Crazy Gang

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For the group of British entertainers, see The Crazy Gang.

For the fictional criminal group in the Excalibur comic series, see Crazy Gang.

The Crazy Gang is a nickname coined by the UK media to describe the Wimbledon football team of the 1980s and the 1990s.

The name, originally that of a group of British comedy entertainers popular in the 1940s, was coined because of the often eccentric and boisterously macho behaviour of Wimbledon's players, who were in the habit of playing outrageous practical jokes on each other and on the club's manager, Dave Bassett. Additionally, their playing style was often accused of being basic and unsophisticated and their general approach to the game as amateurish, but the team was nonetheless very successful and the joking behaviour undoubtedly bred an intensely close team spirit.

Regardless of the criticism, or perhaps because of it, the club thrived and within only a few years, they won promotion from the bottom of the Football League to the very highest level, without ever changing either their playing style or their "us against the world" attitude.

Although the club had encouraged its players in this behaviour since the early 1980s, the nickname did not really become widespread in use, beyond the players themselves, until 1988 when, against all expectations, Wimbledon won the FA Cup by beating highly talented favourites Liverpool 1-0, with goalkeeper Dave Beasant saving a penalty during play. At the final whistle, BBC TV commentator John Motson said the (clearly prepared) line: "The Crazy Gang have beaten the Culture Club!". The name caught on nationally, began to appear frequently in newspaper reports, and was often used in TV coverage of the club.

The likes of Dennis Wise, John Fashanu, Vinnie Jones and Lawrie Sanchez are often considered as some of the high profile members of the 'crazy gang', although the club's first ever full-time apprentice, Wally Downes, is normally cited as the founder, being an inveterate practical joker.

It is equally difficult to determine precisely when the term fell out of use. However, as Wimbledon became more established in the top strata of English football, their style of play necessarily became more advanced, and their bizarre behaviour was no longer so unexpected. Indeed, the club itself began to use the nickname in its official publications as a marketing tool, to the extent that the name even appeared as a small badge on the team's playing shirts. By the mid 1990s, most of the 1988 FA Cup winning team were no longer at the club and the newer, younger players were used to a more mature and professional atmosphere. The name simply became inappropriate as a description, although the club continued to use it for some years to promote itself commercially.