Wimbledon in 1997

[22A]

Announced today under the Thirty Year rule when cabinet papers are released.

Tony Blair had arranged that Good Friday Agreement in NI. Wimbledon FC were looking for a new home as Plough Lane was no longer acceptable for the Prem.

Tony Blair was in favour of them moving to Belfast as "Having a Premiership team in Belfast would help unify the community.

My thoughts; this would reduce the income of the four Belfast clubs playing in the Irish League and many locals might object to having outsiders dropped on them.

[Son of Fred]

Just now, 22A said:

Announced today under the Thirty Year rule when cabinet papers are released.

Tony Blair had arranged that Good Friday Agreement in NI. Wimbledon FC were looking for a new home as Plough Lane was no longer acceptable for the Prem.

Tony Blair was in favour of them moving to Belfast as "Having a Premiership team in Belfast would help unify the community.

My thoughts; this would reduce the income of the four Belfast clubs playing in the Irish League and many locals might object to having outsiders dropped on them.

Abridged version

Blair is a ****

[Scrumpty]

2 minutes ago, Son of Fred said:

Abridged version

Blair is a ****

Full version, Blair supported someone else’s idea, as it would help facilitate reconciliation of a very troubled area.

Sam Hammam was franchising the club (not Blair) and, to be fair, Belfast would have been a better option than Milton Keynes!

[TinMan's left peg]

7 minutes ago, Son of Fred said:

Abridged version

Blair is a ****

Yep.  The idea got short shrift from the Northern Irish football authorities (as did the better known Dublin plans by the Irish FA).  The annoying thing reading this stuff is the (predictable) total lack of a mention of the Wimbledon fans by anyone in a government position.  There was literally no thought given to them at all.  For the politicians it was all about politics and for Sam Hammam it was all about the money.  

Edited December 29, 2023 by TinMan's left peg
Typo

[Port Said Red]

8 minutes ago, TinMan's left peg said:

Yep.  The idea got short shrift from the Northern Irish football authorities (as did the better known Dublin plans by the Irish FA).  The annoying thing reading this stuff is the (predictable) total lack of a mention of the Wimbledon fans by anyone in a government position.  There was literally no thought given to them at all.  For the politicians it was all about politics and for Sam Hammam it was all about the money.  

It would have probably have been easier for Wimbledon fans to get Belfast, tube out to Heathrow and a 30 minute flight.

But yes, it was a bollox idea as was the actual solution, I never get the feeling that MK as a whole have really taken to the club even now.

[downendcity]

When the idea of  Wimbledon moving to Belfast was first put to him, Blair's immediate worry was that celebs who got invites to the Royal Box wouldn't be prepared to travel to Northern Ireland in June/July!

[Natchfever]

1 hour ago, Scrumpty said:

Full version, Blair supported someone else’s idea, as it would help facilitate reconciliation of a very troubled area.

Sam Hammam was franchising the club (not Blair) and, to be fair, Belfast would have been a better option than Milton Keynes!

No it wouldnt.

Belfast isnt in England and the notion that placing an English football team in a different country with centuries of sectarian conflict as a means of uniting communities says it all about a *** who supported an invasion of a country apparently filled to the brim with WMDs and has since helped generate islamic extremism.

Relative success of NI national team hasnt seemed to work either.

As an aside I hated Wimbledon. Nasty dirty anti football team.

 

[1960maaan]

41 minutes ago, Natchfever said:

As an aside I hated Wimbledon. Nasty dirty anti football team.

 

While I loved the story, little team with small support , taking on and beating the big Clubs in a real Fairy tale . They really did make it hard for you to like them.... then.
I do have a soft spot for the Club now and really want to try and get to a game at the new / old ground . 

Also, I agree with this ...

Edited December 29, 2023 by 1960maaan

[GrahamC]

2 hours ago, 1960maaan said:

While I loved the story, little team with small support , taking on and beating the big Clubs in a real Fairy tale . They really did make it hard for you to like them.... then.
I do have a soft spot for the Club now and really want to try and get to a game at the new / old ground . 

Also, I agree with this ...

Suppose it depends on whether it was your team (like in the case of Gary Mabbutt) who had a fractured eye socket as a result of a deliberate Fashanu elbow or a broken leg as a result of a Vinnie Jones “tackle”. Ended at least two players careers with their version of football, Gary Stevens of Spurs (an actual footballer) was one.

They were thugs & played a style of football that resulted in 4000 people watching home games in the Prem.

Vile side, Francis then followed their template at Twerton.

[BigTone]

4 hours ago, 22A said:

Announced today under the Thirty Year rule when cabinet papers are released.

Tony Blair had arranged that Good Friday Agreement in NI. Wimbledon FC were looking for a new home as Plough Lane was no longer acceptable for the Prem.

Tony Blair was in favour of them moving to Belfast as "Having a Premiership team in Belfast would help unify the community.

My thoughts; this would reduce the income of the four Belfast clubs playing in the Irish League and many locals might object to having outsiders dropped on them.

There was also talk of them becoming The Dublin Dons at this time.

[LondonBristolian]

I think the main thing this tells you is that Blair - just like countless other senior politicians  - fundamentally did not understand football or have an instinct for what people loved about the biggest sport in the country.

In fairness to him, he at least largely stayed out of it rather than vilifying fans in the way his predecessors did or feigning support in the way his successors (bar Gordon Brown) have. 

[Robbored]

5 hours ago, Son of Fred said:

Blair is a proven liar.

 

[GrahamC]

9 minutes ago, LondonBristolian said:

I think the main thing this tells you is that Blair - just like countless other senior politicians  - fundamentally did not understand football or have an instinct for what people loved about the biggest sport in the country.

In fairness to him, he at least largely stayed out of it rather than vilifying fans in the way his predecessors did or feigning support in the way his successors (bar Gordon Brown) have. 

Pretty sure Alistair Campbell has told this story before, think it was a part of trying to get the Good Friday Agreement through. In Campbell’s version he tells him very quickly that it is a ridiculous idea, but who knows if that is true?

Brown & John Major are clearly the only PMs since Harold Wilson who were also real football fans, Brown wrote a brilliant article on Raith Rovers (he’s a shareholder, was a programme seller as a kid) recently & although much more of a cricket fan, Major is a Chelsea supporter of longstanding who doesn’t feel the need to keep mentioning it.

[richwwtk]

25 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

Pretty sure Alistair Campbell has told this story before, think it was a part of trying to get the Good Friday Agreement through. In Campbell’s version he tells him very quickly that it is a ridiculous idea, but who knows if that is true?

Brown & John Major are clearly the only PMs since Harold Wilson who were also real football fans, Brown wrote a brilliant article on Raith Rovers (he’s a shareholder, was a programme seller as a kid) recently & although much more of a cricket fan, Major is a Chelsea supporter of longstanding who doesn’t feel the need to keep mentioning it.

From the way he speaks, pretty sure Alistair Campbell is a real football fan as well, so would have known what a daft idea it was.

Edited December 29, 2023 by richwwtk

[GrahamC]

Just now, richwwtk said:

From the way he speaks, pretty sure Alistair Campbell is a reall football fan as well, so would have known what a daft idea it was.

Yep, huge Burnley fan- was definitely at AG last season.

The other one he claims Blair suggested was a Rangers Celtic game played in Belfast with each team wearing the other ones kit.

Mental (he says he told Blair that, too).

[Son of Fred]

41 minutes ago, Robbored said:

 

Naughty boy

[Son of Fred]

4 hours ago, Natchfever said:

No it wouldnt.

Belfast isnt in England and the notion that placing an English football team in a different country with centuries of sectarian conflict as a means of uniting communities says it all about a *** who supported an invasion of a country apparently filled to the brim with WMDs and has since helped generate islamic extremism.

Relative success of NI national team hasnt seemed to work either.

As an aside I hated Wimbledon. Nasty dirty anti football team.

 

What's a WMD??....

Asking for a friend.

[downendcity]

6 minutes ago, Son of Fred said:

What's a WMD??....

Asking for a friend.

WMD 40 is the extra strong version of the popular oil product. It loosens absolutely everything!

[BigTone]

8 minutes ago, Son of Fred said:

What's a WMD??....

Asking for a friend.

An alcoholic beverage that obviously needs to be consumed in moderation

[LondonBristolian]

1 hour ago, GrahamC said:

Pretty sure Alistair Campbell has told this story before, think it was a part of trying to get the Good Friday Agreement through. In Campbell’s version he tells him very quickly that it is a ridiculous idea, but who knows if that is true?

Brown & John Major are clearly the only PMs since Harold Wilson who were also real football fans, Brown wrote a brilliant article on Raith Rovers (he’s a shareholder, was a programme seller as a kid) recently & although much more of a cricket fan, Major is a Chelsea supporter of longstanding who doesn’t feel the need to keep mentioning it.

Major keeps it so low key that I had forgotten he was a Chelsea fan!

[Scrumpty]

9 hours ago, GrahamC said:

Pretty sure Alistair Campbell has told this story before, think it was a part of trying to get the Good Friday Agreement through. In Campbell’s version he tells him very quickly that it is a ridiculous idea, but who knows if that is true?

Brown & John Major are clearly the only PMs since Harold Wilson who were also real football fans, Brown wrote a brilliant article on Raith Rovers (he’s a shareholder, was a programme seller as a kid) recently & although much more of a cricket fan, Major is a Chelsea supporter of longstanding who doesn’t feel the need to keep mentioning it.

…but Major did feel the need to bang on about family values, whilst banging on Edwina!