AFC Wimbledon appoint Wally Downes as new manager
New boss of south-west London club, 23rd in Sky Bet League One table, apologises for social media messages "mistake"
Tuesday 4 December 2018 12:27, UK
AFC Wimbledon have appointed former player Wally Downes as their new manager.
Downes, who played over 200 times as a midfielder for the Dons in the 1970s and 1980s, will be assisted by Glyn Hodges at the Cherry Red Records Stadium.
He takes over from another former Wimbledon player, Neil Ardley, who left by mutual consent in November after six years at the club.
Downes previously managed Brentford and has had coaching roles in the Premier League and Championship with Reading, Crystal Palace and West Ham.
The 57-year-old has most recently been working for Indian Super League side Jamshedpur, who were managed by Steve Coppell.
AFC Wimbledon say Downes had the "highest calibre coaching CV of any of the applicants", with over 80 applications received for the role.
The club also stated they decided to appoint Downes despite the fact they became "aware of some use of social media by Wally that is not consistent with our values".
"We have talked at length with Wally about this, who has accepted that these messages were ill-judged and he has assured us that they do not represent his views."
Downes also referenced this as he spoke about the challenge of keeping the club in League One - they are 23rd in the table going into the weekend's fixtures, seven points adrift of safety.
"I am very proud to be appointed as manager of a club I love dearly," he told their official website.
"I apologise for my previous use of social media - my comments were meant to be humorous but on reflection they were a mistake.
"I am very aware of my responsibilities as Wimbledon's manager and immensely proud to have been appointed. I am now looking forward to working flat out to help to keep the club in League One."
The current backroom staff will also retain their roles although the former Millwall, Blackburn and West Brom defender Steven Reid, who had been assisting interim manager Simon Bassey, will step down.
Former Leyton Orient and Notts County boss Kevin Nolan looked set to take the role, but Sky Sports News understands he rejected the opportunity to take on the role following talks with the club.
