MK DONS HAS THE FRANCHISE WORKED?
FourFourTwo UK|Summer 2023
Twenty years after their divisive move to Milton Keynes, the club tumbled into League Two in May, amid dwindling crowds at the gigantic Stadium MK. FFT weighs up the first two decades outside of London for a team whose stigma shows no signs of fading
Leo Moynihan
MK DONS HAS THE FRANCHISE WORKED?

In 1967, the people at ITN travelled to a small, agricultural village in North Buckinghamshire called Milton Keynes. Home to 200 residents, the village and its surrounding areas had been designated to house a new town; a place to accommodate the post-war overspill of people needing new homes and a new life. A reporter, taking the opinions of those already living there, found a settled community, suspicious of change. "It's the Londoners," one woman said with a smile. "We just don't like them."

Fast-forward 56 years and within that new town, in a 30,500-capacity multipurpose stadium, you can hear a chant. "No one likes us, no one likes us, we don't care."

A lot has happened between ITN's visit and the present day, from the city folk who moved into a freshly constructed town to the south London football club that followed them. But while the locals' distrust of their new neighbours subsided long ago, there remains much scepticism around England's most resented football team.

EXIT, PURSUED BY A WOMBLE

The final score was 2-1. In May 2002, after an FA arbitration meeting, a three-man independent commission gave their decision. Two of them voted in the affirmative and one voted against. Wimbledon FC would be allowed to move a full 60 miles up the road to Milton Keynes.

This story is from the Summer 2023 edition of FourFourTwo UK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the Summer 2023 edition of FourFourTwo UK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM FOURFOURTWO UKView All
Over the Top with Brian Clough - The legendary former Derby and Nottingham Forest manager was a columnist for FourFourTwo from 2001 until his death in 2004 at the age of 69 - not all of his forecasts came true, though he was never short of an opinion...
FourFourTwo UK

Over the Top with Brian Clough - The legendary former Derby and Nottingham Forest manager was a columnist for FourFourTwo from 2001 until his death in 2004 at the age of 69 - not all of his forecasts came true, though he was never short of an opinion...

The legendary former Derby and Nottingham Forest manager was a columnist for FourFourTwo from 2001 until his death in 2004 at the age of 69 - not all of his forecasts came true, though he was never short of an opinion...

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2024
"THE PLAYERS DIDN'T SEE KEVIN KEEGAN'S 'MELTDOWN' AS ANYTHING NEGATIVE. WE LOVED HIM FOR HIS PASSION"
FourFourTwo UK

"THE PLAYERS DIDN'T SEE KEVIN KEEGAN'S 'MELTDOWN' AS ANYTHING NEGATIVE. WE LOVED HIM FOR HIS PASSION"

The Geordie recalls King Kev's rant, shares his love for Ossie Ardiles and reveals what it's like to cross the Tyne-Wear divide

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2024
"HODDLE HAD BEEN PLAYING FOR MONACO UNDER WENGER, SO WE COULDN'T BELIEVE IT WHEN HE JOINED SWINDON HE WAS LIGHT-YEARS AHEAD!"
FourFourTwo UK

"HODDLE HAD BEEN PLAYING FOR MONACO UNDER WENGER, SO WE COULDN'T BELIEVE IT WHEN HE JOINED SWINDON HE WAS LIGHT-YEARS AHEAD!"

The tireless winger opens up on playing in his dad's shadow and making the wrong kind of headlines at Sunderland...

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2024
"I'M PROUD TO BE THE FIRST AFRICAN IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE - BUT LOOK WHO CAME LATER"
FourFourTwo UK

"I'M PROUD TO BE THE FIRST AFRICAN IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE - BUT LOOK WHO CAME LATER"

FFT chats to the three Boy's A Bit Special stars of Issue 1: first, a humble hotshot on rejecting Arsenal and being 'Nuddy'

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2024
AROUND THE GROUNDS
FourFourTwo UK

AROUND THE GROUNDS

Rangers' in-form keeper tells FFT he has his sights set on a Three Lions recall

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2024
WHY MESSI'S ARGENTINA HAD TO GET 'WORSE' TO CONQUER WORLD
FourFourTwo UK

WHY MESSI'S ARGENTINA HAD TO GET 'WORSE' TO CONQUER WORLD

The Albiceleste didn't have their most talented squad in 2022, and their star wasn't at his absolute peak - but 4-4-2 helped them to win anyway...

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2024
WHY 1999 WAS THE FINEST MOMENT FOR 4-4-2... AND SIR ALEX FERGUSON
FourFourTwo UK

WHY 1999 WAS THE FINEST MOMENT FOR 4-4-2... AND SIR ALEX FERGUSON

Manchester United swept to a famous Treble thanks to the management skills of their legendary boss - and a formation that suited them perfectly

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2024
HOW THE 4-4-2 BECAME BRITISH FOOTBALL'S MOST ICONIC FORMATION
FourFourTwo UK

HOW THE 4-4-2 BECAME BRITISH FOOTBALL'S MOST ICONIC FORMATION

A system of playing inspired the name for this very magazine - on these shores, for numerous reasons, it's football heritage

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2024
FINDING DIEGO
FourFourTwo UK

FINDING DIEGO

A little over a year before his untimely death at the age of 60, Diego Maradona was managing Mexican second-tier side Dorados de Sinaloa - FourFourTwo went deep into drug cartel country to track him down

time-read
10+ mins  |
November 2024
RESPECT
FourFourTwo UK

RESPECT

That's what women's football demands more than anything. Its status has grown exponentially during FourFourTwo's lifetime, but finally the long and arduous battle for recognition is starting to pay dividends

time-read
10 mins  |
November 2024