What a Wally

[Jurgen Sparwasser]

https://www.theguardian.com/football...-afc-wimbledon

[EIM]

The Kerrrrrrrazy Gang!

A backwards move in every sense. I dunno who calls the shots at Wimbledon these days but Kris must be spinning in his grave. Except he's not dead. But if he were, he'd be like one of those little hand-held fans you get.

""In the light of these discussions, we are satisfied that these do not represent Wally’s views."" - Oh. Are you aye?

[Ray de Galles]

I mentioned this on the D3 thread, I was already worried that Downes was a football dinosaur and it looks like he’s one in other ways too.

I’d have much rather he wasn’t appointed and I hear that the football board was hugely split regarding it due to his tweets. I’m glad that it’s at least been addressed in the announcement of his appointment but, as EIM says, what amounts to the “banter” defence doesn’t wash.

[EIM]

Him deleting his Twitter account is bullshit too. Not only a racist homophobe but a coward too. "Move on. Nothing to see here. I'm not even on Twitter."

Seriously. Clubs like Wimbledon *especially* should be extra aware about this stuff. But for far too many people it doesn't matter. What do his personal views have to do with picking a team, right? Leave your politics at the turnstyles. But as one former Manchester United player said to me (about Mourinho as it happens, but the point stands for every club), you're not just a manager of a club. You're a guardian and ambassador of and for it's values and philosophy. And Wimbledon have just given that job to a man who thinks Katie Hopkins and Tommy Robinson are great. And it's not good enough, is it?

Fuck Wally Downes, man. And fuck those who thought appointing him was a good idea.

[Patrick Thistle]

If no one else has mentioned it, welcome to the board, Jurgen Sparwasser.

[EIM]

He's been around for ages, bro.

[Sean of the Shed]

It feels like Wimbledon are more concerned with linking themselves to their past incarnation before the MK shit than making the right appointment. As important as that history is that is what it is. History. Why not go the whole hog and bring Dave Bassett back? Vinnie Jones was talking Downes up the other day saying what a top bloke he was, which should be enough to make you think otherwise. All the Crazy Gang larks and bantz might have been great at the time, sticking it to the football elite, but it's from another era that now seems tired and a bit repugnant like grid girls and blackface.

[Me Old Flower]

Wasn't it Downes who thought it was OK to joke about Ian Holloway's wife's cancer treatment? If so, then he's an arsehole.

[Ray de Galles]

""In the light of these discussions, we are satisfied that these do not represent Wally’s views."" - Oh. Are you aye?

"Enormous commiserations to French DJ Martin Solveig, the latest person to be filmed doing something in public that apparently doesn’t reflect who he is. The this-is-not-who-I-am defence gets a lot of run-outs these days, as cameraphones catch non-racist people being racist on buses, non-homophobic people screaming abuse at gay people outside a nightclub, or any of the other variants that increasingly adorn the age. The point is: this is not who they are."

[Ray de Galles]

It feels like Wimbledon are more concerned with linking themselves to their past incarnation before the MK shit than making the right appointment.

The thinking behind the appointment seems to be that the current squad lacks commitment, work ethic & character and has become a bland collection of identikit lower division journeymen and youth team/non-league products.

I wouldn't argue with that and have said before that they've failed to replace key players and personalities like Akinfenwa, Lyle Taylor, Barry Fuller and Paul Robinson and that recruitment (especially), training and selection policies under Ardley had become torpid. No surprise after 6 years of the same manager, who was clearly suffering burnout, even if he over-achieved for the majority of them.

It's especially difficult for many at the club as this is the first time in the 16 years since the regeneration that there has been any regression - until now it has been pretty constant forward progress.

The problem comes with the decision that the best way to counteract all this is to retreat to the comfort blanket of a previous club hero (or heroes, with Glyn Hodges) in the belief that they can somehow turn it all around by bringing in "the Crazy Gang spirit". The trouble is it's not 1988 any more and the club can't become (as I said on the D3 thread) a Sealed Knot re-enactment society for those days.

In as much as I've seen fan comment on social media (I largely try to avoid it) or heard it at Saturday's game there is a worryingly vocal element of the fanbase that believes "Wally will whip all these players in to shape and make us horrible to play against again" and I'm not convinced that's going to work. It smacks of the same thinking that had Partick Thistle's idiotic new boss have his squad training with the Army/kidnapped by the SAS or whatever it was.

And then you get to the lame casual bigotry and generally boneheaded bullshit Downes has come out with on Twitter in the past and it's just thoroughly dispiriting.

[Bored Of Education]

Wimbledon have just given that job to a man who thinks Katie Hopkins and Tommy Robinson are great.

I don't know the tweets but did he say this in them?

[Jurgen Sparwasser]

There are some screenshots doing the rounds on Twitter:

[Toby Gymshorts]

Wally Downes was, is, and will in perpetuity be, an absolute fucking prick. Congratulations to AFC for throwing all their excellent work under the bus for the sake of invoking the spirit of the 80's.

[Janik]

Wimbledon have been just another Football Club for a while now. The change probably occurred before the Kingsmeadow sale to Chelsea thing happened, but it has been publicly evident from that moment on. This particular managerial appointment is entirely in line with that view of them.

[Patrick Thistle]

.
. It smacks of the same thinking that had Partick Thistle's idiotic new boss have his squad training with the Army/kidnapped by the SAS or whatever it was.

I read this and was really confused. Then I realised you didn't mean me and thought it might amuse you that you weirded me out.

[Ray de Galles]

Very good piece about the Downes appointment on 200%.

[Bored Of Education]

Is 200% still on here?

Wimbledon are always going to held more to account for this sort of thing than other clubs (aside from possibly Dulwich Hamlet or similar) but can't really complain as they have benefitted from a lot of direct and indirect good will for their achievements. Also, any club that signed Wally Downes would have to answer questions about this appointment when the tweets were uncovered (and they would have been).

[Patrick Thistle]

The Wimbledon blog quoted by 200% is textbook apologia for bigotry.

[Ray de Galles]

It’s awful, isn’t it. Thankfully, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it at all before in all my time involved with the club and it doesn’t appear to have any significant following.

[Patrick Thistle]

It really reminded me of the kind of stuff posted by Mel Huckridge's mates.

[Jurgen Sparwasser]

It’s awful, isn’t it. Thankfully, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it at all before in all my time involved with the club and it doesn’t appear to have any significant following.

I'd say it's actually one of the most well-known WFC/AFCW fan sites around, having been around since the late 90s.