I remember the anger I felt back in 2004 when Wimbledon were moved to Milton Keynes and renamed the Dons. Back then I was an angry young man in his mid twenties, someone who felt passionately about the integrity of a football club. It seemed beyond abhorrent that an owner could rip a football club from its place of origin and twist it so intently for their own purposes.
I was the Imps mascot at the time, and at events I refused to acknowledge the existence of their mascots. They seemed like nice people, but they stood for everything I hated. I’d occasionally bump into Haydon the Womble from the ‘real’ Wimbledon and share a pint with him as we debated the intricacies of the move. Needless to say, it always involved swearing a lot.
Around 2008, in an attempt to further integrate the town of MK with the football world, they staged their own mascot event. It was, by all accounts, a lavish and well organised event in which mascots were treated with dignity and respect. I wouldn’t know, I flat-out refused to attend on principle. There’s little doubt that very few noticed, but I still had my principles.
I’ve always watched intently as Wimbledon climbed the leagues, looking for their match up with the fake club that stole their identity. When we were relegated the blow was softened (slightly) by the real Wimbledon replacing us. I was delighted they’d made it to the league, and even more delighted when they went up again. Now they’re competing on a level with Franchise FC, they’re back where they should be, two teams born of one identity, forever separated by resentment and hatred. Even to this day the official Wimbledon website lists their opponents as ‘Milton Keynes’, no badge and no use of the Dons nickname either. The anger is still there, for those fans of the original Wimbledon I suppose it always will be, but for the rest of us: is it time to move on?
Part of my problem with the situation was the demise of the old Wimbledon and their true fans. I couldn’t imagine being told my team was moving somewhere so far away and being renamed, it would be like moving Lincoln to Ollerton and renaming them the Ollerton Imps. Don’t like it Imps fans? Tough it’s happening because Ollerton want a football team and some music mogul thinks they need it more than you. Concrete cows, plastic fans and a fake football club all cosying up with each other in perfect harmony, whilst die-hard fans that grew up watching Vinny Jones kick people are left without a club. That angered me, but time has a remedy.
Instead of the Franchise thriving, they’ve stagnated in the lower divisions, never truly looking as though they’ll ascend to the top flight as the original Dons did. I was lucky enough to get the chance to watch us play them in so much as I got to shout all the stereotypical abuse about fake teams and franchises at a surprisingly large fan base. They visited Lincoln in 2006/07, a season later they won a trophy and League Two. After two years of poor crowds, that success inspired a group of new fans and their average attendance went up from 5,700 in 2006 to 9,700 in 2008. Like it or not, there was a passion for a team in Milton Keynes.
Instead of the Franchise thriving, they’ve stagnated in the lower divisions, never truly looking as though they’ll ascend to the top flight as the original Dons did.
I also felt angered that the town had bought a place in the Football League, not earned it like many Conference clubs had to do. Looking back it was only a precursor to the modern-day where non-league teams are trying to buy their way into the professional ranks. Milton Keynes did it by buying a whole club and just lifting them whereas Forest Green did it the same way as Crawley and Fleetwood: spend more on players than everyone else.
What of Wimbledon? Well their rise in the 70’s and 80’s was a fairy tale often told to youngsters like me as a kid. They’re the plucky underdogs that spoil the party for everyone else, winning the 1988 FA Cup at the expense of the cosmopolitan Liverpool side. Their demise was the stuff of nightmares, but their second rise the stuff of legend. They battled back through the pyramid in double-quick time, and now sit back amongst football’s elite, in the same division as the Franchise that sought to destroy them. For them, a life long rivalry has been born, but for the average fan it is time to let go. Many already have and as a hard-liner from the last decade I think maybe it is time I mellowed a little towards Milton Keynes.
It’s now 2017, MK Dons have the sixth highest average attendance in League One (8870, just fifty more than ours but whatever). They’re competing against the real Dons and the natural ‘order’ has been restored. MK Dons are no longer a nasty little franchise with no right to be where they are, and Wimbledon have survived and come back stronger. Don’t forget Charles Koppel had taken the old Wimbledon to the brink of extinction, Pete Winkleman bought them up in order to move them. It wasn’t a nice move, but without that input their wouldn’t be a club at all now. 8870 average attendance suggest that, despite the immoral beginnings, there is a demand for football in Milton Keynes.
After 15 years the name MK Dons has become recognisable in its own right, they’ve become an entity and frankly, they’re going nowhere. Wimbledon are back, their fans might have lost something originally but I imagine the sense of community and pride around AFC Wimbledon is immense, and rightly so. Have they come back stronger? If you consider the fact they were on the verge of being wound up with or without Winkleman, then yes of course they have. Their attendance dallies around the 4,000 mark depending on who is visiting, so arguably there is more of a thirst for League One football in Milton Keynes than in their little slice of London. Their current ground does only hold 4800, but it isn’t full every week, is it?
I got similarly angry when Notts County stole Lincoln Ladies and relocated them, but history proved me right there. Notts County women later folded and Lincoln was left without a women’s team for a while. However, surely all is well that ends well with the Dons isn’t it? Milton Keynes have their team, a well-supported outfit that people love to hate, and Wimbledon have theirs, closer to a return to the Borough of Merton than ever before and everyone’s favourite phoenix club. Where is the loser? Football? Can football truly be the loser when we’re happy championing Forest Green as a fairy tale despite £2.4m losses each year, or welcoming Crawley with open arms when they outspent most League One teams in achieving their ‘dream’? At least in Milton Keynes the bubble hasn’t gone pop, crowds haven’t plummeted and there is a real thirst for a football club in the town.
It is time to move on, I’ve accepted it and I suspect as the years roll by everyone outside of AFC Wimbledon will accept it as well. Milton Keynes need to drop the Dons bit of the name now, become MK Town or Rovers or whatever they want, and leave all this ridiculous Wimbledon connection behind. They’re not Wimbledon, they never were and they never will be. AFC Wimbledon won the FA Cup in 1988 as far as I’m concerned, and now they’re back at a level befitting of the original sides attendances anyway. Let MK have their identity, an identity several well-meaning football fans have worked hard to create over the last 15 years.
The two teams meet at Kingsmead tomorrow in another eagerly anticipated clash between bitter rivals, and no doubt the air will be vitriolic and passionate on both sides. It matters to them and throughout history it will continue to do so, but for you and I? I’m afraid it is just time to move on.
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Really interesting piece as ever Gary – and it’s got me thinking. (Always dangerous!) The English and the Germans had a few large scale spats last century and other than a few casual jokes both sides are largely over it now. If 2 countries of the size and global significance of these 2 can ‘get over themselves’ within 20-30 years, surely the Dons/MK battle of 2004 can be put to bed now. Absolutely agree!
However, as a football fan (and only a true football fan can know what it really means to be a football fan – my wife still doesn’t get it after 34 years of marriage!) the very idea of a club buying a club with scant regard to fans, traditions and the footballing equivalent of the law of evolution (i.e. You start at the bottom of the pyramid and work your way up on merit), is repulsive and threatens the very existence of our way of life. And it is vital that football as a body and fans everywhere resist any move what-so-ever to move in the franchise direction.
The American system whereby a city such as Los Angeles has a football team (American football) one year, then the next year it hasn’t because it’s moved to Cincinnati (or where ever the $$$$ are to be found) and then 3 years later they have a team again…. NO WAY!
I think Wimbledon/MK have seemingly got away with it because it appears to have been a one off. But if fans ‘getting over it’ means other clubs might try it, then no – we must object and fight for ever!
It is often described as a one off, but is it? I know they are within the same city and close by but look how Everton gave Liverpool their ground. Or more relevant, look at where Woolich Arsenal now play and what they are called. It would be a stretch to say West Ham have moved out of their heartland but you need only ask Orient how they feel about it. Bolton moved to Horwich with their move to the Reebok.
My only comment is it’s a pity the people of Milton Keynes weren’t interested in supporting their own local club that existed before Wimbledon were moved there. According to Wikipedia there were two clubs named Milton Keynes City, the first one, playing in the South Midlands League ‘was poorly supported’ and went out of business in 1985. Their successors, also playing in the South Midlands League, lasted until 2003. Telling for me is this quote from Wikipedia: ‘City’s directors believed that they could build their club up to be accepted as representing Milton Keynes as a whole, but a severe lack of local interest in this plan meant that they never achieved it.’ The club folded just prior to Wimbledon’s move there.
It seems the locals were happy to have a ready-made League One side dumped in their laps but had been uninterested in supporting their existing local side to reach towards that level.
Milton Keynes was always a large enough to host a FL club and had Winkleman bankrolled the existing local team there would have been some sneers at “buying success” but largely an acceptance that a new town might need a kickstart to catch up with towns and cities with longer football heritage…and would probably be at the same level for less money and more support, having witnessed a fair few promotions along the way.
Buying Wimbledon’s place in the league (and for a long time pretending AFC’s history was MK’s too) was an abhorrent way of going about it. A huge slice of the blame must also be heaped at the FA’s door too for allowing it to happen. The supposed guardians of the game failed and it was down to the fans of all clubs (the true guardians) to show this was a sell out too far.
So no I don’t think it is time to forget less someone else tries the same again in the future…FGR to the Premier League, just put in an offer for Huddersfield.
My attitude to MK has softened slightly (although it still riles me when some ex-PL player who has no idea what it is like to support a smaller team, tells me it is time to move on)…I accept that for the younger fans this is their club but I still wouldn’t go to a game there and they are one of a very small number of clubs that I always hope lose.