From Blue to Red

[peoffrey]

The problem is that Cardiff City's Owners won't be at the Club for a lifetime whilst all their true fans will. It's not "their" Club to rebrand as the Club are nothing without their Supporters.

 

[Slicker than Sommeil]

When people call us the lottery winners, I'm sometimes inclined to agree: but not because of the depth of their pockets, but because of the deep respect which they show a club that has been part of Manchester for over a century; respect which I do not see being readily duplicated in Cardiff, I am sorry to say. Or in Stretford. Or in Wimbledon.

Brilliant post, and so very true.

I did my dissertation on football stadium communities, and mentioned the owners as taking the community to interest and developing the area in which the stadium and club is located. Not just investing in the team and 'brand' to make money.

 

[Chris in London]

@FLBC :)

I did my dissertation on football stadium communities, and mentioned the owners as taking the community to interest and developing the area in which the stadium and club is located. Not just investing in the team and 'brand' to make money.

Dunno if you looked at Wimbledon/Milton Keynes at all, but when the Dons moved out from London it was against a background of Merton council doing fuck all to help them redevelop or build an appropriate stadium in Wimbledon itself. That failure to assist was not just a one off, it was a stance they maintained for over a decade while Wimbledon ground shared at Selhurst Park. (For Wimbledon, groundsharing with Palace is a bit like us ground sharing with Wigan.) All that time Wimbledon tried to reestablish a base in Merton - the London borough they once called home - and they ended up selling out to Milton Keynes.

As I understand it, since the relocation the new owners have been pretty impressive in terms of integrating into Milton Keynes itself. Lots of community schemes, fair bit of development around the stadium etc, integrating with local businesses. Marshall (the ones who make all the Amps) are just down the road from their stadium and were a major sponsor for them. When Jim Marshall died recently there were tributes from rock stars all round the globe... and a big one from Milton Keynes Dons FC. They have even been pretty fair with the new AFC Wimbledon - acknowledging that they, not MK Dons - wer if you like the true heirs of the Wimbledon tradition.

It is nice to see Wimbledon back in the league because they got arse raped twice - once by their elected local representatives, and once by their owners. When you compare the way Manchester City Council and ADUG have approached the City Campus issue, and compare that with for instance the way Merton LBC and the Norwegian quick-buck-merchant owners treated Wimbledon, as I say I think we really did strike oil.

 

[Bill]

its a disgrace, bet you dont see one red shirt in the crowd.

 

[Cellarite]

Absolutely outrageous. Along with doubling season ticket prices, changing the colours is the worst thing owners can do to supporters.

 

[peoffrey]

As I understand it, since the relocation the new owners have been pretty impressive in terms of integrating into Milton Keynes itself. Lots of community schemes, fair bit of development around the stadium etc, integrating with local businesses. Marshall (the ones who make all the Amps) are just down the road from their stadium and were a major sponsor for them. When Jim Marshall died recently there were tributes from rock stars all round the globe... and a big one from Milton Keynes Dons FC. They have even been pretty fair with the new AFC Wimbledon - acknowledging that they, not MK Dons - wer if you like the true heirs of the Wimbledon tradition.

MK Dons could never claim to be Wimbledon because nobody who knows anything about football would buy that for one second. They should've been forced to create their own Club from scatch like the poor Wimbledon fans had to. And who exactly makes up MK Dons support? Armchair Chelsea fans who finally decided to pop along to a match? It's a plastic football club for a plastic place. Nice bedfellows.

 

[southern muppet]

When you look at what happened to Salzburg it seems small fry.

 

[Frank H]

@FLBC :)

I did my dissertation on football stadium communities, and mentioned the owners as taking the community to interest and developing the area in which the stadium and club is located. Not just investing in the team and 'brand' to make money.

Dunno if you looked at Wimbledon/Milton Keynes at all, but when the Dons moved out from London it was against a background of Merton council doing fuck all to help them redevelop or build an appropriate stadium in Wimbledon itself. That failure to assist was not just a one off, it was a stance they maintained for over a decade while Wimbledon ground shared at Selhurst Park. (For Wimbledon, groundsharing with Palace is a bit like us ground sharing with Wigan.) All that time Wimbledon tried to reestablish a base in Merton - the London borough they once called home - and they ended up selling out to Milton Keynes.

As I understand it, since the relocation the new owners have been pretty impressive in terms of integrating into Milton Keynes itself. Lots of community schemes, fair bit of development around the stadium etc, integrating with local businesses. Marshall (the ones who make all the Amps) are just down the road from their stadium and were a major sponsor for them. When Jim Marshall died recently there were tributes from rock stars all round the globe... and a big one from Milton Keynes Dons FC. They have even been pretty fair with the new AFC Wimbledon - acknowledging that they, not MK Dons - wer if you like the true heirs of the Wimbledon tradition.

It is nice to see Wimbledon back in the league because they got arse raped twice - once by their elected local representatives, and once by their owners. When you compare the way Manchester City Council and ADUG have approached the City Campus issue, and compare that with for instance the way Merton LBC and the Norwegian quick-buck-merchant owners treated Wimbledon, as I say I think we really did strike oil.

As a former fan of the now defunct Wimbledon FC, and as an "owner" of a tiny proportion of the present AFC Wimbledon (as are many AFC supporters), thanks for your sympathy.

The situation with regard to the killing of the old club is a bit more complex than your summary. The local council didn't help - and the final Norwegian owners before the "move" clearly didn't care about the feelings of the fans. But the major villains were others. Sam Hammam for one - he had long been trying to move the club elsewhere. To Dublin for instance, in which he had the fervent support of Joe Kinnear the then manager. Of course, Cardiff City is another club which slippery Sam has been involved with.

Then there were "pundits" such as David Mellor - a friend of Hammam's - and Mark Lawrenson who supported the move in the media. Mellor wrote a long article in which he said that Wimbledon had so few fans that we didn't deserve to have a football club in the premiership. In that case, let's just determine league placings on attendance figures, numbers of fans etc. Lawrenson said that if he was a real fan he would be prepared to go 80 miles each home game to watch his club play. I wonder if he would have expected Liverpool fans to travel such a distance if some owner had moved them to Yorkshire!

The greatest villains of all were the FA, who allowed all this to happen, and one of whose officials said that the appearance of AFC was not a good thing for football.

Incidentally, while I agree that Manchester City have been very fortunate in their present owners, I don't think it's because they are Middle Eastern Royals - or indeed any sort of Royals. You've just been fortunate in getting people who seem rather sensible and sensitive - there are plenty of Middle Eastern Sheikhs etc. who aren't.

 

[Chris in London]

As a former fan of the now defunct Wimbledon FC, and as an "owner" of a tiny proportion of the present AFC Wimbledon (as are many AFC supporters), thanks for your sympathy.

The situation with regard to the killing of the old club is a bit more complex than your summary. The local council didn't help - and the final Norwegian owners before the "move" clearly didn't care about the feelings of the fans. But the major villains were others. Sam Hammam for one - he had long been trying to move the club elsewhere. To Dublin for instance, in which he had the fervent support of Joe Kinnear the then manager. Of course, Cardiff City is another club which slippery Sam has been involved with.

Then there were "pundits" such as David Mellor - a friend of Hammam's - and Mark Lawrenson who supported the move in the media. Mellor wrote a long article in which he said that Wimbledon had so few fans that we didn't deserve to have a football club in the premiership. In that case, let's just determine league placings on attendance figures, numbers of fans etc. Lawrenson said that if he was a real fan he would be prepared to go 80 miles each home game to watch his club play. I wonder if he would have expected Liverpool fans to travel such a distance if some owner had moved them to Yorkshire!

The greatest villains of all were the FA, who allowed all this to happen, and one of whose officials said that the appearance of AFC was not a good thing for football.

Incidentally, while I agree that Manchester City have been very fortunate in their present owners, I don't think it's because they are Middle Eastern Royals - or indeed any sort of Royals. You've just been fortunate in getting people who seem rather sensible and sensitive - there are plenty of Middle Eastern Sheikhs etc. who aren't.

On your last point, you may be right, but whether it is a common trait across middle eastern royal families or is peculiar to the UAE the owners there do appear to have a very healthy and deep sense of responsibility to their subjects, and it is easy to identify echoes of that in the way they have treated this club.

On Wimbledon, of course I simplify but I suspect you could write a long book about that fiasco and not tell the whole story. I got the very clear impression that the Norwegians and their predecessors were in it to make money, and they saw a new stadium as the way to do it. But once Merton had kiboshed that, and the owners had decided to sell, I'm not entirely clear what the FA could have done for legal reasons. Lots of clubs have moved away from their historic homes, lots of clubs are sold to new owners. Why not Wimbledon once their owners had decided to shaft their fans and bugger off up the M1? Would it have been any less unpalatable if they had sold to a consortium in leatherhead? Or if they had stayed within the m25? I don't see any basis on which the FA could properly have objected to the move.

Peoffrey's intemperate comments reflect how some people view mk dons and Milton Keynes generally, but that antagonism seems to me to miss the target completely. After all, do you blame a repossession on the wankers at the bank who foreclosed on the mortgage, or the new family who moved in afterwards? I dont see the dislike many AFC fans of what their former club has become as particularly rational - but they are entirely understandable, and this after all is football.

I agree entirely that some real shit was heaped on Wimbledon, quite unfairly, from some surprising quarters in the media at that time. Those who follow this club have quite recent experience of being unfairly shat on in the media. I can't imagine how I would feel if I watched the club I love being sold down the river, while media whores like mellor - one election a fulham fan the next a chelsea fan - crowed about it.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

it's a bit odd because they canned this idea a few weeks ago after a huge outcry from the fans. the excuse is that red is considered a more dynamic colour in the far east. they're also canning the bluebird badge for a dragon. outrageous.

I can well understand and sympathise with the owners. I've always thought that MCFC would be a little more intimidating with a little smiley blue devil on the shirt instead of that golden crow we have now!