Milton Keynes Dons
Milton Keynes Dons is a football (soccer) club from England.
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Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (usually abbreviated to MK Dons) are an England professional association football club founded in 2004 and based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire Ceremonial county. Based at stadium:mk, they will spend the 2009–10 in English football season in Football League One, the third tier of football in England.
Milton Keynes Dons was relaunched under its current name on 21 June 2004, nine months after the then Wimbledon F.C moved to Milton Keynes. Milton Keynes Dons is legally a continuation of Wimbledon F.C., however after negotiation with the Wimbledon Independent Supporters' Association, mediated by the Football Supporters Federation, Milton Keynes Dons Supporters club recognition to entrust the trophies and memorabilia of Wimbledon F.C. to the London Borough of Merton, and to make no claims on the history of Wimbledon F.C. thereafter. The pre-history of Milton Keynes Dons began in 1979 when Ron Noades, the chairman of , entered talks with the Milton Keynes Development Corporation about the possibility of moving Wimbledon F.C. to Milton Keynes. At this time Noades purchased Milton Keynes City F.C., and Wimbledon's directors became directors of Milton Keynes City also. The idea was subsequently abandoned and Milton Keynes City was sold on.
In 1991 Sam Hammam, by now the Wimbledon chairman, moved Milton Keynes Dons out of Plough Lane and into a groundshare with at Selhurst Park. This arrangement lasted twelve years, during which time Hammam sold the Plough Lane ground to Safeway (UK) and sold Milton Keynes Dons to two Norwegian businessmen — Bjørn Rune Gjelsten and Kjell Inge Røkke. Wimbledon were relegated from the Premier League nine years later and attendances dropped during the following season to an average of just 7,897. The board announced that they were in dire financial straits and claimed that attempts to move Milton Keynes Dons back to London Borough of Merton had failed. They subsequently began to search for a new location for the club, and a consortium from Milton Keynes that included InterMK Ltd made it known that they would be prepared to build a new stadium for the club. Milton Keynes Dons approached the the Football Association to sanction the move, and the relocation was authorised by an FA Commission on 28 May 2002, despite over a year of fan protests against the idea. Days later, a group Wimbledon of supporters broke from Milton Keynes Dons to form AFC Wimbledon.
Although there have been Relocation of professional sports teams United Kingdom, there had never been such a relocation of a professional club within the English pyramid system, and this move attracted widespread criticism. Those who interpreted the League decision as Professional sports league organization The system developed in baseball gave Wimbledon the disparaging title "Franchise F.C.". At the behest of the Football Supporters Federation, the fans of other teams boycotted games against Milton Keynes Dons and crowds dwindled to non-League football levels. On 5 June 2003, Wimbledon went into Administration (law) with debts of more than £20 million.
During the 2003–04 in English football season, Wimbledon F.C. was run by the administrators and many of the team's players were sold. At the end of a dismal season, Milton Keynes Dons was relegated to Football League One. During the summer of 2003, the National Hockey Stadium in Milton Keynes was converted for use as a football stadium, and in September 2003, Wimbledon F.C. moved into the National Hockey Stadium. In June 2004, Inter MK Ltd, led by chairman Pete Winkelman, brought Milton Keynes Dons out of administration. Upon buying the club, Winkelman announced that he was changing the name of Wimbledon F.C. to Milton Keynes Dons F.C.. When Milton Keynes Dons formally emerged from administration under the new name and ownership on 1 July, Winkelman also announced that he was changing Milton Keynes Dons's blue and yellow kit to all-white, and introducing a new club badge. The new badge bore the letters "MMIV", signifying that 2004 was a new start for the Milton Keynes Dons.
Club history
When the 2004–05 in English football began, Milton Keynes Dons were Wimbledon F.C. The move to Milton Keynes being managed by Stuart Murdoch (football manager). They started the season badly and Murdoch was sacked to be replaced by Danny Wilson (footballer). Under their new manager, MK Dons began to improve and they were suddenly looking good enough for survival. They managed to beat the drop from Football League One on the final day of the season — but only because of Wrexham F.C. 10-point deduction that had been their penalty for going into Administration (law). 2005–06 in English football, MK Dons struggled all year, and were relegated to Football League Two. Wilson, meanwhile, was sacked.
Wilson's successor for 2006–07 in English football was Martin Allen (footballer), who had just taken Brentford F.C. to the brink of a place in the Football League Championship. With a new manager taking charge of a team in a new division, MK Dons looked more convincing than they had done in either of the previous two seasons. They looked like serious promotion challengers for much of the season and were in the hunt for automatic promotion right up to the last game. In the end, they finished fourth and had to settle for a play-off place. They suffered a defeat to Shrewsbury Town F.C. in the play-off semi-finals and the promotion dream was over. During the 2007 summer break, Allen terminated his contract with MK Dons to take over at Leicester City F.C. in an arrangement that lasted just five games before his contract was terminated.
For the 2007–08 in English football season, former England national football team captain (association football) Paul Ince took over as manager. MK Dons reached the final of the Johnston’s Paint Trophy , while topping the table for most of the season. The final was played on 30 March against Grimsby Town F.C. — Milton Keynes Dons won 2–0 at Wembley Stadium to bring the first professional trophy to Milton Keynes. Milton Keynes Dons capped the trophy win with the League Two championship, and the subsequent promotion to Football League One for the 2008–09 in English football season. Following his successes, Ince left at the end of the season to manage Blackburn Rovers F.C..
Ince's replacement was managerial rookie Roberto Di Matteo. MK Dons occupied second position for much of the 2008–09 in English football season, but they lost out to an automatic promotion spot by two points, finishing third behind Peterborough United F.C. and Leicester City F.C.. They were knocked out of the play-offs by Scunthorpe United F.C., who defeated MK Dons by Penalty shootout (association football) at stadium:mk. Di Matteo left at the season's end for West Bromwich Albion F.C.. His replacement was Ince, who returned a year after leaving. the MK Dons Supporters Club membership of the FSF in a debate that, among other arguments, questioned why the Football League had yet to introduce any new rules to prevent the relocation of professional sports teams of other football clubs in the future. In addition, the FSF membership agreed with the Wimbledon Independent Supporters Association that the Milton Keynes Dons Supporters Association should not be entitled to join the FSF until they give up all claim to the history and honours of Wimbledon F.C. With this in mind, the FSF began discussions aimed at returning Wimbledon F.C.'s honours to the London Borough of Merton.
Shortly afterwards, following heavy criticism for allowing the move, the Football League announced new tighter rules on club relocation.
At its AGM on 5 June 2006, the FSF again considered a motion proposed by the FSF Council to allow MK Dons Supporters Association membership if the honours and trophies of Wimbledon F.C. were given to the London Borough of Merton. In October 2006, agreement was reached between the club, the MK Dons Supporters Association, the Wimbledon Independent Supporters Association and the Football Supporters Federation. The replica of the FA Cup plus all club patrimony gathered under the name of Wimbledon F.C. would be returned to the London Borough of Merton. Ownership of trademarks and website domain names related to Wimbledon F.C. would also be transferred to the Borough. As part of the same deal it was agreed that any reference made to Milton Keynes Dons F.C. should refer only to events subsequent to 7 August 2004 (the date of the first League game of Milton Keynes Dons F.C.). As a result of this deal, the FSF announced that the supporters of Milton Keynes Dons F.C. would be permitted to become members of the federation, and that it would no longer appeal to the supporters of other clubs to boycott MK Dons matches.
On 2 August 2007, Milton Keynes Dons transferred the replica trophies and all Wimbledon F.C. memorabilia to the London Borough of Merton.
Stadium
The club's first stadium was the National Hockey Stadium, which was temporarily converted for football for the duration of Milton Keynes Dons's stay. Their lease on this ground ended in May 2007.
On 18 July 2007, Milton Keynes Dons's new 22,000 seater, stadium:mk in Denbigh, Milton Keynes hosted its first game, a restricted entrance event against a young Chelsea F.C. XI. The stadium was officially opened on 29 November 2007 by Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. The stadium features an open concourse at the top of the lower tier, an integrated hotel with rooms looking over the pitch and conference facilities
The complex also includes a 3,000 seat indoor arena, where the Milton Keynes Lions basketball team will be based. The completion of this arena has been delayed due deferral of proposed commercial developments around the site.
In May 2009 stadium:mk was named as one of 15 stadia put forward as potential hosts for the England World Cup Finals bid. Plans were announced to extend the capacity to 40,000 should the bid be successful.
League history
Reserves
From the start of the 2008–09 in English football season, no reserve side has been entered into any organised competition or league.
Former players
Notable players
Technical staff
Managers
The first manager of Milton Keynes Dons was Stuart Murdoch (football manager), who had previously been manager of Wimbledon F.C.. Murdoch only lasted three months before being sacked — his assistant, Jimmy Gilligan, managed Milton Keynes Dons for a month before Murdoch's replacement was revealed to be Danny Wilson (footballer). Wilson managed to keep Milton Keynes Dons up during the inaugural 2004–05 in English football season, After Allen's team fell at the play-offs, he left to manage Leicester City F.C.. Paul Ince was appointed manager for the 2007–08 in English football season, and proved to be a shrewd appointment as MK Dons won the Football League Two championship as well as the Football League Trophy. Former Chelsea F.C. player Roberto di Matteo was then appointed in July 2008, and left after a season to manage West Bromwich Albion F.C..
- Football League Trophy:
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