I'll wrap up the analysis of the supposedly revealing interview with Horst Bullinger, ex-Merton councillor, which thus far hasn't provided a single piece of evidence to back up his accusations. It has all been baseless opinion. So now we move on to his opinion of the fans...
"DO YOU THINK THE FANS OF WIMBLEDON FC SHOULD HAVE DONE MORE?"
Again the questioner uses a leading question, clearly leading Bull******* towards saying the fans should have done more. It's blatant throughout.
"I am ashamed to this day of my previous fellow WFC 'supporters' who spent all their time, before and throughout the matches at Selhurst Park shouting down the Norwegians and - literally - turning their backs onto the players. It can be assumed that most of those characters now support AFC and that is one reason why I would never be able to take much interest in that club."
"I am ashamed to this day of my previous fellow WFC 'supporters' who spent all their time, before and throughout the matches at Selhurst Park shouting down the Norwegians and - literally - turning their backs onto the players. It can be assumed that most of those characters now support AFC and that is one reason why I would never be able to take much interest in that club."
He hates these people because they had the temerity to try to stop the club moving to Milton Keynes?! Extraordinary. When else were fans meant to make their views most publically clear except during matches? What would be the point in waiting until no one was around to see them? Bull******* is clearly one of the 'sit down, shut up, support the club no matter what' brigade. What good they ever thought that was going to do is beyond me. Remember too, that while the protests were going on Koppel was also dismantling a potential promotion-winning squad under Terry Burton. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/wimbledon/1948473.stm and http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2002/apr/26/sport.comment as examples of the goings on.) Bull******* conveniently omits that, while blaming fans for affecting the players. Far more fundamental to affecting Wimbledon's performances was the way Koppel sabotaged the squad, even selling top players to rival teams for promotion. So why is he blaiming the fans, when they were the ones trying to keep Wimbledon FC in London? It is completely illogical on his part.
"The fans did let the club down in my opinion. Their behaviour was quite disgraceful and must have affected the team's performance during all home matches at that time. If they had turned up in sufficient numbers at Selhurst Park, the club may have been able to stay in London, but there was no sign of sufficient fan support for WFC, regardless where in the area a stadium would have been built."
"The fans did let the club down in my opinion. Their behaviour was quite disgraceful and must have affected the team's performance during all home matches at that time. If they had turned up in sufficient numbers at Selhurst Park, the club may have been able to stay in London, but there was no sign of sufficient fan support for WFC, regardless where in the area a stadium would have been built."
See above for whose behaviour was disgraceful and let the club down - Koppel, by selling players to rivals and insisting on moving to Milton Keynes. And then we have this lie about turning up in sufficient numbers at Selhurst Park. Note the "if" and the "may" - it's complete guesswork on Bull*******'s part. There is no evidence whatsoever that turning up in greater numbers at Selhurst would have swayed things. Remember too, that the actual boycotting of games didn't start until after the Commission verdict, by which time no sane person believes Franchise FC could have been persuaded to stay in London.
This matter of "sufficient fan support" is also a complete red herring - it was the same fan support Wimbledon had always had. Either the Norwegians were the most unobservant buyers ever, unable to read attendance figures going back many years in the club's records, or all along they had a plan to move the League place to try to find a bigger market. None of which makes blaming the fans make sense. And bear in mind, this interview is being presented to us by Franchise customers who almost daily bleat about it 'not being their fault' that Wimbledon moved. The hypocrisy of wanting to remain guilt-free themselves for supporting a franchised League place, while simultaneously blaming Wimbledon fans for actively trying to stop the move, is staggering. Yet that is exactly what they've done here by airing Bull*******'s absurd opinions.
"I am convinced that if Wimbledon was in North London, you would still get a sizeable number of ex- WFC supporters to the matches at MK. The journey from SW London however is extremely time consuming."
"I am convinced that if Wimbledon was in North London, you would still get a sizeable number of ex- WFC supporters to the matches at MK. The journey from SW London however is extremely time consuming."
Good grief, give the man a prize, he's noticed that travelling to MK from Wimbledon is a bit much to ask. How is it then, that it hasn't registered in his tiny mind that reasons like that are precisely why Wimbledon fans were protesting? And since Wimbledon wasn't in north London (and short of some apocalyptic goings on never could be), what the hell is he on about?
"Global warming is a bit like AFC Wimbledon. If you tell the people a story long enough they begin to believe it in it"
So he doesn't believe in global warming either? Heads up Horst, have you noticed things changing in lovely Thailand where you live?
"Global warming is a bit like AFC Wimbledon. If you tell the people a story long enough they begin to believe it in it"
So he doesn't believe in global warming either? Heads up Horst, have you noticed things changing in lovely Thailand where you live?
There are lots more facts backing up the effects of global warming too. These aren't fairytales, they are facts - just like the facts about Franchise FC aren't fairytales. It seems that Mr Bull******* has unfortunately come to believe the lies and fantasies spun out by Koppel, Winkelman and others. And still not one shred of evidence from him to back up anything.
"WHO DO YOU SEE AS THE TRUE CONTINUATION OF WIMBLEDON FC?
As an ex Womble, as far as I am concerned MK Dons are the proper follow-on club from the old Wimbledon Football Club, regardless of all the nonsense dished out on the 'Franchise' issue. As a local Councillor in Merton I had the doubtful pleasure of witnessing the cloning of AFC Wimbledon."
"WHO DO YOU SEE AS THE TRUE CONTINUATION OF WIMBLEDON FC?
As an ex Womble, as far as I am concerned MK Dons are the proper follow-on club from the old Wimbledon Football Club, regardless of all the nonsense dished out on the 'Franchise' issue. As a local Councillor in Merton I had the doubtful pleasure of witnessing the cloning of AFC Wimbledon."
So, regardless of the facts, he has an opinion. Well, that's alright then. If we all just ignore the facts, we can always be right about everything, no matter what. Amongst the facts he's ignoring is that Franchise FC has a different name, plays in a different town, in a different strip, with a different badge, has 99% different customers and is owned by a completely different company. And that's supposed to be "nonsense"?
As for 'cloning', Bull******* accidentally praises us, because a clone is... "a cell, cell product, or organism that is genetically identical to the unit or individual from which it was derived." I'll take that - high praise indeed for the job done by Wimbledon fans in recreating something so indistinguishable from the original!
"This was a cheap way out for the Council and an easy way out for the fans. The Council avoided giving proper assistance to Wimbledon FC for staying in Wimbledon. Mind you, in the end they couldn't find a place for their AFC creation in the Borough either and they ended up in Kingston."
He's just delusional now. How was the council supposed to compete with a £50m 'free' stadium being offered as an inducement to move to MK? Does he really think that any council in the country would or could find that kind of cash to effectively hand over to a football team? Remember, MK council wasn't paying for the stadium up there, Asda/Walmart were.
The most delusional, and offensive, thing he has said yet is to suggest that forming AFC Wimbledon was the easy way out for the fans. 'Easy' would have been supporting other teams, doing nothing or even going to MK. There was nothing 'easy' about re-forming a football club in a matter of weeks, getting the funds together to run it, finding people to run it, locating a ground to play at, applying for a league to play in, meeting all the requirements that a senior football club has to... and a never ending list of knock-on consequences and tasks that all had to be both funded or done by the fans. Easy? Horst Bullinger doesn't know the meaning of the word.
"WHAT WAS THE MERTON COUNCIL POSITION ON AFC WIMBLEDON?"
"WHAT WAS THE MERTON COUNCIL POSITION ON AFC WIMBLEDON?"
Finally something an ex-councillor should have some actual facts and evidence about... surely...
"I wouldn't say there was an 'agenda' within the Council against Wimbledon FC and for AFC Wimbledon, at least not early on anyway. And it certainly wasn't a party political issue. As I have already said, I was in a hopeless minority, even in my own party, who must have feared to be saddled with an insurmountable financial problem, if they won the next election."
"I wouldn't say there was an 'agenda' within the Council against Wimbledon FC and for AFC Wimbledon, at least not early on anyway. And it certainly wasn't a party political issue. As I have already said, I was in a hopeless minority, even in my own party, who must have feared to be saddled with an insurmountable financial problem, if they won the next election."
When? Which election? What financial problem? None of this makes any sense at all, certainly when not put in any context by Bull********. He can't even specify which incarnation of the club he's talking about. Frankly, this is useless waffle about the one thing he's actually supposed to have the inside story on.
"There was simply not enough money available for supporting the WFC. I don't know whose brainchild it was to found AFC in the first place. WISA was presumably one of the movers and shakers and both sides on the Council were in favour of the new club."
"There was simply not enough money available for supporting the WFC. I don't know whose brainchild it was to found AFC in the first place. WISA was presumably one of the movers and shakers and both sides on the Council were in favour of the new club."
So let's get this straight - the council didn't have the money to support a football club. OK. Who said they were supposed to? Why state something that simply isn't relevant. Is he really under the delusional misapprehension that Merton was supposed to match Asda/Walmart's £50m stadium in MK offer?
And here we get to the crux of things - Bull******* damning himself with his own words and completely destroying his earlier statements about WISA. I'll repeat the line:
"I don't know whose brainchild it was to found AFC in the first place. WISA was presumably one of the movers and shakers and both sides on the Council were in favour of the new club."
He doesn't know whose idea it was to re-form the club. He doesn't know what WISA's role was. And yet this is the man who just shortly before was lambasting WISA for creating AFC Wimbledon...
It is gobsmackingly outrageous that he should spout all that bile and lies about WISA and then admit he has absolutely no idea whose idea it was to re-form the club or what WISA's involvement was. It completely and utterly discredits everything else he has said.
"WISA was formed during the proposed move to Dublin , in my view thats when the groundwork was laid for the AFCW club. Later when the Dublin move was stopped from happening the move to Wales was then proposed by Hamman this again was stopped by Welsh FA."
"WISA was formed during the proposed move to Dublin , in my view thats when the groundwork was laid for the AFCW club. Later when the Dublin move was stopped from happening the move to Wales was then proposed by Hamman this again was stopped by Welsh FA."
But he has just admitted he has no idea of whose idea a re-formed club was, nor of what WISA's involvement was. He is simply guessing. I can't stress enough how outrageous that is - he has no knowledge, no facts and no evidence, but he is prepared to throw around serious accusations.
"Hamman then managed to sell the club to the Norwegians. All this time WISA were still about and I think were making plans for formation of AFCW."
"Hamman then managed to sell the club to the Norwegians. All this time WISA were still about and I think were making plans for formation of AFCW."
Yet another piece of completely baseless guesswork. And all in answer to a question about Merton council's position and nothing to do with WISA. To say that Bull*******'s prejudice and bitterness are showing at this point is something of an understatement. What Bull******* 'thinks', when he has still got no evidence for any of it, is utterly worthless.
"When the move to MK was proposed by Koppel (who had bought out the Norwegians), WISA members and other Wimbledon FC supporters formed AFC Wimbledon. The whole club was we are led to believe thought out and up and running within 3-4 months!! Or was it planned in advance and this was an excuse to make it a reality."
Still nothing about the council's position, just more bile about WISA. And how can he be so terminally confused about the timing of events? Koppel didn't buy out the Norwegians at any point - his consortium's attempt to bring Franchise FC out of administration in 2003-4 failed, blocked according to the media at the time by Winkelman. AFC Wimbledon wasn't formed until after permission for the MK move had been granted. Bull******* simply doesn't know the facts. By making fundamental errors about the facts and the timeline, his opinion becomes worse than worthless, it becomes a deliberate attempt by those repeating it to spread lies and misinformation - and that's precisely what the Franchise customers have done.
"When the move to MK was proposed by Koppel (who had bought out the Norwegians), WISA members and other Wimbledon FC supporters formed AFC Wimbledon. The whole club was we are led to believe thought out and up and running within 3-4 months!! Or was it planned in advance and this was an excuse to make it a reality."
Still nothing about the council's position, just more bile about WISA. And how can he be so terminally confused about the timing of events? Koppel didn't buy out the Norwegians at any point - his consortium's attempt to bring Franchise FC out of administration in 2003-4 failed, blocked according to the media at the time by Winkelman. AFC Wimbledon wasn't formed until after permission for the MK move had been granted. Bull******* simply doesn't know the facts. By making fundamental errors about the facts and the timeline, his opinion becomes worse than worthless, it becomes a deliberate attempt by those repeating it to spread lies and misinformation - and that's precisely what the Franchise customers have done.
Bull******* even contradicts himself about the setting up of AFC Wimbledon. Earlier he stated it was the 'easy way out' for the fans, but now he's claiming that setting the club up so fast was somehow beyond belief! Make your mind up Horst, was it easy or was it some massively complex task that WISA had been conspiring over for years?
Remember, this document is used by the MKSA as part of its 'facts of the move' section and purports to try to counter lies and misinformation, yet it contains no facts, no evidence and just the opinion of one bitter man making accusations, in some cases bordering on libellous, which he himself reveals he has no basis for making.
"DID WIMBLEDON FC HAVE TO MOVE FROM PLOUGH LANE?
The move away from Plough Lane was necessary, as the facilities were a bit of a joke. After finding out how to get to Selhurst Park, it wasn't half the problem for the supporters as many made it out to be. There are plenty of supporters of other London clubs in the Wimbledon area and beyond who have to cope with much more arduous journeys to their home matches than a trip from Wimbledon to Selhurst Park. For a lot of supporters, e.g. in Mitcham it was even easier to get there than to Plough Lane, where parking was virtually non-existent.
That being said, we all thought that Selhurst Park was a temporary solution for the time needed to find and develop a new ground, or indeed develop Plough Lane by using land occupied by the Dog Stadium and an adjacent transformer station.
There was the idea to go to Beddington Lane in Mitcham, which would have been quite a good location. But apart from the lack of funding, the notorious Wimbledon nimbyists would have fought any development of a football stadium.
There was a quite militant residents association at Plough Lane who fought tooth and nail against the return of Wimbledon FC to their original home. Mind you, they got what they deserved. One of the worst conceived flat block developments in the country, without any consideration for traffic and parking. Instead of having problems on match days, they have grid lock every day."
"DID WIMBLEDON FC HAVE TO MOVE FROM PLOUGH LANE?
The move away from Plough Lane was necessary, as the facilities were a bit of a joke. After finding out how to get to Selhurst Park, it wasn't half the problem for the supporters as many made it out to be. There are plenty of supporters of other London clubs in the Wimbledon area and beyond who have to cope with much more arduous journeys to their home matches than a trip from Wimbledon to Selhurst Park. For a lot of supporters, e.g. in Mitcham it was even easier to get there than to Plough Lane, where parking was virtually non-existent.
That being said, we all thought that Selhurst Park was a temporary solution for the time needed to find and develop a new ground, or indeed develop Plough Lane by using land occupied by the Dog Stadium and an adjacent transformer station.
There was the idea to go to Beddington Lane in Mitcham, which would have been quite a good location. But apart from the lack of funding, the notorious Wimbledon nimbyists would have fought any development of a football stadium.
There was a quite militant residents association at Plough Lane who fought tooth and nail against the return of Wimbledon FC to their original home. Mind you, they got what they deserved. One of the worst conceived flat block developments in the country, without any consideration for traffic and parking. Instead of having problems on match days, they have grid lock every day."
Nothing much to say on this. There's nothing here that wasn't already known. Considering this is supposed to be an ex-councillor though, yet again he brings no new information to things, which was supposed to be the point of the interview.
"WHAT DID YOU THINK WHEN WIMBLEDON FC CHANGED TO MK DONS?
Well, the name died, but if the ingredients survive at MK Dons as a new shell for them. One should look on the bright side of life, rather than death. Merton Council, Sam Hammam, the Norwegians and Pete Winkelman were involved in this process. But Peter Winkelman in a positive way, because without him the funeral would indeed have taken place."
It's hard to know how to sum this bit up, because it's completely illogical and flies in the face of the facts. The name died? What is it he thinks is still 'alive' of Wimbledon FC in Milton Keynes? How is the name change positive? If anything, it marks the final scattering of the ashes after everything else of Wimbledon FC had gone. If Bull******* thinks Wimbledon FC is in any way 'alive' in MK, then I for one won't ever be leaving him in charge of my house plants and pets when I'm on holiday!
As for praising Winkelman as positive... Without Winkelman, none of the move to MK happens - it would never even get proposed to Wimbledon FC's owners in 2000. It is the most insanely illogical decision to absolve him of guilt while condemning others, when Winkelman is the one individual without whom none of the MK move happens.
"AND WHAT TO THE FUTURE?
I just hope now for the sake of the club, that Milton Keynes slowly develops a football culture to go with the tradition of Wimbledon Football Club, albeit under the new name MK Dons."
I hope Franchise FC stops masquerading as having anything to do with Wimbledon.
I also hope Franchise customers stop trying to use this absurd interview from Bullinger as evidence of anything except that he can't remember the facts, has no new or relevant evidence and accuses others of wrongdoing without a shred of evidence to back it up.
To sum up, if anyone, ever, has the nerve to repeat any of the lies that are either repeated or instigated by Bullinger and by those publishing this interview as purportedly containing facts, then laugh in their faces and point them in my direction. I'll be happy to keep revealing what a bullshitter Bullinger is.
No comments:
Post a Comment