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Milton Keynes Dons F.C.

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This article is about the club from Milton Keynes, founded in 2004. For information on its origins, see Relocation of Wimbledon F.C. to Milton Keynes.
Milton Keynes Dons
MK Dons badge
Full nameMilton Keynes Dons Football Club
Nickname(s)The Dons
Short nameMK Dons
Founded2004
GroundStadium:mk
Capacity22,000
ChairmanPete Winkelman
ManagerKarl Robinson
LeagueLeague One
2010–11League One, 5th
Websitehttp://www.mkdons.co.uk
Current season

Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (/[invalid input: 'icon']ˌmɪltən ˈkiːnz ˈdɒnz/; usually abbreviated to MK Dons) is an English professional football club founded in 2004 and based since 2007 at Stadium:mk, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. MK Dons are currently contesting Football League One, the third tier of English football, during the 2010–11 season.

Milton Keynes Dons were created on 21 June 2004 as the result of Wimbledon F.C.'s relocation from south-west London to the National Hockey Stadium in Milton Keynes nine months earlier. Although the team originally claimed the history of Wimbledon F.C. as its own, it stopped doing so in 2007, in part to ensure the recognition of its supporters groups by the Football Supporters Federation, which had previously boycotted them. Despite remaining a legal continuation of the original Wimbledon club, MK Dons has maintained since 2007 that it is a new team, founded in 2004.

Following Wimbledon F.C.'s relegation, MK Dons played in League One for the 2004–05 season and were relegated again to the fourth-tier League Two after 2005–06. Under the management of Paul Ince, the club won both the division and the Football League Trophy during the 2007–08 season, and was promoted back to League One for 2008–09, where as of 2010–11 they remain.


Creation

Main article: Relocation of Wimbledon F.C. to Milton Keynes

History

MK Dons (in white) take on Blackpool at the National Hockey Stadium during the 2004–05 season

The first season for the club as MK Dons was the 2004–05 season. At the season's start, the team still being managed by former Wimbledon manager Stuart Murdoch, who was sacked after a long run of bad results, and replaced by Danny Wilson half-way through the campaign. Under their new manager, MK Dons managed to stay in League One on the final day of the season — but only because of Wrexham's 10-point deduction that had been their penalty for going into administration. The following season, MK Dons struggled all year, and were relegated to League Two. Wilson, as a result, was sacked.

Wilson's successor for 2006–07 was Martin Allen, who had just taken Brentford 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 consistent than they had done in either of the previous two seasons. They were in contention for automatic promotion right up to the last game, but eventually finished fourth and had to settle for a play-off place. They then suffered a defeat to Shrewsbury Town in the play-off semi-finals. During the 2007 summer break, Allen left MK Dons to take over at Leicester City.

For the 2007–08 season, former England captain Paul Ince took over as manager. MK Dons reached the final of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, while topping the table for most of the season. The final was played on 30 March against Grimsby Town — Milton Keynes Dons won 2–0 at Wembley to bring the first professional trophy to Milton Keynes. The club capped the trophy win with the League Two championship, and the subsequent promotion to League One for the 2008–09 season. Following his successes, Ince left at the end of the season to manage Blackburn Rovers.

Ince's replacement was Roberto Di Matteo. In the 2008-9 season, MK Dons missed out to an automatic promotion spot by two points, finishing third behind Peterborough United and Leicester City. They were knocked out of the play-offs by Scunthorpe United, who defeated MK Dons by penalty shootout at stadium:mk. Di Matteo left at the season's end for West Bromwich Albion.[1] His replacement was Ince, who returned a year after leaving.[2] Paul Ince resigned from the club on 16 April 2010, but remained manager until the end of the season.[3] On 10 May 2010, Karl Robinson was appointed as the club's new manager, with former England coach John Gorman as his assistant. At 29 years of age, Robinson is the youngest manager in the Football League.[4] In his first season in the club MK Dons finished 5th in 2010-11 Football League One. They faced Peterborough United in the play-off semifinals. Although they won the first leg 3-2, a 2-0 defeat at London Road meant they missed out on the play-off final.

Supporters club recognition

On 4 June 2005, at the 2005 Football Supporters' Federation "Fans' Parliament" (AGM), the FSF refused 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 "franchising" of other football clubs in the future.[5][6] 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.[7]

At its AGM on 5 June 2006, the FSF again considered a motion[8] 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[9] 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. The Borough subsequently transferred all trademarks to AFC Wimbledon. 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.[10]

On 2 August 2007, MK Dons transferred the replica trophies and all Wimbledon F.C. memorabilia to the London Borough of Merton.[11]

The Dons Name

On the 23rd May 2011, the Wimbledon Independent Supporters Association called on Milton Keynes Dons FC to remove Dons from their name. WISA believes that they should have a name that reflects their local community and not one connected with Wimbledon. In a statement [12], WISA said: "WISA believes that the people of Milton Keynes would welcome a name change, new identity and for a significant proportion of them will remove some of the shame and stigma attached to a Club that claims it has community values, yet wants a nickname that is not related at all to Milton Keynes."

Stadium

stadium:mk's East Stand in 2007
Main articles: National Hockey Stadium and stadium:mk

The club's first stadium was the National Hockey Stadium, which was temporarily converted for football for the duration of the club's stay. Their lease on this ground ended in May 2007.

On 18 July 2007, the club's new 22,000 seater, stadium:mk in Denbigh hosted its first game, a restricted entrance event against a young Chelsea XI.[13] The stadium was officially opened on 29 November 2007 by Queen Elizabeth II.[14] 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 MK Lions basketball team will be based. The completion of this arena has been delayed due to deferral of proposed commercial developments around the site.[15]

In May 2009 stadium:mk was named as one of 15 stadia put forward as potential hosts for the unsuccessful England 2018 FIFA World Cup bid. Plans were announced to extend the capacity to 44,000.[16]

League history

Only seasons played by Milton Keynes Dons are given here. For a statistical history of Wimbledon F.C., see List of Wimbledon F.C. seasons.
Statistics are correct as of 2 May 2009.[17]
Season League FA Cup League
Cup 		Other competitions Top scorer Average
Attendance
Division P W D L F A Pts Pos Name #
2004–05 League One 46 12 15 19 54 67 51 20th R3 R2 Football League Trophy R2S Izale McLeod 18 4,896
2005–06 League One 46 12 14 20 45 66 50 22nd R3 R1 Football League Trophy QFS Izale McLeod 18 5,619
2006–07 League Two 46 25 9 12 76 58 84 4th R2 R3 Football League Trophy R2S Izale McLeod 24 6,033
2007–08 League Two 46 29 10 7 82 37 97 1st R1 R2 Football League Trophy W Mark Wright 15 9,456
2008–09 League One 46 26 9 11 83 39 87 3rd R1 R2 Football League Trophy R2S Aaron Wilbraham 16 10,550
2009–10 League One 46 19 7 20 60 68 60 12th R3 R1 Football League Trophy FS Jermaine Easter 19 10,290
2010–11 League One 46 23 8 15 67 60 77 5th R1 R3 Football League Trophy R2 Sam Baldock 14 8,512

Players

As of 20 June 2011.[18]

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK England ENG David Martin
3 DF England ENG Dean Lewington (captain)
4 DF France FRA Mathias Kouo-Doumbé
5 DF Scotland SCO Gary MacKenzie
7 MF Ireland EIR Stephen Gleeson
8 MF Republic of Ireland IRL Darren Potter
10 FW England ENG Sam Baldock
14 FW England ENG Lewis Guy
18 MF England ENG George Baldock
19 FW England ENG Jabo Ibehre
No. Pos. Nation Player
12 MF England ENG Adam Chicksen
24 DF England ENG Tom Flanagan
25 FW Republic of Ireland IRL Charlie Collins
26 MF England ENG Luke Chadwick
17 FW England ENG Daniel Powell
—13 MF Ireland EIR Shaun Williams
—21 MF England ENG Harry Milton
—9 FW England ENG Dean Bowditch

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player

Reserves

From the start of the 2008–09 season, no reserve side has been entered into any organised competition or league.[19]

Former players

For a list of all Milton Keynes Dons players, past or present, see Category:Milton Keynes Dons F.C. players.

Notable players

Dean Lewington, the present captain of MK Dons, has played more matches for the team than any other player. Pictured in 2011, he is also the only former Wimbledon player left in the club's squad.
This list contains players who have made 100 or more league appearances. Appearances and goals apply to league matches only; substitute appearances are included. Names in bold denote current MK Dons players.
Statistics are correct as of 21 June 2011.[20]
Name Nationality Position[A] MK Dons
career		 Apps Goals Notes
Gareth Edds  Australia Midfielder 2004–08 122 10
Willy Guéret  France Goalkeeper 2007–2011 133 0
Dean Lewington  England Defender 2004– 301 10 [B]
Peter Leven  Scotland Midfielder 2008– 107 22
Izale McLeod  England Forward 2004–07 116 54
Sean O'Hanlon  England Defender 2006–11 157 15
Clive Platt  England Forward 2005–07 102 27
Aaron Wilbraham  England Forward 2005–11 178 50

Technical staff

Karl Robinson England First Team Manager
John Gorman Scotland Assistant Manager
Paul Heald England Goalkeeping Coach
Simon Crampton England Head of Sports Medicine
Paul Mitchell England Chief Scout
Mike Dove England Director of Youth / Under 18s Manager
Matt Hillyer England Fitness Coach
Karim Suleman England Head Academy Physiotherapist
Joe Aylett England Head Groundsman
Dr Martin Cave England Club Doctor
Dr Turab A SYED England Academy Doctor

Managers

Paul Ince, pictured in 2006, managed the club over two spells between 2007 and 2010.

The first manager of Milton Keynes Dons was Stuart Murdoch, who had previously been manager of Wimbledon.[21] Murdoch only lasted three months before being sacked[22] — his assistant, Jimmy Gilligan, managed the club for a month before Murdoch's replacement was revealed to be Danny Wilson.[22][23][24] Wilson managed to keep the team up during the inaugural 2004–05 season,[17] but failed to repeat this feat during the next season.[17] Following relegation,[17] Wilson was shown the door and replaced with Martin Allen.[25] After Allen's team fell at the play-offs,[17] he left to manage Leicester City.[26] Paul Ince was appointed manager for the 2007–08 season,[27] and proved to be a shrewd appointment as MK Dons won the League Two championship as well as the Football League Trophy.[17] Ince too left after only a season, to become manager of Blackburn Rovers.[28] Former Chelsea player Roberto di Matteo was then appointed in July 2008,[29][30] and left after a season to manage West Bromwich Albion.[1] Ince was reappointed in his stead on 3 July 2009.[2] Paul Ince resigned as Manager on April 16, 2010, stating "a reduction in funds for next season was the reason behind his decision to leave", although he will remain with the club until the end of the 2009/10 season.

Karl Robinson was appointed manager of League One team Milton Keynes Dons on 10 May 2010, having previously been the club's assistant manager under previous boss Paul Ince.[31] At 30 years of age, he is the youngest manager in the Football League and former England coach John Gorman was named his number two. He is also the youngest person to ever acquire a UEFA Pro Licence at the age of 29.

Statistics are correct as of 6 March 2010.[30]
Name Nationality From To Matches Won Drawn Lost Win % Notes
Stuart Murdoch  England 7 August 2004 8 November 2004 21 5 5 11 23.8 [21][22][C]
Jimmy Gilligan  England 8 November 2004 7 December 2004 4 2 0 2 50.0 Caretaker[23]
Danny Wilson  Northern Ireland 7 December 2004 21 June 2006 81 25 32 24 30.9 [24]
Martin Allen  England 21 June 2006 25 May 2007 46 25 9 12 54.3 [25][26]
Paul Ince  England 25 June 2007 21 June 2008 55 35 11 9 63.6 [27][28]
Roberto di Matteo  Italy 3 July 2008 30 June 2009 40 22 7 12 55.0 [1][29]
Paul Ince  England 3 July 2009 10 May 2010 44 22 4 18 50 [2]
Karl Robinson  England 10 May 2010 Present 54 26 10 18 48.1

Honours

2007–08 Champions[32]
2007–08 Winners[33]

See also

Footnotes

A. ^ For a full description of positions see Football Positions.
B. ^ Dean Lewington had previously played for Wimbledon before the club's rebranding. 7 August 2004 is the date of Milton Keynes Dons's first league match, and so is given as the date on which Lewington ceased to play for Wimbledon and began to play for Milton Keynes Dons.
C. ^ Stuart Murdoch had previously managed Wimbledon before the club's rebranding. 7 August 2004 is the date of Milton Keynes Dons's first league match, and so is given as the date on which Murdoch ceased to manage Wimbledon and began to manage Milton Keynes Dons.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Baggies confirm Di Matteo as boss". BBC. 2009-06-30. Retrieved 2009-07-01. [dead link‍]
  2. ^ a b c "Ince reappointed as MK Dons boss". BBC. 2009-07-03. Retrieved 2009-07-03.
  3. ^ Paul Ince announces that he will leave MK Dons at the end of the season
  4. ^ "Dons spring surprise by appointing Robinson as new boss". BBC. 2010-05-10. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
  5. ^ FSF Annual Report for 2005 Motion 1 on pages 6
  6. ^ FSF Annual Report for 2006 minutes pages 44/45
  7. ^ "Rule changes from League's AGM". The Football League. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  8. ^ FSF Annual Report for 2006 Motion 6 (pages 6)
  9. ^ Accord on history and honours of Wimbledon F.C. WISA website.
  10. ^ FSF press release "MK Dons agree to return Wimbledon trophies to Merton - and sanction amendments to football statistics" ]
  11. ^ Merton given back Dons trophies
  12. ^ http://www.wisa.org.uk/cgi/l/articles/index.cgi?action=show&id=625
  13. ^ Dons open stadium against Chelsea. BBC. 19 July 2007.
  14. ^ The Queen visits Milton Keynes. BBC. 30 November 2007.
  15. ^ Winkelman can't guarantee arena! - MK Citizen 26 November 2008
  16. ^ Milton Keynes in dreamland after being selected for World Cup bid The Times, 17 December 2009
  17. ^ a b c d e f Richard Rundle. "Football Club History Database - Milton Keynes Dons". Football Club History Database. Retrieved 2009-04-29.
  18. ^ "Profiles". Milton Keynes Dons F.C. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
  19. ^ Reserve team sacrificed to concentrate on first team MK News
  20. ^ "Soccerbase - The Internet Soccer Database". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
  21. ^ a b "Murdoch takes reins". BBC. 2002-06-25. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
  22. ^ a b c "Murdoch axed by Dons". BBC. 2004-11-08. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
  23. ^ a b "Farewell to Jim and Martyn". Milton Keynes Dons F.C. 2004-12-22. Retrieved 2008-04-29.
  24. ^ a b "Wilson named Milton Keynes boss". BBC. 2004-12-07. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
  25. ^ a b "Dons appoint new manager". BBC. 2006-06-27. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
  26. ^ a b "Allen named new Leicester manager". BBC. 2007-05-25. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
  27. ^ a b "Ince unveiled as new MK Dons boss". BBC. 2007-06-25. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
  28. ^ a b "Blackburn appoint Ince as manager". BBC. 2008-06-22. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
  29. ^ a b "Di Matteo appointed MK Dons coach". BBC. 2008-07-02. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
  30. ^ a b "Manager History for MK Dons (formerly Wimbledon)". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
  31. ^ "MK Dons appoint Karl Robinson, 29, as their new manager". London: Daily Mail. 2010-05-11. Retrieved 2010-05-11. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  32. ^ "Bradford 1-2 MK Dons (Match Report)". BBC Sport. 2008-04-26.
  33. ^ Mitchener, Mark (2008-03-30). "Grimsby Town 0-2 MK Dons (Match Report)". BBC Sport.
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