Graham Carr

Infobox Football biography
playername = Graham Carr


fullname = William Graham Carr
dateofbirth = Birth date and age|1944|10|25|mf=y
cityofbirth = Corbridge
countryofbirth = England
currentclub =
clubnumber =
position = Half-back
years = 1962-1968
1968-1969
1969-1970





clubs = Northampton Town
York City
Bradford Park Avenue
Altrincham
Telford United
Dartford
Tonbridge
Weymouth
caps(goals) = 85 (0)
33 (1)
42 (2)




manageryears =
1977-1978
1978- ?
? -1985
1985-1990
1990
1991
1992-1995
1995
1995-1996
managerclubs = Dartford
Weymouth
Dartford
Nuneaton Borough
Northampton Town
Blackpool
Maidstone United
Kettering Town
Weymouth
Dagenham & Redbridge

William Graham Carr (born October 25, 1944 in Corbridge, Northumberland) is an English former professional footballer and football club manager.

Playing career

Carr, a half-back, joined his first professional club, Northampton Town in August 1962 and captained their reserve side before breaking into their first team. He played 27 times in Northampton's only season in the First Division. He moved to York City in June 1968 and then to Bradford Park Avenue in July 1969 where he was a regular in their final season in the Football League.

After leaving Bradford he moved into non-league football with Altrincham and Telford United, with whom he won an FA Trophy winners medal in 1971.

Management

Carr's first job in management was as player-manager at Dartford. He briefly left management to play for Tonbridge and Weymouth before being appointed player-manager of Weymouth in January 1977.

He resigned in 1978 to manage Dartford and later managed Nuneaton Borough until 1985 when he left to become manager of his first club Northampton Town. He led the Cobblers to the Fourth Division title in the 1986-87 season. However, the title winning side's leadings scorer Richard Hill was sold to Watford and his strike partner Trevor Morley to Manchester City and Carr's subsequent sides struggled for goals and went from being a free-scoring attacking side to a negative one relying on the offside trap.

He was sacked from Northampton in May 1990 after their relegation back to the Fourth Division, taking over at Blackpool, who had been relegated along with Northampton, the following month. He had a torrid time at Blackpool, where he was never popular with the home fans, who took to spitting on the dugout during home games, especially after letting the previous season's player of the year Colin Methven sign for Walsall, saying he was neither good enough nor quick enough for Fourth Division football. [cite book | first=Roy | last=Calley| coauthors= | title=Blackpool: A Complete Record 1887-1992 | publisher=Breedon Books Sport | location= | year=1992 | editor= | id=ISBN 1-873626-07-X] He was sacked in November 1990 after Blackpool were beaten 4-0 away to Tranmere Rovers in the Football League Trophy.

In February 1991 Carr was appointed as manager of Maidstone United, who had just sacked Keith Peacock following a run of poor results. Carr's time at Maidstone was also unhappy; a series of poor signings and baffling tactical decisions saw the team slump towards the foot of the table, and the Maidstone fans chanting for the board to sack him, which they did in October 1991, less than a year before the Kent side were forced to resign from the Football League.

Carr took over as manager of Kettering Town in September 1992, with the club in administration and under the threat of a winding-up order. Despite these off the field problems, Carr led the club to mid-table safety in the Football Conference. Kettering came out of administration in the summer of 1993 and Carr built on the relative success of the previous season, taking the side to within three points of the Conference title. He left Kettering at the end of the 1994-95 season after losing the fans' support, despite Kettering finishing sixth in the Conference.

He was not out of work for long, returning to Weymouth as manager on May 12, 1995, but resigned in September the same year.

In more recent times, he has built a good reputation as a scout for Tottenham Hotspur and is currently working for Manchester City.

Personal life

He is the father of comedian Alan Carr.

ee also

*Blackpool F.C. season 1990-91

References

External links

* [http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player/grahamcarr.htm Independent site profile]