Wimbledon fans making life hard......

[JRedknapp11]

Stuart Murdoch told the protesting fans to end the feud which threatens to destroy Wimbledon after just 668 home fans turned up at Selhurst Park to watch the defeat to Gilligham.

Many Dons fans are refusing to follow their team any more, enraged when they were granted permission to leave south London for Milton Keynes, and set up new team AFC Wimbledon in the Combined Counties League.

Manager Murdoch called on the hundreds that protested outside the ground to leave his club alone, saying: "The divorce has taken place, can the two parties now get on with it and live happily ever after. It's a sad situation for everybody but this has happened and it's been decided.

"In the situation this football club is in there's no way staying here will do any good. I hope the Wimbledon fans who are Wimbledon fans return but to those who no longer are I wish them well on a Saturday afternoon with their new club.

"I have sympathy with them because as a supporter you want to see football in your own area, but don't make our life any more difficult by doing the sort of things that have gone on outside the ground."

Fans' spokesman Kevin Rye insisted Saturday's protest was about more than venting anger at Wimbledon. He said: "It's a mournful day and we are just trying to find ways to cope.

"But the purpose is to start a nationwide campaign against the franchising of football in this country. This is not a unique solution to a unique problem, it is bigger than Wimbledon."

[sydtheeagle]

Originally posted by JRedknapp11
Manager Murdoch called on the hundreds that protested outside the ground to leave his club alone, saying: "The divorce has taken place, can the two parties now get on with it and live happily ever after. It's a sad situation for everybody but this has happened and it's been decided.

"In the situation this football club is in there's no way staying here will do any good. I hope the Wimbledon fans who are Wimbledon fans return but to those who no longer are I wish them well on a Saturday afternoon with their new club.

"I have sympathy with them because as a supporter you want to see football in your own area, but don't make our life any more difficult by doing the sort of things that have gone on outside the ground."



In which Stuart Murdoch proves what an idiot he is. Let's translate what he's just said:

"I've now left the court room after a lengthy trial and an extremely bitter and acrimonious divorce from my wife has just been entered, with a judgement totally in her favour. What do I have to say? Well, perhaps I could take her out for a romantic dinner tonight? I would really enjoy that.

In this situation, being unhappy is no good. Sure, the judge is letting her take my kids to another country and I'll never see them again, and of course I'll be paying for the plane tickets and for the new house they'll buy when they get there but I can't complain. I mean, so what if she had an affair, left me, took the kids, and got a divorce judgement in her favour which has cleaned me out. You have to forgive and forget, don't you, and it's not THAT big a deal.

In a way, I feel sympathy for her. I mean, she clearly thought I wasn't up to much so why shouldn't she have an affair? And as for taking the kids away, well, that's life. Sometimes people have to do what they think is for the best. Personally, I bear no grudges. Just because she's trashed my entire life doesn't mean I don't want her to have a hard time and even though she's got a generous settlement, perhaps I should give her a bit more on top just to be going on with."

What an absolute CNUT. The stupidest quote in the history of world football.

[stanleyt]

AFC Wimbledon have apparently sold 1000 season tickets and over 5000 are expected for their home opener this coming Saturday.

I'm telling you that Wimbledon article in the latest 442 speaks volumes about the concept of "clubs existing for the fans" or vice-versa.

Wimbledon FC have only sold 100 season tickets so far. Apparently their groundskeeper spent the better part of Saturday's match, running after and retrieving errant balls in the stands in order to return them to the pitch. Don't expect to see sizeable crowds @ Selhurst unless Wimbledon stay there and are on the cusp of promotion.

[RichardL]

Come next week (and from then to the rest of the seaaon) will AFC Wimbledon fans be watching their new team or picketting outside Selhurst Park? Probably a bit of both as it will be hard for away fans to get into a lot of the grounds they'll be playing at. Having seen 1,500+ for Bracknell Town (my home town) v Aldershot in Aldershot's first season after re-forming I'd advise AFC Wimbledon fans to eat beforehand and also go to the loo before, as the facilities at that level will be hopelessly inadequate for anything above 3 or 4 hundred fans.

[JRedknapp11]

Here's some more news from the chairman....

http://www.thebeautifulgame.co.uk/newsitem.php?id=158408

[QPR Kevin H]

Just before tonights match for Wimbledon (at Grimsby) BBC London did a preview which included a count of travelling fans in the away stand.

14

[Doctor Stamen]

If this keeps up, Wimbledon may die after a few years, and then AFC Wimbledon will be left in the lower leagues, possibly with no stadium to their name. So in short, pride may be expensive.

[Peakite]

I can see AFC rising up a few levels, and it won't be much of a surprise to see them in the Conference within a few years. Wimbledon have been known for a small, but committed fanbase, can't see it beyond their means to move AFC to Merton. They aren't going to be trying to build a Premiership stadium

[RichardL]

Originally posted by Doctor Stamen
If this keeps up, Wimbledon may die after a few years, and then AFC Wimbledon will be left in the lower leagues, possibly with no stadium to their name. So in short, pride may be expensive.

Wimbledon FC are already dead. Once they are at milton keynes they won't be wimbledon any more, regardless of what they call themselves. Once they move to milton keynes their fan base will be drawn from people who live in that town so the boycott won't be significant and the new club should survive, but it won't be Wimbledon.

[JacksonJazz#9]

this is what is wrong with sports in the states... the owners want a new stadium, and if they dont get it, they hold the city hostage. this has happened a few times in the NFL. The baltimore colts wanted a new stadium, couldnt get it, so they moved out IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT as to avoid media attention and arrived in Indianapolis the next day to take up roots in the HoosierDome.
the Cleveland Browns were the pride of cleveland. a long tradition of american football, but the owner said he needed a new stadium to be competitive.. he needed skyboxes for additional revenue etc. well, the city balked at his cries of poverty, and Art Modell, once the toast of cleveland, moved his team. where did he move them to??? you guessed it... Baltimore.... which had a fan base, already established of football fans, just dying to get a team. what is interesting about wimbledon is that if the BIG club moves, few are going to care, because they already have a team to follow that has replaced the BIG club in their mind. your football team belongs to the fans, they are the ones that will support it, until some other cut throat city comes along to steal your team with a "grass is always greener" scenario. keep supporting AFC Wimbledon as they have proven they want to be THE football team of the community. let the greedy owner move to MK and try to make it a go there... BUT HE SHOULDNT BE ABLE TO BE CALLED WIMBLEDON FC IF THEY ARNT IN WIMBLEDON...!!!!!

[Doctor Stamen]

Wimbledon haven't been in Wimbeldon since the days of Fashanu, Sanchez and Jones. But I do agree with the last post all the same.

[M]

Originally posted by Doctor Stamen
Wimbledon haven't been in Wimbeldon since the days of Fashanu, Sanchez and Jones. But I do agree with the last post all the same.

AFC Wimbledon aren't in Wimbledon either...

[BazoDee!]

Originally posted by M


AFC Wimbledon aren't in Wimbledon either...
And neither are the New York Giants or Jets, for that matter.

[RichardL]

Originally posted by M


AFC Wimbledon aren't in Wimbledon either...

but it is their intention to move there. There is no such intention among the owners of Wimbledon FC. They even helped protest groups campaigning against a move back to Wimbledon. This move has a lot more to do with a tied-in retail development in milton keynes than football. The owners of Wimbledon pleaded poverty but didn't show the sale of players worth about £17 million in their figures. In cash terms they are probably the richest club in the football league.

I don't think this is the thin end of the wedge leading to other teams being moved though, basically because there aren't any other towns in England the size of Milton Keynes that don't have a team already. It has happened to a lot of London Rugby clubs in the last few years but oddly nobody seems remotely bothered.

[sydtheeagle]

Just for the record, it was announced last night that Wimbledon (FC) are moving to Milton Keynes almost immediately. The erection of a temporary stadium seating 12,000 has been approved (presumably scaffolding and bleacher seating while the new ground itself is built) and they expect the first game at Milton Keynes to be vs. Watford on Boxing Day (December 26th). Which means no more than another half a dozen matches at Selhurst, I'd guess.

Sad but true. Doesn't really require any further comment from me.

[Doctor Stamen]

Originally posted by RichardL

It has happened to a lot of London Rugby clubs in the last few years but oddly nobody seems remotely bothered.

That's because the people involved in rugby (especially union), are greedy nobends who make up new rules to suit themselves all the time. e.g. No relegation from the top division because Harlequins and Bath may go down. British Rugby Union is a game run by, and often played by lawyers with a keen sense of self-importance.

I don't like the news that they're going to bulid over the MK Bowl, unless that's the temporary stadium.

[sydtheeagle]

Personal feelings (and emotions do run high) aside, it'll be very interesting to see how Wimbledon do in Milton Keynes. Football fans are forever saying that supporters are the true heirs of the game, and that administrators and owners do NOT understand the sport. Given that everyone in England, and everyone in Milton Keynes (more or less) already supports a football team, it will be fascinating to see, once Wimbledon arrive on their doorstep, whether they are adopted.

If Wimbledon draw crowds and build a fan base in their new home then the administrators will have been proved right and football will have been effectively commoditised overnight. Only if the team do no better in their new home than they did in their old one can the fan's view of the game really be proved to have been right.

The small crowds at Selhurst now make no point other than to the underline the anger that betrayal brings. A continued protest and non-existent crowds in Milton Keynes after the move would really place control of football back in the hands of fans.

[JoBeck]

the WISA has petitioned the Football League to block the move to the temporary stadium...

Wimbledon's claim that they'd go bankrupt may be ridiculous, but I'm sure the Football League will do whatever they can to help Franchise. I doubt the move will be blocked, the League probably wants Franchise as far away from the vocal opposition as possible.

Soccernet: Wimbledon fans want MK move blocked (http://www.soccernet.com/england/news/2002/0927/wimbledon_20020927_fanswantmiltonkeynesmoveblocked.html)

[Canadian_Supporter]

Any updates on this story?

[Doctor Stamen]

I think Wimbledon MK, sorry FC should be in the temporary stadium by the new year according to Koppel. This is a stupid move as all the people there already support Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs, Liverpool and Man Utd. There is no market in the MK/Bedfordshire area, as the population already support the bigger London teams, and the fanciest northern teams.

Is the new stadium to be built on the MK bowl ?. I really hope not as it's a great gig site on a sunny day believe me.