We are MK Dons FC - Full Stop
'We're the Dons'
MK Dons ‘till we die. That is the message from football fans throughout the city in the wake of calls for Milton Keynes Dons to ‘Drop the Dons’ from their name.
Fans rallied around the club after manager Karl Robinson insisted there is ‘no chance’ the club will lose the moniker.
And one supporter even suggested setting up a separate campaign asking for AFC Wimbledon to drop ‘Wimbledon’ from their name – as they don’t even play there.
The angry reaction came after the Wimbledon Guardian launched a campaign asking for the club to remove the ‘Dons’ from its name as it ‘exists only as a cruel reminder to fans of both clubs of what came before’.
And next week, Merton Council is set to debate a cross-party motion calling for MK Dons chairman Pete Winkelman to apply to the Football Association for a change of name prior to the April 1 deadline for the 2012-13 season.
The move is part of a ten week campaign involving the Guardian, Merton Council and Wimbledon Independent Supporters Association (WISA) set to culminate on the 10-year anniversary of the formation of AFC.
The ‘Drop the Dons’ calls come despite:
> Wimbledon having left the Borough of Merton to play at Plough Lane 12 years before the move to MK
> Previous statements by high profile WISA members referring to the club as MK Dons
> Dons season ticket holders still travelling from Wimbledon to watch the club at stadium:mk
> Pete Winkelman having spent considerable money maintaining the Wimbledon youth sides and employing staff members from that club
> AFC Wimbledon playing in Kingston Upon Thames: outside the Borough of Merton
Although the club has remained tightlipped on the subject, Dons manager Mr Robinson said it had no intention of dropping the Dons part of its name.
Speaking after Tuesday night’s defeat at Stevenage, he said: “We’re MK Dons and we always will be, and they need to shut up.
“It’s our identity now. They know the truth and they know they had their chance. We’re MK Dons and we’re MK Dons to stay for as long as I’m here.
“I believe very passionately in this club. I went to see a film about Milton Keynes, and I am very proud to live here and proud to manage MK Dons. We are Dons for a reason and I hope we stay Dons for a long, long time to come.”
Chairman Mr Winkelman courted controversy when, as part of consortium Inter MK, he bought Wimbledon out of administration and brought it to Milton Keynes in 2003.
But while the club moved a long way from its London home, it even now maintains links to the old Wimbledon side.
Mr Winkelman kept the club’s youth side and paid relocation fees for staff. Furthermore Dons fans favourite and club captain Dean Lewington and goalkeeping coach Paul Heald were part of the set-up when the move took place.
And fan Paul Hatton says he will stop supporting Milton Keynes Dons if the side ‘Drop the Dons’.
Mr Hatton, a former Wimbledon fan who lives in London and travels to stadium:mk from the capital for home games, said: “I think it’s a joke, we are MK Dons and if Pete Winkelman allows himself to be bullied into dropping it I will stop supporting MK Dons,
“I’m ex-Wimbledon Football Club and travel to MK every week to watch Wimbledon. We are the real Dons and the real Wimbledon, end of story.
“I think AFC Wimbledon should drop Wimbledon from their name as they don’t play in Wimbledon.”
But one of the most compelling piece of evidence as to why Milton Keynes should ‘Keep the Dons’ comes from WISA vice chairman Ross Maclagan.
Speaking to FourFourTwo magazine about the signing of an Accord created partly to transfer the ‘patrimony of the former club’ to the Borough of Merton in June 2008, he said: ‘We put enough pressure on the MK Dons that they eventually decided to come to the table.
‘We’ve come to a solution. This is an opportunity to move on. We may never be on each other’s Christmas list, but we can concentrate on our own clubs now’.
In the same article Wimbledon legend Lawrie Sanchez - scorer of the goal that helped defeat Liverpool in the 1988 FA Cup Final - said ‘it is time to forget’, adding that both clubs should ‘stop thinking about one another’.
And former AFC chairman and founder Kris Stewart, one of the men who has backed the Wimbledon Guardian campaign, coined the name MK Dons before the club had even moved to Milton Keynes.
Writing in WISA programme Yellow & Blue in March 2002, he said: ‘MK Dons would be an exhibition team, relying on famous players and a big-name manager’.
Merton Council’s motion states: ‘The council notes that Wimbledon FC effectively ceased to exist in 2004 when the owners moved to Milton Keynes’. But the club had not played in Wimbledon since it packed its bags and left Plough Lane for Selhurst Park, home of Crystal Palace, in 1991.
By the council’s criteria this suggests Wimbledon Football Club ceased to exist when they left Plough Lane.
It goes on to say that the 2006 Accord ‘ensured Milton Keynes Dons FC would no longer claim to be Wimbledon FC’.
In fact, while the Accord recognised ‘the hurt which was caused’ by the move to MK and gave over the ‘physical patrimony’ of the club including the 1988 FA Cup replica, it stopped short of making any such claim.
Throughout the Accord, signed by WISA, the club is referred to as Milton Keynes Dons.
Milton Keynes Council leader Andrew Geary, a Dons season ticket holder, said any moves by Merton Council to interfere in the running of MK Dons were unwelcome.
“Like it or not Wimbledon came to MK. It now has its own identity and brand that Milton Keynes, and I, are extremely proud of,” he said.
“MK Dons is a brand name and a community club. Any moves to change that name will be unwelcome.
“With the resurgence of AFC they might be more interested in concentrating on that very successful side rather than ours.”
And deputy leader David Hopkins added: “The club is the MK Dons. If it had not been for Pete Winkelman the business would have disappeared.
“They hadn’t played at Wimbledon for donkey’s years. If Pete hadn’t picked the club up it would have been lost.
“No-one stole their football club, it went out of business.”
Fans on Twitter also rushed to the defence of the Dons:
- @Paul_XL5: ‘It’s totally laughable and some people need to get over themselves.We’ll call ourselves what we damn well like’.
- @DominicNewbould: ‘Will they ask Aberdeen to drop “Dons” as well? Wimbledon use this fake controversy to build their support - nothing to do with MK’.
- @Richard_MK: ‘Have Wimbledon Council got nothing better to do. I hear the Wombles are looking for a pay rise!!’
- @Bingobrewtea: ‘Leave the dons alone, we like the title mkdons. Seems wimbledon need to get a life’.
- @LucindaOfficial: ‘I think Wimbledon should worry a bit more about their game rather than what other teams are called’.
- @AMacMKD95: ‘wimbledon care more about us than themselfs, past few weeks we had good media attention and they’re only trying to ruin it’.
- @SarahBowenMK: ‘regardless of if you agree with the way MK Dons were formed, Wimbledon are a part of Mk dons history, the name reflects that’.
- @kevinGroom555: ‘what the? Is Wimbledon going to object to every use of Dons nationwide for all towns’.
- @Mpr2009: ‘I presume the other dons, aberdeen, will be next on the campaign’.
- @goodvote: ‘Milton Keynes are proud of the Dons, we should keep the title to show where we’ve come from’.
- @Chris_mk: ‘it’s nonsense, that’s the name of our club! Will Man Utd be asking Newcastle to drop their United?’
- @HappyDude88: ‘Time to move on Wimbledon fans. Why bring this up eight years after the rename in the first place?’
But some Dons fans on the social networking site did back the name change:
- @Markdolling: ‘Dons season ticket holder - totally agree it’s time to drop the Dons. MKFC will do just fine thanks’.
- @wideawakewesley: ‘I think we should drop the Dons reference. Doesn’t help the image of the club or the town’.
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Comments
There are 23 comments to this article
Page 1 of 2
Hachiko
Monday, January 30, 2012 at 05:02 AMSpeak the truth Kari, Amen.
Removed by moderator
Monday, January 30, 2012 at 01:31 AMZZZZZZ...thud...snore. I will have a dream tonight. Will Wimbledon tennis be coming to MK? I hope not.
MKthieves
Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 10:30 AMMK Dons ‘till we die? Yeah, well that’s a bit rich considering Milton Keynes supporters were all MU or Arsenal supporters 10 years ago – before you decided to support “another club” whose league position you had fraudulently obtained. Guess you lot change your football allegiances like normal people change their car. Thievery should never be condoned. As far as I am concerned – a real Wimbledon supporter since a kid – the Dons nickname used by Milton Keynes just shows the immorality of a degenerate businessman who couldn’t build up a real MK side from the non league but had to choose the thievery option. Pathetic, but true.
Removed by moderator
Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 12:51 AMYawn Yawn Yawn, I am lapsing into a coma.
downunderdon
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 10:16 PMHere's the view of a Wimbledon FC fan from the early 70s..... I support AFC Wimbledon. Secondly, MK Dons should not exsist in my opinion. If Wimbledon FC could not sustain itself as it was, then it should have been wound up and AFCW would have risen from the ashes anyway. The FA should be ashamed of itself to let the town of MK to buy a place in the football league. The are thousands of clubs all over England that have strived for years to try and earn a similar place. AFCW have proved that it can be be done on a minimal budget. MK had MK City, and should have put their money and efforts into them. Had they done so, MK City would now be a league club that was accepted by the rest of the footballing world. But they didn't, and they must accept that the stigma that they themselves created towards themselves will be there for a very long time. As for dropping the Dons from the name? I think they should. I can't understand how fans of MK can be proud of the fact they support a team they stole rather than supported MK City, a team they already had...... How can you be proud of a team thet has done nothing in the way of effort to get what it has....... I'm not one of those that cares weather you keep it or not. It really doesn't bother me....... but it would if I was a MK fan. It's going to be a long time before the footballing world forget what MK did, but surely drooping the Dons from the name will help....... RIP MK City by the way..... I wonder what their ex-players and fans think about this????
kevthedon
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 09:09 PMI find it very interesting for a MP to quite frankly waste PUBLIC MONEY on an issue thats never going to change. Then again this is the same MP who spends an average of £32,000 per year of PUBLIC MONEY on postage. She also called for a leadership contest within the Labour party while they were in power, again costing PUBLIC MONEY. She also wrote a letter to a judge back up a upstanding member of her community during his court hearing, just a shame it was the head of the UK's biggest cannabis drug ring.... AFC fans must feel embarrassed to have this PUBLIC MONEY wasting, drug supporting MP spearheading your campaign????? BTW she was also on the Merton council when the decision to knock down Plough Lane was given, not too concerned with history then was she????
mkdonspaul
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 07:58 PMIch bin eine Don....
Bingobrewtea
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 03:45 PMI live on netherfield, you listen to the raws of chears when there is a game in play and you cannot help but feel part of that, in that we are very lucky to have MKDONS. I used to hate football and never uderstood the game, but now a convert after looking into the game after could not help but get excited but to see the beautiful stadium grow on my door step. Seems to me some people need something to moan about. Perhaps they would not have minded the stadium in wimbeldon with a new name, but they did not work hard enough to achieve it, mk support did, so mkdons they are to stay. Even old wimbeldonfc supporters come to mk and love the stadium and are proud the club survived. The proud residents on mk were happy to support and take the club to our hearts, my daughter wears the strip, so give it a rest moaners, you will not rob us of our well earned ID and digs that mk is not a city yet when people post what is in their hearts is water of a ducks back, we will get there too eventually, you just see if we dont. MKDONS we are proud you are here xx
afcwstu
Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 10:02 PMmy mistake earler...winkie registered the name mk dons in 2000, not 2002 , but im man enough to admit it. @ 13 EdSomersetDon .. if you was a genuine dons fan aka wimbledon fcafc wimbledon .... you would atleast got your facts right .. we were not the biggest supported club in the world by a long shot, but we had a good hardcore support, we also did NOT have debts as you claim .. are you charles koppout by any chance ? it was proved that when winkie and Co failed to show the clubs books at the fa (3 blind mice) commision hearing ,they in fact showed the club was making a PROFIT after player sales were added. So we was in fact not dying ..and not in debt .. @ Ron Burgundy "if you and the rest of your monkeys put half as much energy into AFC Kingston-Upon-Thames as you do into your little obsession with us, you wouldn't be spiralling back towards the Blue Square Premier League" ...........Not one relegation since the club being reborn ,numerous promotions and quite a few trophies won on the way....whats mk yankees record ? i see relegation in there somewhere lol ..you deluded fools.. im just glad that not all mk people are as stupid as you..Atleast we did it AGAIN ..and the RIGHT WAY ....AGAIN !!!!!!!!
Ron Burgundy
Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 08:30 PM@Craig_1966 - Absolutely spot on. Vile little club run and supported by the biggest bunch of hypocrites in football. The quicker their bubble bursts and they end up back in the pub leagues the better. Quite frankly embarrassed that I used to stand toe to toe with these people at Plough LaneSelhurst Park. I definitely made the right decision in following the club to Milton Keynes. After all Wimbledon FC played their last fixture in May 2004 - 2 whole years after AFC Kingston-upon-Thames were formed.
EdSomersetDon
Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 08:19 PMI started supporting Wimbledon as a kid and they never had a home stadium never seemed likely to get one. They had been looking for years and years but to no avail. The fact is Wimbledon from the time i started supporting them was a dying club. With little support from the council, no space in the borough, not enough support from fans and massive debt where do you think they would have ended up. What ever way you AFC supporters say it, you would have had to have started again anyway that is not MK's fault. It just happened that there was a community and an area that wanted and could sustain a football club. AFC supporters and football supporters in general pressurized MK into giving up the Trophies which i seem to remember was supposed to help lower the tensions between the two clubs. But guess what, it did not work. AFC hate MK just as much as ever. So giving up the Dons part of our name will will help to achieve what exactly? Because it will certainly not appease any AFC supporter. The only thing that would appease them is if the MK dons were not there anymore. But will never happen now! So as a proud MK fan i say lets not budge on our name at all. If we give up the Dons part of our name what will be next?
Ron Burgundy
Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 08:17 PMBore off BathWomble you deluded little cretin. You're beginning to sound like more of a broken record with every single thing you post on your one woman cyber crusade. If you had put as much energy into the late Wimbledon FC as you do into bashing away at you're keyboard dribbling over the screen, then this whole debate may never have arisen. In fact, if you and the rest of your monkeys put half as much energy into AFC Kingston-Upon-Thames as you do into your little obsession with us, you wouldn't be spiralling back towards the Blue Square Premier League.
craig_1966
Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 08:17 PMI thought there was going to be a parliamentary debate. MP SiobHain McDonaghs embarrasing monlogue had less support than Wimbledon FC had in their final days. Funny how Merton Council are now fully behind the 'drop the dons' campaign - why did they not support Wimbledon FC when they went into Adminstration.
thebroughtonbandit
Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 07:54 PMAnother poorly written article by the Citizen that does not reflect the views of everyone in Milton Keynes. The club shouldn't be here, they did not work for their league place, but the paper continues to glorify Winkleman for his 'achievements' which let not forget were actually achieved by another club (Wimbledon). As a resident for many years I feel ashamed that Milton Keynes could not have supported a local team through the league like everyone else had too, how can fans of this club honestly believe that they worked hard to be where they are today and how can the Citizen support a club that hasn't. Milton Keynes (dons or otherwise) will always be a laughing stock of football and I hope to one day see their demise, it will be good for football and good for the town (yes I know they employ 500 people, but thats 500 people out of work in the Merton area). Pete Winkleman should be used as an example of a theif, not as some local business guru.
afcwstu
Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 07:45 PMfirst mistake..mk is NOT A CITY ..IT DOES NOT HAVE CITY STATUS (FACT) Winkie registered the name mk dons in 2002, long befor kris stewart "coined it".(FACT) the FA said mk ...has to keep club badge and name and colours....ermm i dont see wimbledon fc, i dont see the wimbledon badge,i dont see yellow and blue..so do the right thing and drop dons from the name, i have watched wimbledon football for over 30 years, and i dont ever recall going to plough lane watching a club called mk dons, i went reluctantly to smellworst park, i didn't see a club called mk dons. i went to the 1988 fa cup final..i did not see a club called mk dons win it..in fact i went to watch the dons ....wimbleDON ..also the dons is also a look back at wimbledon's history...maNy many many years before mk came into the picture..what links to dons do mk have ? NONE !!! , So get a grip of yourself karl robinson..you obviously know nothing of whats gone on in the past,if you had you would of kept your mouth shut... Mk mentioning merton council ??? talk about 2 faced ...i remember a certain mk council helping to get a club there..maybe they should of stayed out of it in the 1st place eh ? maybe they should of backed and got behind mk city ???? none of you did..you let it rot,die and for what ???cos you couldn't be bothered to get off your backsides and build a club from scratch,get promotions and your place in the football league. That's one pathetic football club and an even worse council.practice what you preach. Do us all a favour and either die or drop the dons from your name,as it has nothing to do with you and you deffinately did not earn the right to use it.
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