‘Brutal’ pranks left Wimbledon ‘Crazy Gang’ stars constantly on edge during training

On Feb 19, 2023

Wimbledon’s ‘Crazy Gang’ were the last, and arguably most notorious, of a bygone era.

Today’s footballers wouldn’t dream of going a week without showering in an attempt to distract their opponents, or setting their team-mates’ suit on fire, or grabbing Paul Gascoigne by the knackers – and that’s probably for the best.

Tales of practical jokes between squad members could be as side-splittingly comical as they could be bone-chilling, and ex-Wimbledon keeper Neil Sullivan, who caught the tail-end of the Crazy Gang years, says the pranks got so brutal that players were constantly on edge at the training ground.

“There was something going on every day,” Sullivan said speaking exclusively to Daily Star Sport.

“It was brutal at times, but that’s just the way Wimbledon was. You’d walk in the training ground and you wouldn’t know what was going to happen.”

Despite never being able to relax, Sullivan said he enjoyed the mickey-taking atmosphere, insisting it was a good way to get people out of their shells.

What’s the most brutal prank you’ve ever been a part of? Let us know in the comments section below.

Neil Sullivan says the mickey-taking helped players get out of their shells
(Image: Getty Images)

“We’d socialise during the week, a lot of us were local lads and we knew it each other’s friends. We had a really tight bond so we could get away with a lot,” he added.

“After I got lobbed by David Beckham [the iconic half-way line goal in 1996] everyone was trying that in training. The way of dealing with things like that was to take the p*** out of people, that’s how you get out of your shell.”

Wimbledon star Robbie Earle uses a fire extinguisher to put out the flames on new signing John Hartson’s Armani suit at the club’s training ground in 1999
(Image: Getty Images)

Wimbledon players show off their bums in Crazy Gang style during a Testimonial match for Alan Cork in 1988
(Image: Getty Images)

After making over 200 appearances for the club, Sullivan left to join Tottenham in 2000. After three seasons at White Hart Lane he moved to Chelsea, providing back-up to Carlo Cudicini at the start of the Roman Abramovich era.

A year later he was on the move again, this time to Leeds, before seeing out the remainder of his career at Doncaster.