ITV Interview with Koppel

Well, thousands are watching the newly formed AFC Wimbledon - on Tuesday night the Worthington Cup tie between Wimbledon FC and Rotherham attracted a crowd of just 664 people - a new record for the club statisticians and further proof that if anyone needed it that MK couldn't come soon enough for the club once called 'Crazy'.

[footage of Rotherham game, empty stands and fans]

We used to sing every week 'Womble Til I Die', what happened to them all of a sudden - where have they gone?

There's no support for them really, is there? Sunday League football, it's ridiculous!

Is this the Real Wimbledon?

Yes, and these are the Real Wimbledon fans. I travelled an hour and a half to come here now, so it makes no difference to travel to Milton Keynes for me.

[cut to Koppel inteview]

We can't remain here at Selhurst Park, it's eh, not particularly, eh, eh, a good environment for the club and we need to move as quickly as possible.

[shots of empty stadium]

In many ways these low crowds are good for you, aren't they?

Eh, they're not good.

They vindicate your position.

Well, no, I mean, that's not the issue. I would rather that we have low crowds and the ability to move forward than the club doesn't exist and that's the alternative.

[shots of Milton Keynes]

Wimbledon's new home is an ever expanding success. Sick of being famous for concrete cows and roundabouts [shot of cows and roundabouts], after trying to woo a string of struggling clubs the man who has dreamed of giving the community a soul finally found a side for the city to fall in love with.

[Shot of Winkleman kicking a football (badly)]

I think everybody is excited about top flight football coming to Milton Keynes and I think people are very pleased about Wimbledon coming. One of the greatest things is just to wander around and just ask people the score.

[Cut to shots of people wandering around Milton Keynes]

[puzzled look] What was the Wimbledon score? You mean Wimbledon Football Club?

No idea, I can tell you the Arsenal score!

Ain't got a clue mate.

Couldn't give a monkeys - not unless they are playing spurs to be honest.

We are going to be the biggest city in the South East of England outside of London and we're not represented in the professional game at any level. We've been wanting and expecting football since the 1973 city master plan for Milton Keynes, so it truly is 30 years of hurt.

We don't have a God-given right to be successful in Milton Keynes, we need to work very hard at it, but at least we will have the foundation which we haven't had historically, to try and achieve that.

But it won't be Wimbledon, will it?

Of course it will be Wimbledon.

How?

Well, er, it is Wimbledon. It is Wimbledon Football Club playing in Milton Keynes, and it is Wimbledon Football Club
moving forward.

When is the journey over? It is not over when the club says, it's not over when the new stadium is built, it's actually over when the first kid from Milton Keynes goes through the academy and plays for the Wimbledon first team.

[Shot of teenager doing 'keep-it-uppy']

Maybe Stephen Keane, signed from one of the 65 coaching courses already run in the area.

[Imagery of the proposed stadium]

The club's multi-millionaire Norwegian owners are trying everything to tap a new well of support even if their vision is not shared by thousands of London based fans.

They believe that the club should rather have died than moved. There comes a point where - £20m, £30m, £50m or £70m - that someone will turn around and say 'enough is enough', it can't carry on this way.

I suppose the other option, in that situation, is to get out - as opposed to move the club.

Everyone knew that we were trying to move to Milton Keynes because we felt that that was the only solution. In all that time not one single person came to the club and said I'll buy it from you for a pound because I think there is a solution - absolutely no one.

The boys can't wait to get up there now. We've heard there's going to be 12 or 15 thousand people there. We just want to play in front of, everyone who's a footballer, you just want to play in front of a decent sized crowd.

[cut to shots of empty stadium]

Anyone can go to bloody Clapham Common and make up a football team, and call it Wimbledon. Naaah. There's only one Wimbledon.

[Cut to shot of England flag with 'MK Dons - Slam Dunk the Funk' painted on it]

I'm satisfied that it is morally better to move the club than to allow it to die, simply because, em, people argue that 50 miles is a little bit too far.

How much of a relief will it be to get to Milton Keynes?

Eh, a huge relief for everyone.

[Cut back to Gabby, Robbie Earle, and Andy Townsend]

Well, unsurprisingly, we have been absolutely inundated with emails, faxes, messages about the situation at Wimbledon and I have to say most of them not very favourable towards Mr. Koppel and what is going on there.

This one here from Susannah Ayers - "Wimbledon shouldn't be allowed to move away from their home because of businessmen who have no interest in football at all".

And Tudor Jennings says "If Charles Koppel complains that AFC Wimbledon fans won't leave him alone, please remind him that we have - quite effectively as attendance figures show.

Not much support for this move, is there?

No, you've got more emails than fans (laughs) at the moment Gab, but eh, Wimbledon's problems started the moment they left Plough Lane. To leave your own ground without no real logic and no plans towards getting a stadium, it meant, the club is really having problems.

That was started by Sam Hamman, wasn't it? This wasn't Charles Koppel….

That's right. Merton Council for me, don't particularly want a football club in the area and the combination of those two put together pretty much meant the end of Wimbledon Football Club as I knew it, and the team I played for.

Is this the start of a franchise movement in this country where people will start buying clubs and moving them?

I don't necessarily think so, Wimbledon is unique in that it's the only club that groundshares at the moment, it's got no identity, it's got very few fans, it's a unique case and should be taken on it's own merit.

[Ends]