04/23/24
July 15, 2002
Wimbledon Football Club made headlines in the eighties when they went from non-league football to the premiership, and succeeded in winning the FA Cup. But the club has decided to move to Milton Keynes, with the result that the fans have left and formed their own Wimbledon AFC - the majority of the fans watching this new side. Should teams be allowed to move towns? Can Wimbledon rise again from non-league to success?
The true greatness of that Guardian article is the hope that someday my prowess (or lack of, to be honest) in Championship Manager might net me a job managing a team.
posted by elsoltano at 03:59 PM on July 16, 2002
For what its worth I posted this elsewhere a couple of days ago. I have never bought into notion of Wimbledon football club being a bunch of happy go lucky chancers who achieved success simply through hard work and team spirit. A romantic myth has been put about that in the days of Sam Hamman they were a charming family club living on their wits. There was nothing charming or romantic about Vinnie Jones or John Fashanu, and Sam has since shown us how charming he is with his hooligan loving ways at Cardiff. Running off with the cash and leaving the club at the the tender mercies of Norwegian businessmen was hardly romantic either. I wish the new club nothing but the best however. They are true football fans rooted to their club and their community. They have told the monied classes and the interlopers to bog off and are having a real go at setting something up themselves. There could be a lesson there for us all. Not all of us have been shafted in the same way but it is undeniable that football has lost its soul in recent years. These guys are trying to find it, in fact have found it and are trying to reclaim it. The best of bleeding British to them.
posted by Fat Buddha at 05:36 PM on July 17, 2002
This is one of those things where, despite myself I think that it's a good plan to move. The fans are happy. They've got their hardcore obscurity back. The Management and players are happy, they've got a decent stadium and a chance to bring professional football to an area that is woefully underprovided. Or maybe that it's just that I like Milton Keynes and want there to be a team near there.