World Cup Bid 2018

[Bailo]

Liverpool facing ultimate cup upset if Milton Keynes makes the grade

 

Times

 

The World Cup map of English football will be drawn tomorrow and some of its most historic names could miss out on the riches that would flow from the 2018 tournament. Fifteen cities campaigning to be hosts for the 2018 World Cup will be whittled down to be included in England’s bid that will go to Fifa next year.

 

The decision will be announced tomorrow by Lord Mawhinney, chairman of the Football League and the selection panel, but already a shudder has rippled through football’s establishment as they realise they could miss out.

 

Liverpool is the most vulnerable, an historic football city with two great clubs but no great stadiums. But Milton Keynes, which has only had a league club for five years, has already impressed and could be one of the surprise additions to the England package of proposals handed to Sepp Blatter, the Fifa president, next May.

 

Andy Anson, the England bid chief executive, read the Milton Keynes submission first and emerged “very impressed” by what he thought was an exciting and interesting proposition.

 

Pete Winkelman, chairman of MK Dons, who will present the city’s case tomorrow morning, dare not believe that his fledgeling outfit could muscle their way into the elite of world football. “It is just amazing that we have gone so far, so quickly,” he said. “What we must tell the bid people is how passionate we are about our football. We have to change any idea that only the big clubs or big teams can host this World Cup. We can and we really want to.”

 

Liverpool’s bid was tripped on the starting line when Everton’s proposals for a new stadium in the Kirkby district of the city were turned down the night before their bid book was handed in last month. There is still no viable alternative to Goodison Park, while Liverpool say they will soon have funding for a new Anfield. But with no concrete proposals or financing, the selection panel will have to think hard before risking adding the city to the England bid.

 

What has emerged from the first stumbling months of England’s bid, hampered by political infighting and public dissent, is the passion of fans, clubs and politicians alike for the first World Cup on home soil since 1966.

 

Richard Tims, chairman of Sheffield FC, officially the world’s first football club, has been on a personal mission to round up support for an England bid. He has already signed up four key men on the Fifa executive — including Blatter — as Sheffield FC members and intends to woo others. “We have to have a World Cup in England again,” Tims said. “We have everything here — the history, the fans, the teams, the stadiums. Everything.”

 

Tims has helped the Sheffield bid, which is one of those presented to the selection panel today, alongside Leicester, Nottingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Plymouth. Birmingham, Derby, Leeds, Hull, Sunderland and a joint Newcastle and Gateshead team made their presentations yesterday. Bristol, Milton Keynes and London are tomorrow.

 

For all 15, it has been an expensive and thorough task, fulfilling about 150 technical details, from the size of stadiums to transport, the availability of hotel beds, legacy, security, and even the attractiveness of each city. Each city is also required to put £250,000 into the campaign pot to finance the bid up to the final vote by the Fifa executive next December.

 

If Fifa’s decision is eventually based on the sheer enthusiasm of each bidding nation, England will win hands down with people like Tims and Winkelman involved.

 

“The enthusiasm shown by the cities throughout the process has been incredible and the support from around the country shows that the country is firmly behind England’s bid to host the World Cup,” Mawhinney said. “The selection panel’s job over the next three days is a tough one. It is vital we are as thorough as possible through to the end of the process.”

 

Why does Liverpool getting to be a host city reside on us getting two new stadiums built? I don't see Nottingham, Leicester, Milton Keynes, Bristol and Sheffield having better facilities than Liverpool, even if we had to stick with Anfield and Goodison.

[Sion]

The fact MK is a total s*** hole should have some baring

not that england will even win at this rate anyway.

[Jarg Armani]

I hope Liverpool does miss out.

 

The more wake up calls our fans get the better, one day they might even have a stretch and get out of bed.

 

Wishful thinking though, we'll just end up having the self destructive circular argument about groundshare again.

[Gunga Din]

i dont hope Liverpool miss out. it will bring a lot of much needed trade and revenue into the city

[stressederic]

If the 2018 team have really had a conversation which goes;

 

"We need to find a potential replacement for Liverpool. It needs to be a vibrant city, synonymous with good football, excitement and English history."

 

"How about Milton Keynes?"

 

Then the bid deserves to fail.

[Bailo]

Liverpool in. Committee happy to have the new stadium, or if not, happy to have Anfield instead.

[domlfc]

Liverpool in. Committee happy to have the new stadium, or if not, happy to have Anfield instead.

Anfield it is then!

[Cobs]

Milton Keynes are in too

[Leo No.8]

Milton Keynes are in too

 

MK done and dusted.

[Jacks Jackie Jackson]

As if an iconic football city such as Liverpool COULD miss out. The committee presenting the bid will want as much kudos as possible and Liverpool gives them that in bucketloads. Milton Keynes may have a better stadium (I have no idea if it has or not) but lacks the wow factor on the name alone.

[Stevie H]

concrete cows and the open university. i f***ing hate milton keynes, appalling place.

[John am Rhein]

Is Middlesbrough in?

[Murphman]

concrete cows and the open university. i f***ing hate milton keynes, appalling place.

 

 

We played an MK side in the county cup a couple of weeks ago, the surrounding area is beautiful, they were a nice bunch too*.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* Considering we blitzed them 7-3 playing 'Murph's patented total football'

[Stevie H]

We played an MK side in the county cup a couple of weeks ago, the surrounding area is beautiful, they were a nice bunch too*.

* Considering we blitzed them 7-3 playing 'Murph's patented total football'

it's a f***ing dreadful place. we had a saturday match there years ago and we missed the kickoff because we couldn't find the f***ing ground. every b*stard roundabout there is exactly the same. green hump on it, some flowers on it and a cookie cutter pub alongside it. terrible sh*thole of a place.

[Murphman]

it's a f***ing dreadful place. we had a saturday match there years ago and we missed the kickoff because we couldn't find the f***ing ground. every b*stard roundabout there is exactly the same. green hump on it, some flowers on it and a cookie cutter pub alongside it. terrible sh*thole of a place.

 

 

Of all the slum areas in the big cities, all the sink estates, the depressed run down areas of the north east, Salford, Liverpool and London , you call Milton Keynes a sh*thole because it has lots of roundabouts and a lack of imaginantion in the local parks department?

 

F*cking schnob.

[Cobs]

the ground is schit and in the middle of nowhere though

[Stevie H]

Of all the slum areas in the big cities, all the sink estates, the depressed run down areas of the north east, Salford, Liverpool and London , you call Milton Keynes a sh*thole because it has lots of roundabouts and a lack of imaginantion in the local parks department?

 

F*cking schnob.

 

at least those places are f***ing real and have some degree of character and authenticity. milton keynes is like a fifty square mile barratt estate combined with some devious maze which it's impossible to escape. it's f***ing depressing. i reckon there are people driving round there still who don't know that the falklands war ended.

[johngibo YPC]

the ground is schit and in the middle of nowhere though

 

I got back from holiday on the day of the Charity Shield. Flew in to Luton and had to get a bus to Milton Keynes and then a train to Liverpool. So i scheduled myself a bit more time in Milton Keynes than i needed so i could watch the second half. No pubs anywhere near the station though. Not one. No worries i thought, i'll just head to the ground. Surely some pubs round there. No. Only one that opened on matchdays only. And no one about to ask because it was like a f***ing American freeway system and everyone seemed to be driving. Tried a travel lodge i saw but they didn't have a TV in a public area. Asked them about where i could watch it and they didn't know. Went back the station.

 

f*** You Milton Keynes

[Buzz]

I got back from holiday on the day of the Charity Shield. Flew in to Luton and had to get a bus to Milton Keynes and then a train to Liverpool. So i scheduled myself a bit more time in Milton Keynes than i needed so i could watch the second half. No pubs anywhere near the station though. Not one. No worries i thought, i'll just head to the ground. Surely some pubs round there. No. Only one that opened on matchdays only. And no one about to ask because it was like a f***ing American freeway system and everyone seemed to be driving. Tried a travel lodge i saw but they didn't have a TV in a public area. Asked them about where i could watch it and they didn't know. Went back the station.

 

f*** You Milton Keynes

Is exactly what it is/was. Apparently the idea for Milton Keynes came from the American block system, only they used circles instead/aswell. I have found this system both very easy to navigate around and also very f***ing confusing.

[Cobs]

at least those places are f***ing real and have some degree of character and authenticity. milton keynes is like a fifty square mile barratt estate combined with some devious maze which it's impossible to escape. it's f***ing depressing. i reckon there are people driving round there still who don't know that the falklands war ended.

 

 

then we should make the Argies play their group games there for a laugh !

[Buzz]

at least those places are f***ing real and have some degree of character and authenticity. milton keynes is like a fifty square mile barratt estate combined with some devious maze which it's impossible to escape. it's f***ing depressing. i reckon there are people driving round there still who don't know that the falklands war ended.

Don't forget the concrete cows.

[Murphman]

then we should make the Argies play their group games there for a laugh !

 

 

hahaha.

[Murphman]

at least those places are f***ing real and have some degree of character and authenticity. milton keynes is like a fifty square mile barratt estate combined with some devious maze which it's impossible to escape. it's f***ing depressing. i reckon there are people driving round there still who don't know that the falklands war ended.

 

 

It's a new town, they're all sh*t compared to diverse established towns. But there's space and countryside, good housing and facilities. There's a lot worse places, there's a lot better too but you have to be able to afford to live in them. No, for working class people trying to escape poor conditions I'd say MK is alright.

[Stevie H]

It's a new town, they're all sh*t compared to diverse established towns. But there's space and countryside, good housing and facilities. There's a lot worse places, there's a lot better too but you have to be able to afford to live in them. No, for working class people trying to escape poor conditions I'd say MK is alright.

 

that's very magnanimous of you commodore.

[fyds]

Of all the slum areas in the big cities, all the sink estates, the depressed run down areas of the north east, Salford, Liverpool and London , you call Milton Keynes a sh*thole because it has lots of roundabouts and a lack of imaginantion in the local parks department?

 

F*cking schnob.

Murph, run down is one thing, that's the history and deprivation of an existing older placde - MK was built like that from scratch and resembles nothing so much as a giant caravan site but with concrete caravans. It's a hideous place with less soul than Swindon.