Nothing fills me with greater pleasure than getting that huge sense of nostalgia reading and watching famous (or, in the case of this diary, infamous) football teams of the past. From Rinus Michels and Johann Cruyff’s ‘Total Football’ at the 1974 World Cup to Roma’s 2001 Scudetto win boasting a front three of Vincenzo Montella, Gabriel Batistuta and Francesco Totti, the history books are full of great teams gaining cult status among football fans across the globe.

However, a particular cult team of the 80s and 90s caught my attention whilst scrolling though a series of sports documentaries online last week. Milan? No. Ajax? No. Steaua Bucharest’s 1986 Champions League winning side? Forget it. I clicked on BT Sport’s excellent film, The Crazy Gang, documenting Wimbledon’s path to winning the 1988 FA Cup and thought to myself, ‘Why not create something similar on Football Manager 2020?’

For those who don’t know, the Crazy Gang was a nickname given to Wimbledon FC by the British media because of their aggressive and macho playing style on the pitch during the 80s and 90s. So here I am, introducing to you my series of diary entries detailing my path to lead the current Wimbledon side on Football Manager 2020 to FA Cup glory, by only signing players with 15+ Aggression. Before I give a run down of the key rules, I should say that this series of diary entries is partly inspired by u/Hurball’s Reddit thread on turning Millwall into the most aggressive team in the world. My aims, however, and what I am looking for in each player I sign, will be much different. Let’s take a look:

The Challenge

• Take over AFC Wimbledon and win the FA Cup by only signing players with 15+ Aggression.

The Rules

• Only sign players with 15+ Aggression attribute.
• Other priorities will be Bravery, Anticipation and Determination, but there is no minimum cap on these attributes, as signing players with all of the above attributes at 15+ will be too difficult.
• Player traits such as ‘Argues with officials’ will be looked at and prioritised, as well as personality types such as ‘Temperamental’. These are not mandatory, but they’re… encouraged.
• A 3 year deadline to remove every single player in the squad with an Aggression attribute of 14 or lower.

The Target

• Win the FA Cup with AFC Wimbledon within 6 years.

Bonus

• Other domestic titles, particularly the Carabao Cup and Premier League (wishful thinking). European success is not a priority.
• Signing a regen player with the same name as any member of the original Crazy Gang (Vinnie Jones, John Fashanu, Dennis Wise etc.) The Aggression statistic will be overlooked and worked on in training if the these players are generated and sign for Wimbledon – it’s a long shot, but you never know.

So, there’s nothing left to do but begin the Wimbledon dream. Stay tuned for Part One, and wish me luck. There’s about to be a very angry squad that needs managing…

Tom Payne

Full time Teacher, full time Football Manager enthusiast.