Burton: Why I had to speak out

Leo Spall13 April 2012

Wimbledon's future is still unclear yet manager Terry Burton is chirpier than he was a couple of weeks ago when he told reporters he was reconsidering his position.

His team had just thrown away a three-goal lead to draw 3-3 at home against Portsmouth and the on-going saga surrounding the club?s plans to move to Milton Keynes had really got his goat.

On one side were the supporters taking every opportunity to vent their anger at Wimbledon?s owners for suggesting relocation towards the midlands.

On the other were the board and chairman Charles Koppel telling everyone who would listen that the club?s future was under threat and Milton Keynes was the only answer, regardless of the fact that the Football League had turned down the move. In the middle were the players and Burton, the former Arsenal youth team coach who has spent the best part of 14 years at Wimbledon ? the last 18 months as manager ? trying to improve their fortunes.

?The vibes here are the worst I have ever known,? he said following the Portsmouth clash. ?It stinks. It?s like voodoo, like someone sticking pins into us.?

Burton?s mood today, therefore, as he prepares his team to play Millwall at Selhurst Park could not have been much worse than after the Portsmouth match. A Cheshire cat lookalike he may not be, but he has taken some gratification from the small strides that have been made since the outburst which was designed to bring the club?s various factions closer together.

?I was having a moan at some of the things that were going on at the club to try to get some sort of unity,? he said.

?We were suffering with a few injuries, refereeing decisions were going against us and there was all this stuff happening off the pitch.

?It was like having the pain of a nagging toothache which you put up with for a while but finally you have to do something about it.

?I was frustrated more than anything because I want the club to be successful and these things were not helping.

?I just felt it was a case of saying we all needed to work hard together in troubled times when you need all the backing you can get.?

The result was a meeting with Koppel the morning after his cry for help. Koppel was surprised to hear that Burton was apparently thinking of leaving.

?Somebody asked me if I was considering my position and I said yes because you always have to be looking at what you are doing and what you can improve, but my intention was never to leave. That is what I told the chairman and he reiterated the board?s position that there was no way they wanted me to go.

?I have been here 14 years and that is a long time at a football club. I think you should be loyal to the club you are at and I have not gone searching for new employment elsewhere since I came here.?

Burton did not conclude that his outburst has made a great difference to what is happening at the club. But greater backing from the board cannot do any harm, even if it will not come in the form of transfer funds until the ground situation is clearer. Burton concedes that Wimbledon?s supporters should be allowed to voice their opinions. He just did not want everyone to forget that Wimbledon still had a football team who were doing all they could to mount a promotion challenge this season by playing attractive football.

The fans have only had one home game in which to show a more supportive stance for him and the players but demonstrations against Koppel dominated in the next match ? a 1-1 draw against Sheffield Wednesday ? and tonight?s game is their next chance. In between Wimbledon have won twice away and scored five goals in total without conceding against Crewe and West Brom.

Suddenly, the campaign which started with Wimbledon as one of the favourites to lead the way to the Premiership but which has been hampered by long-term injuries to Mark Williams, Dean Blackwell, Kenny Cunningham, Trond Andersen, Gareth Ainsworth and Damien Francis, did not look so bleak.

Burton said: ?We have gone a long way to changing the style of play associated with the club and in every game we try to get the ball down and build our attacks.

?Everybody admired the way Fulham played last season and we wanted to follow their example but over time they spent a lot of money.

?Of the teams who went up last time, Bolton are who we would have to follow because they managed to balance the books and get out of the division.?

The focus at Wimbledon has swung back to the football pitch rather than its location for the time being and Burton and his team are still confident they can achieve their aim of a play-off place.

?We have had our share of luck in the last two games after things had not really been going for us,? said the manager, who expects to have no new injury worries tonight.

?These things tend to even themselves out a bit throughout a season and we still have a long way to go.

?We have a squad of players who are very capable and the play-offs are still the target. We have had a tough time at the start but we are still positive and want to keep trying to play good football to get results.?

If they can do that successfully, maybe a few of Burton?s worry lines will start to fade.

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