If you were part of the Wimbledon squad in the 1980s, you had to sleep with one eye open.
The Crazy Gangs predilection for a dressing room prank was legendary, with their team featuring a murderers row of some of the eras biggest hardmen and most bombastic personalities.
If Dennis Wise wasnt rubbing Deep Heat into your jockstrap, then Vinnie Jones would probably be pulling your shorts down during the team photo, all while the suit you came to work in was being ritually burned back in the dressing room.
Dave Beasant on Wimbledon pranks
Goalkeeper Dave Beasant famously captained the south Londoners to FA Cup glory in 1988, but when he arrived at the club on trial from Edgware Town in 1979, he was given the kind of welcome that one would expect from the Dons.
When I was on trial, I didnt have a car, I used to ride a motorbike and my crash helmet would get filled, the former England stopper recalls to FourFourTwo.
From my point of view, the best was talcum powder, but there were other things
Even with the talcum powder, it got into the foam of the helmet, so for a week afterwards, every time I put it on, Id come out with grey hair!
We had a tremendous team spirit in our dressing room, if things needed to be said, they were said, and you didnt hold grudges against each other.
I can see why Sir Alex Ferguson retired when he retired you cant give that hairdryer treatment to players now.
Beasants playing career stretched across five decades from his breakthrough in the late 70s right up to 2014, when he was named as a sub for Stevenage at the age of 55 during a stint as the clubs goalkeeping coach, but admits a modern player wouldnt last five minutes in that Crazy Gang dressing room.
Theyd be completely shocked we might be changing their nappy by the end of the day!
TOPICS
