Barry Fry

Infobox Football biography
playername = Barry Fry
fullname = Barry Francis Fry
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1945|4|7|df=y
cityofbirth = Bedford
countryofbirth = England
position = Inside forward
currentclub = Director Of Football, Peterborough United FC
youthyears = 1960–1962
youthclubs = Manchester United
years = 1962–1964
1964–1965
1965–1966
1966–1967
1967–1968
1968
1968–1969
1969–1972
1972–197?
clubs = Manchester United
Bolton Wanderers
Luton Town
Leyton Orient
Gravesend & Northfleet
Leyton Orient
Romford
Bedford Town
Dunstable Town
caps(goals) = 00 (0)
03 (1)
06 (0)
13 (0)
0? (?)
0? (?)
0? (?)
0? (?)
0? (?)
manageryears = 1974–1976
1976–1977
1977–1978
1978–1985
1985–1986
1986–1993
1993
1993–1996
1996–2005
2006
managerclubs = Dunstable Town
Hillingdon Borough
Bedford Town
Barnet
Maidstone United
Barnet
Southend United
Birmingham City
Peterborough United
Peterborough United (joint caretaker role with Ron Atkinson)

Barry Francis Fry (born April 7 1945 in Bedford, England) is an English football manager. A former Manchester United apprentice as a winger, his playing career involved brief spells with Bolton Wanderers, Luton Town and Leyton Orient, before he retired prematurely due to injury. He has managed Dunstable Town, Bedford Town, Maidstone United, Southend United, Barnet, Birmingham City and, most recently, Peterborough United, Fry is currently director of football at Peterborough.

Career

In 1974, Dunstable Town received the financial backing of Keith Cheesman. He hired a young Barry Fry as manager, and gave him money to build up a strong team; indeed in his autobiography, Fry claims that he was often given blank, signed cheques. Of note, both Jeff Astle and George Best were brought in to play for the team (Best only actually playing three competitive games). Dunstable were promoted under Fry, but he was later dismissed by Cheeseman's successor, Billy Kitt, after a poor performance in the Southern League.

After spells at Hillingdon Borough and hometown club Bedford Town, in 1979 Fry became Barnet manager for the first of two management spells covering almost thirteen seasons. In his first spell, Barnet maintained a mid-table position in the Alliance League for six seasons before Fry left in December 1985 to manage Maidstone United. He returned to Barnet in August 1986 for a further seven seasons. Three times runners-up in the GM Vauxhall Conference, Fry achieved his first managerial success as Champions in 1990–91. Two years later he guided them towards the new Division Two (leaving two months before the end of the season to manage Southend) despite being sacked eight times and reinstated each time by controversial chairman Stan Flashman, as well as being in charge of a club which was in a precarious financial state and under threat of expulsion from the Football League.

Fry moved to Southend United in 1993 with the club bottom of Division One. Fry kept Southend up, but later in the year moved to Birmingham City. Though Birmingham were relegated in his first season, he won the Division Two championship in 1995 and also reached the finals of the Football League Trophy. During the 1995–96 season, Fry guided the Blues to the semi-finals of the League Cup but was sacked after their mid-season promotion hopes faded and the club finished 15th in Division One.

Just after leaving Birmingham, Fry became chairman-manager of Peterborough United. They were relegated to Division Three in his first season at the helm but they regained their Division Two status three years later. Fry's nine-year reign as manager came to an end in May 2005 after they were relegated again, after which time he took up a role as director of football. [Cite news
title = Director of football role for Fry
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/peterborough_united/4518195.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2005-05-05
accessdate = 2008-04-26] Fry remained as chairman until September 2006 when Darragh MacAnthony succeeded him.

Management style

Fry's many and often erratic dealings in the transfer market led to lifelong Birmingham City supporter Jasper Carrott claiming Fry "was probably trying to sort out the unemployment problem single-handed!". In a game against Huddersfield Town in 1995, Birmingham City took the lead, and Fry memorably leapt from the dugout and charged down the length of the touchline flailing his arms around like a windmill, before leaping into a commentators booth. Such antics were rarely seen when matches were not being shown on television.

Fry was often renowned for his attacking brand of football, although his tactics often meant his teams conceded as many goals as they scored.

Fry in popular culture

Fry starred in a documentary called "There's Only One Barry Fry". The programme included some of Fry's dressing room antics, including a row with Mick Bodley and his promise to get the Posh out of Division Two. Fry's Peterborough United were later the subject of Sky One's 2006 documentary series "Big Ron Manager" in which Ron Atkinson was bought in as a troubleshooter to help Fry and the management team during Peterborough's quest for promotion. The series was most known for seeing Peterborough manager Steve Bleasdale quit his position just 70 minutes before a match in front of his team in the dressing room. Bleasdale cited too much interference as his reason. This is thought to be mainly from Fry and Atkinson.

Fry still occasionally takes charge of both legend and pro-celebrity teams whenever Birmingham City hold either testimonial or fund raising games at their home ground, St Andrews.

His son Adam currently plays for Hinckley United.

Notes

References

*cite book
author=Matthews, Tony |title=Birmingham City: A Complete Record |year=1995 |publisher=Breedon Books |location=Derby |pages=pp. 66–67 |isbn=978-1-85983-010-9
*cite web
url=http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player/barryfry.htm |title=Barry Fry |author=Brown, Neil |publisher=Post War English & Scottish Football League A - Z Player's Database
*cite web
url=http://www.leaguemanagers.com/manager/profile-26.html |title=Manager profile |publisher=League Managers' Association