MK Dons Pre-Season Friendly ?????

[Noorde]

Just been told about a pre-season 'friendly' we are suposeed to be having, at Stonebridge, with MK Dons aka 'Franchise FC'. I can't find anything on our OS, but it's there posted on MK DONS Franchise OS. Can anyone verify this is the case?!!!!! Particularly considering our petition's wording regarding our stance with the Gillingham groundshare issue!

[mikefleet]

wheres it on the dons site?

[Gordon T]

Surely, if MK Dons want a friendly we should give them one. I would hate for the players to be "using the first games of the season as the gelling period"

[FleetFanatic]

Nearly every other club has either refused, or withdrawn from, a friendly with MK Dons. Mainly after threats from their so-called fans.

 

Can't see a problem with MK Dons myself - they didn't have a ground, couldn't get one, so went where there was one - unlike Gillingham, who have a ground.

 

I have more of a problem with AFC Wimbledon declaring that they 'won' the FA Cup against Liverpool.

[Stu M]

Regardless of any friendly, I'd love to see AFCW pass the Dons as they rise and the Dons drop.

 

Can't agree with you though FF... whether or not they could get a ground anywhere, they still ripped the heart and soul out of the existing club... if the Fleet were in the same situation and moved miles up the M1, I'd be turning my loyalties to the more local AFC Gravesend.

[FleetFanatic]

Which is what the followers of AFC Wimbledon have done.

Therefore, people should allow MK Dons to get on with being MK Dons.

 

Oh hang on, some could argue that AFCW have ripped the heart and soul out of a club also? (Kingstonian?)

[Slartibartfast]

I have to say that I would sooner we played a friendly against AFC Wimbledon...they would probably bring more fans as well.

[Gordon T]

good point on the fans note. For me its not a case of agreeing or not, its a case of letting the 2 clubs get on now and whatever happens happens.

[Noorde]

Without getting into an argument about another club, I think it says Wimbledon on the Cup itself, not MK Dons. Sorry, but I agree with the aims of AFCW, their club was moved so a supermarket complex could be built, the old Plough Lane it was proved provided a good enough site to return to, but the Wimbledon management refused to go there. Who would be happy to see Gravesend & N moved to say Northampton? And I ask again, read the wording on the Whitebucket Petition to stop Gillingham moving to Stonebridge...

[FleetFanatic]

Quote:

Noorde said:
Without getting into an argument about another club, I think it says Wimbledon on the Cup itself not MK Dons

Well done to AFC Wimbledon then - they went one better than Spurs - not only did they win the cup as a non-league side but did so before they were even created!

Perhaps all those Arsenal supporters should sod off and create AFC Woolwich Gypos, considering that is where Arsenal started their playing history?

[Stu M]

Quote:

FleetFanatic said:Well done to AFC Wimbledon then - they went one better than Spurs - not only did they win the cup as a non-league side but did so before they were even created!

Have MK Dons any more right to it than AFCW..? Both are effectively different clubs and their histories should probably read "A precursor of this club, Wimbledon FC, won the FA Cup in 1988..."

In business terms, you might argue that MK Dons are the same WImbledon because their owners chose to move them and presumably the shareholders, etc, remained the same, but in any other sense MK Dons are not that same club as existed pre-whenever it was they chose to ditch their locality and their name. And AFC Wimbledon aren't that same club either.

[kmj]

Not wishing to get involved here with the politics of this particular Franchise club, we have played AFC in a pre-season friendly before. It was a draw (2-2?)if I recall correctly. We have never played MKD before so this would at least be novel. Also haven't we had a player on loan from them or who had recently played for them only last season? If so, rather than getting high and mighty now, shouldn't we have refused to have anything to do with a "tainted" player then? Presumably this will be a home fixture? Now that would be novel!!!

[Jimmy]

Peter Hawkins played for them for a bit.

[David Holden]

Match now confirmed

[Gordon T]

wednesday 26th? damn

[jc]

Quote:

David Holden said:
Match now confirmed

Given the number of teams who have cancelled friendlies with MK Dons owing to fan pressure, I bet that wasn't a particularly difficult friendly to secure.

Quite simply, the move to Milton Keynes should never have been allowed to happen. However, as Arsenal were, there comes a point where a club who has moved has to be accepted - after all, how long does one give it before one decides that they are worthy Football League members? It's an impossible value to quantify accurately.

[RedorBlue]

I can't believe some of this stuff. Without its fans, a football club is just a legal entity nobody has any interest in. The fact is that 99.9999% of WFC fans went to AFCW and 0.0001% went to MKD. If MKD wanted to start a new club at the bottom, claiming WFC heritage and inspiration, as AFCW did, then all football fans would have wished them well. But they didn't do that. They formed a new club, without any of its previous supporters and then stole a place in the Championship that should have gone to a League One team. Incidentally, that also deprived a Conference team of a place in League Two.

 

MKD are an abomination. The sooner they go bust the better for football. If GNFC plays this match, let's not hear any moaning if Gillingham arrive on our doorstep. We'll have nothing legitimate to complain about.

[jc]

Quote:

RedorBlue said: Incidentally, that also deprived a Conference team of a place in League Two.

Surely the League would have run with 91 clubs had Wimbledon dropped out and MK Dons begun at the bottom of the Pyramid?

Quote:

RedorBlue said:MKD are an abomination.

Are Arsenal an abomination as well then? As the years pass people will become less and less bothered about MK Dons. Sad but true.

I do agree to an extent though - as I said, the move should never have been allowed. Furthermore, your point about Gillingham is a good one. The Club would still legitimately be able to complain about any Gillingham move to Gravesham or Ebbsfleet on certain grounds; for instance, that Gillingham have no need for a new ground. But using the 'franchise football' defence would certainly look a little hypocritical.

[FleetFanatic]

Quote:

RedorBlue said:
I can't believe some of this stuff. Without its fans, a football club is just a legal entity nobody has any interest in. The fact is that 99.9999% of WFC fans went to AFCW and 0.0001% went to MKD. If MKD wanted to start a new club at the bottom, claiming WFC heritage and inspiration, as AFCW did, then all football fans would have wished them well. But they didn't do that. They formed a new club, without any of its previous supporters and then stole a place in the Championship that should have gone to a League One team. Incidentally, that also deprived a Conference team of a place in League Two.

MKD are an abomination. The sooner they go bust the better for football. If GNFC plays this match, let's not hear any moaning if Gillingham arrive on our doorstep. We'll have nothing legitimate to complain about.

Technically, the club relocated, with the previous fans having a choice of whether to follow the club or not.

As for 'stole a place' - would that be a place for a club that didn't actually achieve it 'on the pitch'?

The rules were tightened after the MK Dons saga - to continously use the Gillingham proposal as a comparison is quite ridiculous, as the situation is entirely different!

Gillingham have a ground and, in my opinion, the only reason Scally wants to relocate is so that he can sell the current one and trouser the cash, walking away into the sunset, leaving Gillingham saddled with the debt.

[Slartibartfast]

Actually a lot more likely scenario would be that the only reason Scally ever mentioned relocation was to frighten the Medway council into supporting his plans for a new ground in Gillingham.

But to return to MK Dons, there will be plenty of teams fulfilling league and cup fixtures with them this season I don't see why we, or anyone else for that matter, should refuse to play them in a friendly.