Pre Match Report City v Wimbledon Saturday 20.11.99

Crazy Gang v The Filberts

Peter Gilbert 16.11.99
I've just finished reading the Vinnie Jones Autobiography 'Confessions of a Bad Boy' which is quite a good read until he starts trying to convince us all how Welsh he is. One priceless quote is 'My house is full of Welsh ornaments!' .   The Wimbledon connection is interesting however and all the stories about 'The Crazy Gang' appear to be true.   I would say it's a good book to any football fan really. ( OK Vinnie - just put the cheque in the post)    He openly admits that Wimbledon made no effort to play football.  The idea was to smash it (the ball) forward as often , as far and as high as possible.   That was when Harry Bassett was the manager.   Training in those days was all about fitness although they did play something called 'Harry Ball' an occasion to let off steam, there were no rules - you got the ball anyway you could and the idea was to get it up to the other end of the pitch.    No one ever really knew how you scored a goal or a point . You just played a sort of rough and tumble where fights were almost encouraged; it built team spirit was the philosophy behind it. Then Bobby Gould and Don Howe took over and suddenly everyone tried to play football and they won the cup and took scalps all over the place. Jo Kinnear arrived and the craziness and siege mentality was further perpetuated and so it goes on. They now have Sam Hamman + two Norwegian owners and now an eccentric Norwegian manager Egil Olsen who has put all his players on the internet and they all receive a detailed appraisal of their performance after a match giving them all pointers to work on in training.
Almost every year the 'experts' say   'This is the year Wimbledon are going down.'
They are the proverbial fly in the ointment, people hate playing them because just like Harry Ball anything can happen and it usually does. Anything could happen this coming Saturday but as long as we come out smelling of roses then that's OK. City v Wimbledon games tend not to be attractive affairs. It's a slogging match usually and our players seem confused when faced with a team who is prepared to work,harass and chivvy away as hard as they do.
Their fans are a rare bunch too. I remember when we played them two years ago and if they had won the match they would have gone top of the league. Their away support consisted of about 55 people.

Match Forecast: I fancy us to win - our superior quality should show.

Did You Know?

1. Wimbledon were formed in 1889 by ex pupils of The Old Central School. They were originally called The Wimbledon Old Centrals.
2. The Crazy Gang have been in the top league since 1986.
3. They won the FA Cup in 1988 against Liverpool and their keeper Dave Beasant saved a penalty in the final.  He's the only 'keeper to ever do this.
4. They got as far as the semi final of the League Cup in 1997 when we knocked them out without actually beating them.
5. Wimbledon's mercurial rise to fame started in 1977 when they were promoted into the football league from the Southern League.
6. Wimbledon's home game against Everton in Jan. 1993 was watched by an incredible 3,039 spectators.
7. When Wimbledon joined the Athenian League in 1920 they fielded big band leader Billy Cotton in their line up.
8. Former PM Mrs Margaret T******r once said 'If we can sell Newcastle Brown in Japan and Wimbledon can make it into Div 1. - then there is no achievement that is beyond us.' Or rather that's what one of her script writers told her to say.