what MKFC are is NOTHING to do with Wimbledon FC.

Do us all a favour, Winkleman: drop the Dons bit, remove the references to WFC's history on your website, and admit to yourself and the rest of football the truth- ie that you're a completely new (and somewhat plastic) football club, with no history or tradition at all.

Maybe then people would resent you less, and you might be allowed to move on and try to gain a bit of respect after all this time.

That sums it up for me.