30 September 2001 [AM EDITION]

Oh boy, how can I write this without either waxing lyrical or making lame slag-offs of Manchester and its nauseating head-up-arse music scene? Oh fuck it, here goes - Mark and Lard 0 Chris Philips 4 was undoubtedly our best result of the season. It was one of those "holy fuck" type performances that every team experiences from time to time. We didn't start off all that promising, it had the hallmarks of the Oasis third studio album (ie very painful). We did however weather the initial storm, and started to find more holes in the City midfield than a drug dealer's torso outside a Manc night club on a Saturday night. After a little bit of concerted pressure, we had a breakaway, Wu Tang got hacked but the ref played advantage, ball to Cooper, inside the box and BAM. Sythed down quicker than a 10 year old black kid in a Moss Side chippy (old joke for those with long memories). DC stepped up and slotted home. 1-0 to us and we went in apoplexy. Probably. The expected City immediate fightback didn't really seem to materialise, indeed we went up a gear a little bit. In truth, we probably should have been 4-0 up by HT, but we did get a header by DC which found its way back in the onion bag. The City fans were POed, but at least they were cheered up by Man U losing 3-0 to the cocks. Oh well, it probably made their day...

Second half, and we were admittedly expecting a City comeback. Usual thing, we collapse and expect to lose 3-2. However, as time went by, it was clear that there was more chance of Joy Division making a comeback than Man City. Sadly, we weren't getting the age old Maine Road tradition of a couple of kids playing football outside the Kippax and 1000 City fans watching that particular game instead. Still, we were making headway again, and the substitute Shipperley came on to give a bit of muscle. And muscle he did - whilst (admittedly) most of us were taking the piss out of the Loyalist Fans In The World™ along came Shipperley with a 25 yarder that was sweetly struck past Nicky Weaver. 3-0 and it was a punch to rival that of Ian Brown on an air stewardess. Cue mass exit of the LFITW™ back to their lives of drug dealers, wannabe Stone Roses strummers and bar staff. Poor fuckers. Of course, WFC being WFC just had to take the piss a bit more, and boy did we - on the stroke of FT, Shipperley slotted home again and much jubilation ensured (together with a rather uncomfortable walk back to Piccadilly). This result, coupled with Man U's 5-3 comeback made the home side's support day end as horribly as Factory Records. Us? Well, we had fun with Virgin trains but I'll come to that later. Much fun.

As for the bit you've all been waiting for, well....

Plus points: We win. Away. In front of the team who are supposed to walk it this season. Keeping a clean sheet. With KC back, we look a lot more solid. Some of the passing was sublime (ho, that word again), even Kevin "no, I like sleeping in laybys honest" Keegan was impressed. Attack looked sharp, it's pleasing to see that we have quite a few options up that part of the pitch now - DC, Wu Tang, Shipps, Neilsen etc - which is something we've never had for a while (and yes, I am aware that I did question the attack last week).

Minus points: None, really.

The referee's a..... : ...incisive and advantage-playing good egg. Well he was for the first goal. Actually, he was quite good, though the NOTW did complain that he missed a KC backpass. Hmm, make him very good.

Barnsley mark II (see Barnsley away report last season) : The temporary stand we were bunged in (which depending on where you sat contained either a very excellent view of the pitch or a very excellent view of the Kippax stand) was rusting at the base. The seats were falling apart a bit as well. Thankfully they are moving to that Commonwealth stadium, which should allow visiting fans a better opportunity to get out of Manchester quicker.

We are the Goon Squad and we're coming to town, beep beep : (1) The Met copper at Euston before we left asking us if we were Millwall fans and telling us that the train to Walsall (where the Lions were playing) was indeed a dry train. Right.... (2) GMP copper with a Scouse accent trying to nick a couple of Wombles at Piccadilly for chanting humerously at the humorless City fans on the other bit of the platform. Cunt.

Quotes: (1) "Last time I went swimming I was a sperm" - the legendary Roy "Viagra" Cappell after the game. No, I don't know why it's relevant here, but I cracked up certainly. (2) "You're not Ericsson, you're not Ericsson, you're not Eric, you're not Eric, you're not Ericsson" - Dons fans to flop England manager and rent-boy loving Kevin Keegan. (3) "Shit" - Often heard phrase after the game by pissed off City fans. Me, I wasn't saying anything.... (4) "Zola's mum is hairy, Zola's mum is hairy, I shagged her once and it was scary, Zola's mum is hairy" - train coming back by the massed Womble rowdies. (5) "I don't know why they're called Virgin, they've been fucked so many times" - CUNW coming back. And yes, I do paraphrase quotes.......

SW19 - Inter city jibber: Well, kind of. I lost my train ticket in Manchester (without realising it until I got back to Euston) and probably would have had to resort to classic football away day travel tactics had I been asked to show it on the way back. And my ticket.

Truth is stranger than fiction: (1) Nearly getting done on the way up by Virgin for having (a) two return tickets, and no outward, and (b) the wrong "pair" of tickets. Some people. (2) Why was it fucking sunny in Manchester and pissing down in London? (3) Did we really win 4-0? (4) When we were 2-0 up, the scoreboard went dead. Then came back to life stating it was 12.00 and the score was 0-0. Then went dead. Then returned with the right time but still 0-0. Went dead. Score came back saying it was 12-0 to Wimbledon. I knew the game was going well, but not that well, surely?

Truth is stranger than fiction special : the train journey home: Deserves its own section. (1) Booked on the 1828 to Euston. Train eventually left at something like 8pm. No driver, basically (2) Us all going to Crewe to catch a train (any train) to Euston. (3) The Man City fan who lived in that Buckinghamshire dump and said "it's a fucking dump". (4) There was a 8 year old West Ham kid who sung most of the West Ham songs, including "East London is wonderful" complete with the "tits, fannys" comment. He then went leering at two attractive females (well, they were probably mooses) along with a couple of slightly older horny Wombles. I suggest that Dagenham Ford stop polluting the local water supply, it's doing strange things to the population. (4) The sight of about 8 very drunk Wombles with shirts off (except one - eh CUNW? :) ) doing a conga up and down the train. Being led by hyperactive 8 year old West Ham fan. (5) Going through Aston and Witton realising it was something like 9.45pm. (6) Stopping at that Buckinghamshire dump and the obligatory wreck-the-place / piss-on-the-station rituals took place. (7) Wishing that confessionals were running on the journey back (about 2 other people will get that). (8) Getting into Euston at 11.30pm, sans ticket, on a train that was due to leave Lime Street at 18.45pm. (9) Me looking at price of hire cars for next long away journey.....

Reasons to like Man City: Well, Mark and Lard always make me laugh, might try and get on their show tomorrow. Oh, and the stewards seem to come from planet Earth...

Reasons not to like Man City: All right, I'll be honest. I hate Mancunians in general, and I always want Man U to win the Manc derbies. Why? Basically, the Man City "we're loyal", "we're a big club" etc cock-waving stuff pisses me off big time. Yes, Man City have a load of support. That's because they're one of two major clubs in a major city, and if it wasn't for football then most of them would have ODed by now. More's the pity. If City fans didn't keep ramming their loyalty down everyone else's throat, I probably wouldn't hate them so much. I've heard it mentioned that City are just as arrogant as Man U, but with less reason to be arrogant. I think that's the nail hit on the head - it's a classic Mancunian trait, always believing you and your region is more important than you really are...

Point to ponder for thick yarpie lawyers: Man City have a massive fan base (who are very loyal, don't forget), big stadium, more burger vans etc and who do, let's be honest, generate a lot of money. This is, apparently, the only setup needed to win the Premiership. WFC stuffed them 4-0 yesterday, despite not having much of anything. So then, how would moving a club to Suicide City, Bucks, improve its lot? If a club underachieves, it will underachieve regardless of how big your fanbase is. We all know DimDim is too thick and up his own hairy arse to read and understand this, so just keep this little nugget in your mind..

So, was it worth it? Despite being utterly shagged out thanks to Virgin, yes.

In a nutshell: Watch us lose our next game.

 

25 September 2001

Firstly, a quick apology from Lyons 2 Lions 2 - I left my camera at home, so no pics. And it's a bit of a shame as actually it wasn't a bad game. We started off - and indeed, for most of it after that - quite briskly. I doubt if it was that suprising when DC scored. Of course, typical WFC, we go to sleep for about 2 minutes and subsequently find ourselves losing. And hey presto, guess what happened.........? Well, second half came and went, Wu Tang went on for the crocked DC and immediately repaid with a nice slot home after rounding the goalkeeper. Now, remember when Terry Gibson tried to do that? Still scares me even today. At the end of all that, it finished 2-2, and a good time was had by all. Maybe.

Anyway...

Plus points: A point. Way we came back was kewl. Nice to see Wu Tang (a) play and (b) score. Looked generally fluid, considering....

Minus points: Throwing it away again. Not too sure about our defence. Or midfield.

The referee's a......: bloke called Uriah Rennie. Remember him? Nuff zed.

Neenaw neenaw neenaw neenaw: The riot police were out in force for the guys from Bermondsey. Some even on our gate. It also transpired that during the first half, there was a clash between some of them and Millwall outside the Holmesdale. Mmm.

Quotes: (1) "I tell you, Palace vs Millwall is just like Palace vs Brighton. Or Wimbledon vs Palace" - CPFC employee to me in the bog (no, this is not some homosexual thing going on). So, looks like the rucks between us and CPFC are going down in the annals of history. Or anals. (2) "Years ago when we went a goal down, we used to ask ourselves when the equaliser was going to come" - CUNW getting dangerously reminiscent. (3) "I tell you what, Michael Hughes has got to be careful that some of the young ones are looking better than him" - my dad. Who also said.... (4) "Andy Roberts is past his sell-by date". Shh, don't tell the WFC accountant. (5) "You're at the wrong place, they're at Shepherd's Bush with the Cardiff" - me to a riot copper before I went in. He looked, well, like I knew a bit too much...

Koppout watch: Smiling and "circulating" apparently. Obviously laying the groundwork for his eventual sacking, if Kvaerner is anything to go by.

Truth is stranger than fiction: (1) Sorry, but when was the last time we ever saw riot police at a WFC game? Even Koppout hasn't needed them yet. (2) Last time we won (a) 3 games on the trot and (b) a league game at SP in the evening was in the days when Buster Merryfield was still alive. (3) Attendance of 7k or so. For the record, Millwall took 8k to Palace.

Confession time: Most of you probably know this, but Millwall are actually my second team. No such thing as split loyalties tonight, but I was almost pointed out at HT for being "one of them" on more than one occasion. Look, just because I have a leather jacket, black Timberlands and a #2 obtained at the Elephant does not make me a Millwall fan, OK? And I have been called a Nazi before...

Reasons not to like Millwall: I will readily admit that Millwall has more than their fair share of pricks.

So, was it worth it? I suppose so. Would be nice to win an evening game at the worst-place-in-England-that-isn't-in-Bucks.

In a nutshell: City could be fun.

 

23 September 2001 [AM EDITION]

Imagine, if you will, a period long ago in history. A time when men were men, when a new "W" reg car was more likely to be a Ford Capri, when to win the first division meant to get into the European Cup, when WFC played in Wimbledon..... yeah, that long ago. Needless to say, at about 4.53pm on 22/9/01, Wombles everywhere found a pocket in the space time conindrum (?), stepped back through the eons and transported themselves back to this utopia. OK, that's what Boing Boing 0 Bang Bang 1 does to you - this really was old style WFC rearing its perfectly formed head again. Those who don't remember or weren't there when these sort of games were more commonplace would have experienced that rush, and boy doesn't it feel good?

The match itself was nothing special - in truth we did labour quite a bit up front, and certainly for much of the first half we could have been done. DC's sending off was on a par with DB's at Watford - basically, DC didn't hear the whistle. And of course, being an ex-Wolves player, boy did he get it...... We rode that storm out and towards the end we started to make quite a few chances. Especially with Shipps coming on. And just when you thought we were heading for a draw, Coops picks the ball up, shoots it towards goal (first time we did that this game), goalie parrys it, Shipps knocks in a header and BAM. Cue mass orgy in the WFC. And much gnashing of teeth by the home fans......

Shall we?

Plus points: We won. Away. Without conceeding a goal. The way that we rode what looked to be a very difficult storm. Defence generally held up pretty well. Holloway played well. So did Brown (sign him TB if Koppout will let you). Hughes even got back and made a couple of challenges. Some of KD's saves were excellent. The way that we did indeed finish strongly.

Minus points: DC's sending off - utter wank. Not too sure about our firepower ATM anyway (and yes, I know we've scored 5 goals in 2 games......)

The referee's a...... : Complete and utter, utter, utter cunt. Tried to give West Brom everything. Surprised he didn't try and disallow Shipp's goal.

Quotes: (1) "This is a wankyfest" - sis of Drunken One during second half. At least, I think that's what was said. (2) "In a perverse sort of way that sending off changed the game for us" - Albion manager Gary Megson on BBC WM. For once, we get the break. (3) "Is Alan Kimble cross eyed?" - legit question asked of me by Baggies fan (honestly, I am not making that up). Can't say I've ever noticed but it would explain his crossing.

Hmm: The West Midlands is a well known breeding ground for heavy metal and ska/reggae. Two enjoyable genres of music, I hasten to add. So to celebrate this local musical culture, what do West Brom come out to? "Go West". Oh, it's Go West. As in West Brom. Oh, bwahahahahahahaha. Jeez.....

Just in case you've forgotten. Or forgiven: "Koppel Out" got a few nice airings. Once again it totally proved that it didn't effect the players....

Reasons to like West Brom: Their general dress sense makes me look well dressed.

Reasons not to like West Brom: Give up the "Milton Keynes lalala" chants, they fail each and every time. And the stewards are cunts.

Truth is stranger than fiction: (1) The first time we have EVER come away from the Hawthorns without conceeding more than two goals, playing badly and actually getting a point or three. (2) Seeing a guy who looked like he was in Edison Lighthouse or Renaissance, with horrific purple trousers. Obviously that space time thingy I alluded to above works a bit too well. (3) Seeing two well known SW19 readers betting on whether one of them can get the phone # of one of the birds behind the refreshment stall. £5 wasn't it?

Point to ponder: Isn't it nice that for once we get a last minute goal after being under the cosh?

So, was it worth it? For sure.

In a nutshell: Oh yes.....

Now, I trust you got Koppout's letter didn't you? There is apparently a copy on the WISA website, which will save me having to reproduce his shit on here. TBH, most of what he writes isn't exactly new, and certainly it ain't particularly accurate. A couple of points about it:

- Koppout clearly was pissed off by the Wednesday protests. Well, shit scared, anyway. He claims ground regulations were broken - fine, so why weren't the perpetrators kicked out of the ground then? As I understand it, nobody was kicked out or arrested, so really they weren't doing anything illegal. Unless Koppout's rewriting the ground regulations to make them retrospective or to include anyone who doesn't agree with him.

- This "Official Forum" thing is quite clearly going to be a stoogefest. You can bet your bottom dollar that whilst it is officially open to all adult members, only those the club KNOW will be pro-MK (or willing to act as mouthpieces) will be selected. Given the comments that some fans haven't had their chance to give their opinion, Koppout's basically come out and admitted this. Some more Brunswick plants to be deployed, methinks. Of course, we could all apply for it en masse couldn't we..............?

- Some serious iffyness about the finances. Apparently, the owners are funding the club solely. Obviously the £17m in transfers alone this past calender year (and 2 or so months) is a figment of my imagination. Or has gone into a big black hole, never to be seen again. So, what do the real owners of WFC, namely BRG and KIR say about this? Well, BRG was quoted in a couple of Nog papers last night as saying that we'll soon be financially OK anyway. So who's telling the truth? BRG? Koppout? Neither? On the surface at least, BRG has totally undermined Koppout's main argument at a stroke - if true, it proves almost fatally that the club clearly doesn't know what it's doing. The lines between Oslo and SE25 were clearly fractured when BRG was chairman, they don't seem to have gotten much better 8 months later. Given this, can Koppout really be believed (yeah, I know..) when he says that KIR hadn't mentioned a selloff to him? Perhaps those stories I've heard about R&G not actually having much faith in Koppout aren't that far fetched after all....

More later.

 

21 September 2001

Do the meeja secretly read SW19 then? The 2+2 I put together yesterday was almost reproduced today - the Express picked up on it, so did people like Virgin Radio. "It" of course being the hint that KIR was indeed going to sell up - complete with a quote that was pretty nasty and damaging (made as far back as July this year). And you thought Koppout had the monopoly on that? It did come complete with Kris from WISA saying the obvious, and even a good quote or three from Merton's Gene Saunders (more on that little bit later). Since then, WFC have denied it saying they're behind us still, including DimDim, and TB himself calling it "total fantasy", and that's the end of it.

Or is it? Three things have already popped out of this (non) story. Firstly, it hasn't done KIR any good with that quote. So much for the FL wanting WFC to consult the fans. Secondly, it's shown the vulnerability of WFC and KIR himself - KIR is now known to be in trouble, and as said yesterday, WFC ain't going to be highest on his priorities. Thirdly, because this has been made public, any potential suitors have had this bought to their attention that WFC may be up for sale. This will certainly mobilise (and motivate) this Supporters Trust planning thing that I've heard dribs and drabs about. It's best to ignore the club's claims that they're not up for sale - as we all know, anyone who comes in with £8m+ (maybe, just maybe, even less) for WFC will have KIR interested. We also all know that the owners' current ploy is to try and convince people that it really is MK or bust, nothing new there - this line is proven to be bollocks anyway, and any moves to try and damage WFC will be scrutinised. Again, nothing new.

To compound this, check out Gene Saunders from today:

"Mr Rokke says he bought the worst club but he has to ask who has made it that way?

"Sam Hammam kept Wimbledon in the Premiership and they were doing quite well but within two years of the Norwegians arriving they brought in their own manager (Egil Olsen) and the club had been relegated.

"We need someone to help this once great club become what it was, someone who does not want to see Wimbledon die but allow it to grow.

"After everything that has happened, we need someone with passion who genuinely loves the club and who can feel the blood of the club.

"The current chairman (Charles Koppel) does not know football and we need someone who knows their football for the future."

Owch.

Of course, as soon as night follows day, they dig up an old relic from the past, one OGEM. If you ever want a good reason to give up alcohol, just tell yourself that if you drink too much you'll end up talking shit like this:

"I feel for the future of the club and its supporters. There isn't a man there on the coaching staff who I didn't bring to the club, and I feel for them."

"Wimbledon lost out on that, and now look at the club. If they had listened to me they could be sitting on top of the Premiership.

"I think if there's a way of getting them to play in Ireland they should look at that scenario.

"I always had this chilling feeling all their top players were being sold off, and there was always the worry it would weaken the team.

"Now Terry's hands are tied and they are just trying to survive, with cut-backs all over the place. He's got a thankless job.

"No wonder he feels depressed - I know how he feels. I toughed it out for 10 years. Terry's job is hard enough without all this going on in the background."

So then, the man who stood to make shitloads of money from Dublin, the man who condemned MK yet still pursues his OWN dogmatic club killing agenda, the man who made the infamous "Cowdenbeath" comment, who alienated more players and staff than any other manager (I've heard the stories) including one Terry Burton is now feeling sorry for us? Fuck your sympathy Kinnear, my memory is too long. Stick to keeping Luton going (except you're fucking that up as well) or drinking yourself into an early grave. Oh, and had Dublin gone through, the very same people you're slagging off now would have been your bosses. Fucking has-been

Oh, and we're playing West Brom tomorrow.

 

20 September 2001 [AM EDITION]

Whilst most of you were probably at that Watershed thing last night, listening to whining, mock angst indie bands or wannabe Huggy Bears bragging about their misogony/violent tendencies before heading back to their 5 bedroom houses in the nice part of town (yeah, you can tell I wasn't too impressed with the music on offer last night), I received some info from our Norwegian correspondent which may have a critical effect on WFC's immediate direction:

Basically, it's to do with KIR and Kvaerner. Kvaerner are in deep shit financially : NOK3000m (£240m or so, E&OE) is needed very, very quickly. KIR owns 17.8% of Kvaerner through Aker, which would probably cost him in itself - however, one of the main funders of this £240m debt clearance was a big US bank. Who have now withdrawn the offer because of what happened to the WTC. In other words, this money has to be funded from the owners of Kvaerner themselves.

If this isn't bad enough for KIR, consider the following : Kvaerner's share price has slumped to at least half of its value on Monday (and was still falling, apparently), and to make matters almost unbearable, the other owners (who had previously resisted KIR's buyout) now seem willing to sell. Wonder why? The Nog meeja seem to wonder if KIR has the financial clout to do such a buyout - he's already had to bung £8m just to keep Kvaerner afloat and the Nog stock market wants an investigation over Kvaerner's misleading info. Hmm, where have we heard that from before?

So, what does this mean for WFC? Well, according to this month's WSC, KIR was considering selling up from Wyndmore anyway, this above info compounds this. It is believed amongst some WFC circles that the main motivator for the MK move is KIR himself - but, as we all know, even if MK was to happen and very quickly, any money coming through would take a while anyway. Certainly not enough time for Kvaerner (who I would consider KIR's "jewel"), and perhaps for KIR. Now, could we see a change in ownership at WFC? I've long been convinced that if somebody came in for WFC with a £10m-£15m cheque in their hands, KIR would snap it off them with immediate effect. In fact, I'd go so far to say that it could go for about £8m. WFC is losing money for KIR, and more importantly is becoming a source of major embarrasment for him. I don't know much about Molde's situation, though all doesn't seem well there either, or indeed the rest of the Aker conglomerate, but like I said, WFC is one of the most vulnerable parts of KIR's portfolio.

We'll have to wait and see over this one, but things could be a-happening.....

 

19 September 2001 [AM EDITION]

Wahey - Railwaymen 0 Journeymen 4 and suddenly it all goes right for once. We've been threatening to tonk somebody all season, and tonight it went well. We started off excellently - Wayne Brown netting from a set piece (or something) in about the 3rd minute. The game sort of went in Crewe's favour for the remainder of the first half, Kelvin having to make a couple of saves (and lost handling of the ball as well, to further raise heartbeats per second). Second half was a little bit of the same until our second goal - DC via a deflection - and after that - kaboom. Crewe collapsed and we started giving it some. Third goal by Coops from an acute angle, then the fourth goal by whoever it was (totally forgot - sorry) finished off any lingering hopes the home side had...

Right, onto the good stuff:

Plus points: We won. Away. By 4 goals. Without conceeding any. Generally crisp passing all round. Strikers (including DC) seem to have found striking boots. Voodoo seems to have gotten rid of the curse of his witch ex-lover.

Minus points: Hughes and Roberts didn't look quite as good as should. Defense generally still looks iffy

The referee's a.....: lenient bastard. Too lenient as it goes - missed fouls on Hughes and Coops within the space of about 5 seconds between them

Groundhog Day: Crewe vs Wimbledon. Dons win 4-0. On-loan player scores first goal. Did this match take place last season or this season? Or both?

Rod Steward: Last year the Crewe stewards were cool blokes. This year, they seem to have descended to the level of every other steward. Not content with trying to chuck out Crewe fans in their end for - gasp - singing but for just about anything. See "Truth...." below.

Truth is stranger than fiction: (1) The Dons fans renditions of the following songs - "Close To You", "Never Had A Dream Come True" (alternative lyrics) and "Ace Of Spades". (2) The aboveformentioned stewards threatening to chuck out the protagonists of said songs, one for - I quote - "making too much noise". So, let's see the prosecution try to explain three Womble reprobates singing songs by the Carpenters, S Club 7 and Motorhead. (3) Crewe had a black goalkeeper.

Quotes: (1) "That'll be the easiest 3 points you'll pick up all season" - Crewe fan outside after the game. (2) "What time are you at college tomorrow?" - sarcastic as shit steward to a very well known WFC webmaster after rendition of "Ace Of Spades". (3) "I'm not, I work for myself" - rather sore throated WFC webmaster to same sarcastic as shit steward. The look on the steward's face was priceless.

Apparently (#1): The Crewe radio commentary was priceless

Complaints: OK then, so some people are getting "fed up" with the Koppel Out stuff. The same people, coincidentally, who's vocal contribution yesterday in general was noticably lacking. I will say this again - all the while that cunt is our chairman, you will not get 100% of the team because we are not 100% sure that we will have a club in 2 years time if he gets his way. And in two years time, the same people complaining won't be able to go to games to complain to the people about protesting...........

Apparently (#2): DimDim is going to send letters out to every ST holder very soon asking how to improve the atmosphere at games. If this happens, I urge everyone who receives a letter to write back to him stating who the problem is. He'll ignore it of course, but if he leaves himself open in such a way, who are we to turn it down?

Reason to like Crewe: Gresty Road could easily be plonked on the current PL site. In fact, it could be made bigger.

Reason not to like Crewe: The last people to take the piss out of our small crowds should be Crewe. OK then, so what's YOUR reasons for your crowd sizes then?

So, was it worth it: Why, I believe so.

In a nutshell: Watch out the Albion..

 

15 September 2001

Oh well - Burton 1 Mr Byrite 1 was pretty crappy in the result. In truth we were slightly better than them, but sadly we couldn't finish. Needless to say, everyone got behind the team today, there was certainly no Koppel Out stuff from the Holmesdale (more on something far more fun) and TB himself looked more pleased.

The game? Oh, well, as said above, we did do most of the running. Their goal was shite marking by us, despite the debuting Wayne Brown coming on and looking, well, OK. However, in the second half, we piled the pressure on and it came as no surprise that Hughes netted to send us all into raptures. Anyway, that's the boring summary over with, here's the real juice:

Plus points: We did get a goal back, certainly. Team looked much more up for it. Crowd looked much more up for it, the Koppel Out chants coincidentally lasted for 10 seconds at most. As much as I don't like the guy's attitude, Hughes was MOM today - there is a story on the OS saying he's likely to leave on a free, and in the grand scheme of things ATM his sacrifice could finish the owners once and for all.

Minus points: Shipperley didn't look too swift, neither did DC come to think of it. Conceeding a goal AGAIN - can't we ever keep a fucking clean sheet? That said, we did ride on the edge defensively a couple of times.

The referee's a.......: fool for relying on his linesman who left his white stick at home with his labrador.

Quotes: (1) "Chrissy Willmott walks on water, everybody knows that dog shit floats" - guy who sits very near me, tune to "Tis the season to be jolly". Hmm, he didn't play too bad as it goes. Voodoo, that is. (2) "If you put a beard and turban on Koppout, he looks like Bin Laden" - aquaitance of mine, name hidden to protect the innocent :)

Deja vu: Sheff Wed's offside trap. They've been using it against us since 1987 and we still get caught out by it

Truth is stranger than fiction: Three years ago, this would have been a Prem fixture between two mid-table teams.

Classy: Yellow and Blue as usual, even if they did fuck up my sponsorship. Please either donate funds or material, I would hate to see it collapse due to all the same people having to do all the work.

Main Stand - Cauldron of Hate: The sharp eyed and eared amongst you may have noticed a little incident in the Main Stand (Stephenson Lounge area) during the first half. Basically, what happened was that some well-known reprobates (you know who you are) bought tickets for said area, which coincidentally is right next door to the Director's Box. At 3.15pm, and almost in unison, major abuse of Club Killer takes place for about the next half hour. Banners - one proclaiming "this is our club" - being waved, resulting in many coppers and stewards looking anxious and one complete moron of a chairman looking VERY worried and VERY scared. To cap it all off, the same renegade warriors moved right down the front in the second half and got behind the team big time. Well done all concerned in this. BTW, what was the after-game incident that happened outside the director's entrance?

Koppout bashing: OK then DimDim, don't bother thinking of any more excuses, you know and we know you know we got behind the team. Oh, I know who you're going to blame - it's the Main Standers this time isn't it? I know you told TB on Crapital not to mention the mass support TB got during the game, otherwise you'll sack him (note to lawyers - joke), but we really got to you today didn't we? Same result, eh? How scared were you during the first half? Hope you bricked it, your mouth may tell all the bullshit in the world but your body language showed you wanted to be somewhere else didn't you? Admit it - or have you been sucking Wankelmann's cocaine-laced pus filled cock a bit too much and it's really affected your judgement? (note to lawyers - joke). Listen you stupid yarpie, your clear lack of intelligence and personal skills has put us in this position, nothing we've done. We all would like to know just exactly why we have about £25m in player sales pocketed and yet you claim we're going bust next year. Who's accounts are you feeding? How much of our money have you spent on your own failed projects? We know you won't answer, so we'll just assume that your known bad business practices are making you a laughing stock, eh? Anyone who employs your services after this should have their sanity questioned. Never mind, it's just a shame it's WFC that have to suffer you ATM.

Was it worth it? Dunno, suppose so.

In a nutshell: We're getting there.

 

13 September 2001

So then, TB hasn't quit after DimDim had a little, ahem, chat with him. Indeed, the Official Shite released this statement:

"Club Chairman Charles Koppel said: "Terry has the respect of the board, the players and everybody working at the Club. It is now up to the fans to give Terry their support. We know that the effort to find a permanent home for the Club remains an emotive issue and fans have a perfect right to demonstrate their feelings. But they also have to make good on their promise to get behind the manager and players during games. So far they have failed to do this and it is understandable that this is frustrating for Terry and the players."

"Terry and his players are doing a great job under difficult circumstances, particularly given the horrendous injury list we have at the moment. We are confident that things will get better on the pitch, especially if the fans get behind the team."

Manager Terry Burton said: "The relationship between the Chairman and the manager is the most important one at any football club. I have always been given as much help as possible by Charles to get things right on the pitch and it is now even more important than ever that Charles spends time with me on team matters."

"My players and I are working hard to make this Club successful again and I would urge all fans to get properly behind the team, starting with the game against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday."

Do I need to say any more about what DimDim says? And dare I risk saying what I threatened yesterday about Koppout being pushed under a collapsing building in downtown Manhattan? The worst thing in Koppout's conduct is that it's totally predictable - the guy IS a nasty bit of work. The guy IS an odious shit and he IS incapable of even remotely accepting any blame for the current situation. It's quite thankful really that he is generally viewed as untrustworthy and dubious. We are quite clearly getting to him - after all, he's tried his hardest to ignore us all this time and when even TB gets too pissed off with things he conveniently remembers that us 5k suddenly do make a difference. As I've said in the past, Koppout is in severe shit, witness his constant change of tact and approach. And of course, the fact he has to constantly lie and distort truths to justify his existance.

As for TB, I get the impression that he was held at the proverbial gunpoint to say this above - it looks like a Graham Thorley/Koppout special. TB clearly was POed last night, and seems to have calmed down now. However, if you need any more proof that the official statement is a crock of shite, read W&WW and in particular a phone conversation between JZ and TB himself. Obviously, if WFC get hold of that conversation we may yet be looking for a new manager, but then that will screw up Koppout even more if that was possible.

The way the club are acting now, they are like a dying animal lashing out at anything. DimDim is desperate to the point of insanity. In fact, he's reached that stage now. Unfortunately, I can't see it ending any time soon, not unless somebody starts to show those in Oslo some ready wonga. Dig deep...

 

12 September 2001 [2320 edition]

Well, I wrote the report only minutes ago and already I've got to change it. Check this out from TB - the guy has clearly had enough and has called WFC "stinking". He says that the club "disollusions him" and that he "doesn't know where the support is going to come from". Furthermore "there is no money" and "this feels worse than relegation".

I'm trying to digest this as well as you can ATM, but it seems clearly that TB has had enough of the shit. You know damn well who the culprit is here, his empire is falling apart quicker and quicker. I had a feeling that TB wasn't happy with the position DimDim put him under - if TB wants to quit, he won't get any complaints here from me. Quite frankly, I hope he does and really lets rip at the people running the club who have made his job impossible. What happens to WFC next I just don't know, but there is cancer within WFC. We must remove it now.

More later, when I get it.

 

12 September 2001 [2305 edition]

Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck
FUCK. Just HOW the hell did we let this slip? I tell you, Piss Off Koppel 3 Hello Sailor 3 is a major pisser, and when you're 3-0 up with stunners from Cooper, Hughes and DC with 20 minutes to go, and seemingly cruising, to not win is just beyond contempt. Trust me guys, forget the playoffs, we just ain't got the bottle for it. There's nothing excusable about it, the team just fucked up big time tonight.

Anyway, cue much gnashing of teeth:

Plus points: Well we didn't lose I suppose. Goals from Super Kevin Cooper and the returning Michael Hughes were worth the admission money by themselves. Assuming you paid £3 to get in, of course.

Minus points: Concentration, thereof lack of. I need not describe to you our defense. Oh, and Darren Holloway's sending off.

Burton Out? Not really, the injuries do suck. That said, I have heard interesting stories going on when they went to the Dutch pre-season camp that may explain current form. But I'm not saying what they are....

The referee's a......: wanker. Nuff said.

Also wankers: Pompey fans. Always have been, always will be. Suppose I ought to feel sorry for them I guess, after all most of them did have improper relationships with First Officers in the Royal Navy when they were 15.

Excuses? Well, there was hardly any anti-MK/CK stuff going on about, it only really happened for a minute when we were 3-0 up. Of course, if DimDim turns round and blames the throwaway on us doing such a thing, I will start making comments linking me sticking his head under the World Trade Center collapsing. Without any degree of flippancy whatsoever.

Celeb spotting: I have finally met the lesser-spotted Dr Womble. Tall fucker :)

Quotes: Actually, I had a VERY good one from the CUNW, but I've forgotten it. You'll need to ask him to repeat it, it really is classic.

Truth is stranger than fiction: When was the last time we beat Pompey in the league?

Well worth the £20: This very fanzine was a page sponsor in Yellow and Blue. Except they published my name when I asked them not to. And they got my URL wrong. Oh well, at least it will explain the firebomb at their offices tomorrow morning (no I am not in a really foul mood)

So, was it worth it? Up until the 73rd minute, yes.

In a nutshell: Get your brain in gear....

 

 

9 September 2001

Hoo boy. How do I go about writing Herts 3 Minds 0 without mentioning what an utter twat the referee was? The fact is, I can't. When even opposing players ask the referee "why the fuck did you do that?" you know something has majorly fucked up. For those of you who didn't go and haven't got ITV Digital, basically Heald went to pick up the ball inbetween our defender and an opposition player, ended up outside the box whilst patting the ball away (getting rid of it certainly) and then gets a nice red card for his efforts. Cue much nashing of teeth, threatens of pitch invasions and even TB saying that one day, somebody will sue a ref over loss of earnings. Even ITV claimed how shit the decision was. The game? Oh, that....

Plus points: We did play OK for the period from the start of the game to the sending off. Not spectacular, but solid.

Minus points: We had no luck whatsoever - Coops hit the post and of course I bet Paul Heald is writing to his solicitor even as we speak.

The referee's a.......: homosexual lover of Koppout. Probably chocking on each others' cocks right now and then having a game of Mummies and Daddies. Though as we all know, Koppout won't be giving it.

Truth is stranger than fiction: I'm sure somebody will check out this stat, but I think out of our current squad Paul Heald has had the most red cards (2 now). Seriously..

Scary: Ian Feuer. If I got nervous over him, fuck knows what the defense was thinking.

And to rub it in: Their first goal was fucking offside by miles anyway. Even Koppout's yellow streak isn't that wide (OK, that's maybe pushing it a little bit too far)

Long: Morden tube station to Watford tube station. I've been on shorter car journies to Sunderland.

Was it worth it: See below :)

In a nutshell: Plus ca change......

Of course, we all know why you're here right now, and it ain't about the game. The protests indeed went very well. First I saw were the t-shirts as expertly modelled to your right. Hell, even I bought one (OK, so it was £3). Plenty of banners etc being handed out, all given much of an airing. Even some of the Watford fans started to do it (though when we were 3-0 down I heard a rendition of "Milton Keynes, lalala" for about 5 seconds. Cunts).

The best bits were that most people DID stay at half time and release the balloons. ITV picked up on them, and by all accounts, it looked very impressive.

The second best bit, in fact THE best bit was somebody hiring one of those planes with a banner which said something to the effect of "Dons Fans Say Koppel Out". Without a doubt, that was class - it was unexpected, it was different and it was a noticable point. I wonder what Koppout thought of it? Although ITV couldn't find him (they showed a pre-taped interview claiming we would go bust next year - well, more like mismanaged into the ground), I know for a fact that he WAS there. He came in a red Peugeot 406 (or 407), W reg, hiding behind a hung up jacket. Scared are we? Or are you going to antagonise us even further by spouting your lies behind the relative safety of a journo? Somebody also ran onto the pitch after the Watford third goal, and got to wave an "MK No Way" banner for a second before he got poleaxed by Herts' finest. The round of applause was magnificent.

There is something I've been meaning to address here which I think concerns some people. It came to me today when somebody I know (many of us probably know who this person is) said that "we" weren't giving Koppout a chance to speak, how they would rip "that shit" up re: the posters, and how they would go to MK because most of us won't go. This person has a well known mouth on them, but there you go. Anyway, does the anti-MK/Koppout stuff during the game distract the players? Personally, I think it does, though anyone who does sing it won't get an earhole bashing from me. I was anti-Olsen Out stuff because I think it was doing harm to the team at the wrong time (that and the fact that I don't think he was ever as much to blame for our problems that season as certain other people). This time, it's having the same effect but the circumstances are different. It was quoted by the Moaning Old Git that whenever there is mutiny in a club, the team ALWAYS suffers. Look at history. I have no doubt that our season has been badly effected by DimDim - although many will say "get behind the team", in this particular circumstance I don't think people care what's happening on the pitch ATM. I don't certainly, and I know quite a few who are in the same boat as me. Judging by the protests today, the ill feeling the club has created won't go away soon.

Finally, and speaking of ill feeling, those Wanted t-shirts has pissed off Phil Smith (the WFC photographer). Basically, the pic of Koppout was taken by him, and he claims that only he can give permission for it to be used - if WFC find out, he will be in major shit. Well, tough shit - I have seen this photo in question on the BBC and TwatTalk sites, to name but two. Public domain, I think they call it. And besides, nobody actually knows where the pic came from do they? WFC paranoia lives on...

 

 

8 September 2001 [PM EDITION]

I smell desperation - firstly, it was revealed via an LBM press release that Koppout had tried to go for a stadium on PGPF. You know, the same site that was sold to WFC in 2000 on the sole premise that it wasn't going to be a stadium. If you read the guestbook you'll know my views on this. However, this morning Koppout decides that he's not going to even pretend to like us anymore. Witness this from the Graudian, you may need Prozac before reading:

"I do not believe that any local solution can be found," Koppel says. "It is clear that it cannot be Merton - in that respect there is no doubt. We have 3,400 season ticket holders of which 600 come from Merton. Merton has been a non-starter for about five years. The issue is that people have not wanted to go public with that fact. "

First things first - Koppout has not looked at Merton at all. Well, all right, the WGS thing which is starting to smell more than his arsehole after yet another PR mauling. Didn't stop him trying the PGPF thing though. Secondly, the fact is he's only been involved at WFC since 2000 - as far as I know he didn't know anything about Merton in 1996 - if he's referring to the original WGS thing, that was in 1994. Thirdly, he's trying to present "facts" to us. OK then, here's some facts back. WFC have not done any noticable plugging of WFC in Merton for years. Trust me, I'm a Merton resident and there has been fuck all to suggest that WFC exist. Only 600 may live in Merton but how many were born in Merton? I know at least 7 people in this situation. Wonder why Koppout isn't mentioning ST holders who live in Sutton, Kingston, Wandsworth etc? Because he doesn't want to go public with that fact?

He continues:

"We've got reports that go back to 1997, when the council had identified only one site, the greyhound-racing site. That happens to be an operating business, but I met with Jarvis Astaire of the Greyhound Racing Association. He said, understandably: 'I'm tired of being seen as the solution to something that isn't my problem.'" Koppel did a feasibility study anyway. "It was cost-prohibitive. Sixty million pounds for a dual-usage stadium? That's an expensive compromise."

Well, actually, it's two now. And like I said, the feasibility study is starting to stink. And whilst you're clearing away Koppout's stench, read this utter gem:

"Wimbledon changed tack, looked at a merger with QPR. Uproar. "What it did tell us was that the history and identity of the club could not be toyed with."

Honestly, I don't know whether to laugh, cry or just go round to Putney and kill him.

"Within the M25 it is difficult to find a piece of land which is big enough and which hasn't got a designation such as Metropolitan Open Land."

Yawn. Give it up Koppel, we know you want 10k spaces, motorway links and your sacred cow, the hotel/conference facilities. No other club needs to do it - why should you? Oh, here's your reason...

"Look at QPR. Who is coming forward there? And they actually have assets - they own their ground, have an average crowd of 12,000. In terms of infrastructure they are massive compared to us. But they've been in administration for six months. Because we have no assets we cannot even get an overdraft. A 19-year-old student has a better credit rating than us"

So then, why has a 19 year old student got a better credit rating then? Because you can't run a business, that's why. Funny how we managed to fund buying John Hartson isn't it? Or how we can pay Brunswick £200k pa to totally fuck your lies up even more isn't it? Yet this doesn't stop you trying to get PGPF, or MK for that matter....

You would think that Koppout would have given up on us, but this next bit will totally amaze you. At least the guy has stopped pretending he doesn't hold us in contempt:

"Koppel is promising subsidised transport, reduced season ticket prices and a stand called the Original Don or Plough Lane - "or whatever they want to call it" - at Milton Keynes. He is also emphatic that the club would remain Wimbledon FC.

"I think we'll have a lot who want to be part of it. I accept we'll have some who won't. They're the ones who'd prefer we went back to Plough Lane and played Third Division football. My view is they're not true supporters; true supporters want the club to be successful, not die.

"I know they'll say they have a history and identity with the club and they'll never leave it. But they will. They'll end up buying a season ticket at Fulham. People will stay for a year, but it will drop off and drop off, and in five years' time we'll be playing Southern Conference football against Kingstonian in front of 400 fans."

Now, where shall I begin here? OK then - this proves once and for all just what a nasty piece of work he is. He was told by the FL to co-operate with fans, in fact he's done the exact opposite. He's totally reneged on his promise to include all fans in this, not that he ever was anyway. You don't need me to tell you how insulting calling his fuckwit scheme after a bit of our real home is. And as for the comment about "true fans" and how we won't stick around, well, words utterly fail me. Seriously. I think he's just shown his true colours to the world over this, and anyone reading this will NOT take that extremely nasty comment.

Why is he saying it? Well, I honestly reckon we've got to him. He's tried to ignore us, now he's trying to take us on, questioning our loyalty. And one thing you do not do is question fans loyalty. There is a school of thought that suggests that DimDim actually wants people to have a go at him, and I'm sure somebody will. Not that I would condone such actions of course, though given the way Koppout has consistently failed to spin anything correctly, he'll probably gain no sympathy from anyone if he did find himself all roughed up. This swipe suggests to me that he really has nowhere to go and is now just trying anything. It's a desperation tactic that all soon-to-be-desposed chairmen try, I'm sure Brighton and Hull chairmen made similar comments before they ended up in oblivion. One thing is certain, Koppout clearly cannot work with WFC fans any more, for him it really is MK or bust. Sadly for him, MK looks as unlikely as him ever getting a personality.

More later.

 

4 September 2001

And lo and behold, our esteemed (?) chairman is at it again. Witness from the SLP:

"I will not resign. It is par for the course because I am not the only chairman that has been asked by Wimbledon fans to resign and I will not be the last.

"We, as owners, are united and committed to doing what is right for the club and believe Milton Keynes is the right move for the club."

OK, stop laughing. Or kicking the dog. Or whatever. The guy is still acting like a WW1 general at Passchendale, though on second thoughts those Generals won the WW1. I won't need to point out the inaccuracies above, quite frankly I'm wasting my time slagging him off.

However, are things getting to him? According to those in-the-know, Koppout is "nervous" and isn't as cocky as he appears above locked away in the SP portakabins. Today, there was a little bit of protesting when some horrible reprobates flooded the WFC fax with big "Resign Koppel" type messages to tip him further into oblivion. No, I do not condone such behaviour. Absolutely not. No way. Not me guv. Honest

DimDim continues:

"Plough Lane is not an appropriate site. People say that we have a small fan base but it wouldn't give us any opportunity to develop in the future if the club was promoted.

"All the sites being mentioned as alternatives have already been looked at or have been dismissed by councils that are not supportive of stadium developments."

Of course, whether Koppout has actually LOOKED at these sites is another matter entirely. Very strong suggestions that he's not bothered at all, and once again is bullshitting. I wonder what more it will take for him to get the hint? Violence? A public dossier on everything he's ever got up to? Rehab? Fuck knows, but I think cancer is easier to shift than this cretin. Oh well, the work continues..