The Crazy Gang
The Crazy Gang by Dave Bassett, published by Transworld Publishers Limited in 2015, is a detailed account of the remarkable journey of Wimbledon FC, a small football team from south London that defied the odds to achieve success in the Football League. Spanning 336 pages, this edition presents an engaging narrative of how the team rose from humble beginnings to win the FA Cup in just over a decade, despite limited resources and financial constraints. The story is enriched by the insights of key figures, including manager Dave ‘Harry’ Bassett and midfielder Wally Downes, who played pivotal roles in shaping the team’s identity.
Readers will discover the fierce fighting spirit and unbreakable team ethos that defined the Crazy Gang, alongside the innovative training methods introduced by Bassett. The book features contributions from both well-known players like Vinnie Jones and Lawrie Sanchez, as well as lesser-known figures who played significant roles in the club’s history. The Crazy Gang captures the essence of football as it was experienced by fans, contrasting the club’s spirited approach with the modern landscape of the sport, characterized by high-profile players and financial excess.
Official synopsis Publisher
‘If we can sell Newcastle Brown to Japan, and if Wimbledon can make it to the First Division, there is surely no achievement beyond our reach.’ Margaret Thatcher
The Crazy Gang is the story of a football miracle. Promoted to the Football League in 1977, Wimbledon FC was a small team from south London that against the odds went all the way to the top of the First Division, then to win the FA Cup, in only just over a decade. With no money, scant resources and a blend of youth players and offcuts from other clubs, they were christened ‘Rag-Arse Rovers’. They played hard on the pitch and partied hard off it.
Dave ‘Harry’ Bassett was the manager who drilled a fierce fighting spirit into his players, an unbreakable team ethos, but he was also an underrated master tactician and pioneer of innovative training methods. Wally Downes was the midfield fulcrum of the Dons, but also the ringleader for the various acts of debauchery and general silliness that earned the club their reputation.
In The Crazy Gang, Harry and Wally are joined by a host of former Wimbledon players and staff, both famous names like Vinnie Jones, Lawrie Sanchez and Dave Beasant, but also unsung heroes in the club’s history, to tell it as it really was. This is real football, the way fans remember it, and a world away from multimillionaire Premier League primadonnas.
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