Stadium MK consortium offered this proposition to several Football League clubs, including Luton Town, Crystal Palace, Barnet, Queens Park Rangers, and Wimbledon F.C.. Wimbledon F.C., who had groundshared at Crystal Palace's Selhurst Park ground since 1991, adopted the Milton Keynes plan after the appointment of a new chairman, Charles Koppel, in January 2001. Koppel said that such action was necessary to prevent Wimbledon F.C.'s going out of business. He announced Wimbledon F.C.'s intent to move on 2 August 2001 with a letter to the Football League requesting approval, stating that Wimbledon had already signed an agreement to relocate and "subject to the
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.–Crystal Palace F.C. rivalry Brighton for the 1986–87 season. The rivalry between the two clubs carried on throughout the 1980s. Following their joint promotion to the First Division in 1979, the teams met four times in the top flight with Palace failing to record a victory against Brighton. In 1982, Crystal Palace chairman Ron Noades appointed Alan Mullery as Palace manager, which was met with hostility by Palace fans. Crowds at Selhurst dropped significantly partly as a result of the appointment, and Mullery's record against Brighton as Crystal Palace manager was poor, losing both his clashes against the Seagulls. Mullery eventually left the club