- Danny Bergara
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Danny Bergara Personal information Full name Daniel Alberto Bergara de Medina Date of birth July 24, 1942 Place of birth Montevideo, Uruguay Date of death July 25, 2007 (aged 65) Place of death England Playing position Striker Senior career* Years Team Apps† (Gls)† 1958-1962 Racing Club ? (?) 1962-1967 Real Mallorca 31 (14) 1967-1971 Sevilla 95 (36) 1971-1972 Tenerife ? (?) Teams managed 19??-19?? Brunei 1988-1989 Rochdale 1989-1995 Stockport County 1996-1997 Rotherham United 1997 Doncaster Rovers 1998 Grantham Town * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).Daniel Alberto "Danny" Bergara de Medina (July 24, 1942 – July 25, 2007)[1] was a Uruguayan footballer and manager.
Contents
Playing career
Born in Montevideo, Uruguay, Bergara began his playing career at the age of 16, playing for Racing Club in the Uruguayan First Division, picking up a handful of under-21 caps for Uruguay, before moving to Spain in 1962 where he was top scorer for Real Mallorca for four seasons and Sevilla for two seasons. While playing in Spain Bergara married an English travel guide, Jan, and when he retired from playing football they moved to England.
Managerial career
Bergara coached the reserve teams at Luton Town and Sheffield United before getting his first managerial job at Rochdale in August 1988. Bergara is often wrongly referred to as the first foreign manager in English football – he was in fact preceded by managers such as the South African Peter Hauser, who managed Chester City between 1963 and 1968 – but he is believed to be the first Football League manager who did not speak English as a first language.[2] He was also the first manager born outside the British Isles to lead an English club out at Wembley, when he took Stockport County to the 1992 Autoglass Trophy final.
Stockport County
In March 1989, after just seven months at Rochdale, he took over as manager of Stockport County. He ensured their Fourth Division survival that season and prevented them from slipping into the GM Vauxhall Conference. They reached the playoffs in 1989-90, only to suffer a heavy defeat by Chesterfield in the semi-final. In 1990-91 he guided County to promotion from the Fourth-Division, missing out on the title by a single point. In 1991-92, County took the Third Division by storm beating Swansea City 5-0 on the opening day, County reached Wembley twice in the space of 10 days in the Play-Offs and Autoglass Trophy, losing 2-1 to Peterborough United in the play-offs and 1-0 to Stoke City in the Football League Trophy.
1992-93 brought a similar season for Bergara and Stockport County. The club lost in the Semi-Final play-off 2-1 to Port Vale. Stockport County lost to the same opponents in the Autoglass Trophy Final, 2-1.
1993-94 was his last full-season in charge of The Hatters another trip to Wembley losing to Burnley 2-1 again, referee David Elleray controversially sending off two Stockport players Mike Wallace and Chris Beaumont. The only time the same side has ever had two players sent of at Wembley.
Just before the end of the 1994-95, Bergara stepped down as Stockport manager and handed over the reins to coach Dave Jones
Just 306 days after his passing, County put on a brilliant tribute to the man, beating another of his former clubs Rochdale 3-2 at Wembley, a place Danny never managed to win in four attempts, with goals from Liam Dickinson, Anthony Pilkington and an own-goal by Rochdale's Nathan Stanton.
After his death County fans sung Danny Bergara's Blue and White army in his tribute.
Later career
Bergara also managed the Brunei National team and the England Under-18 and Under-20 sides, with a World Youth Cup win also to his name.
Shortly after leaving Stockport, Bergara joined Sheffield Wednesday as assistant to new manager David Pleat, but after one season departed to become manager of Rotherham United, during this stint, Rotherham had one of their worst seasons ever on record. Bergara left following the poor season. His replacement was Ronnie Moore, and the club have never looked back.
A brief spell at Doncaster Rovers followed, during which time the club were featured in the 1998 Channel 5 'fly-on-the-wall' documentary "They Think It's All Rovers".
For the 1998-99 season, he was named manager of Grantham Town, who had just won promotion to the Southern League Premier Division. A string of poor results saw Bergara become the club's Director of Football and the club's Chief Scout, Tony Kenworthy, becoming manager. Later he scouted for Sunderland.
Death
Bergara died after a short illness on July 25, 2007, one day after his 65th birthday. Following the news of his death, many Stockport County fans left their tributes in Edgeley Park's Cheadle End. On July 28, 2007 Stockport County arranged "Danny Day" when the team played Cardiff City in a pre-season friendly.
In an emotionally charged atmosphere, before kick off a powerful and hearty rendition of "My Way" by Frank Sinatra was played at Edgeley Park as it was Danny's favourite song. Managers of both teams, Jim Gannon (Stockport) and Dave Jones (Cardiff City; coincidentally the man who had succeeded Bergara as Stockport manager 12 years earlier) paid their tributes by laying down a bunch of flowers which spelt 'DANNY' in front of his beloved Cheadle End.
Before the match there was a specially designated two minutes for the fans to sing a rendition of "Danny Bergara's Blue 'n White Army", which ended up continuing for over half-an-hour. Stockport won the spectacular friendly 6-4.
External links
References
- ^ El camino de "Danny" (Spanish)
- ^ Opening the way for Wenger and Mourinho The Observer March 5, 2006
Danny Bergara managerial positions Rochdale A.F.C. – managers Bradshaw (1920) · Wilson (1922–23) · Peart (1923–30) · Cameron (1930–31) · Hopkinson (1932–34) · Smith (1934–35) · Nixon (1935–37) · Jennings (1937–38) · Goodier (1938–52) · Warner (1952–53) · Catterick (1953–58) · Marshall (1958–60) · Collins (1960–67) · Stokoe (1967–68) · Richley (1968–70) · Conner (1970–73) · Joyce (1973–76) · Green (1976–77) · Ferguson (1977–78) · Collins (1979) · Stokoe (1979–80) · Madden (1980–83) · Greenhoff (1983–84) · Halom (1984–86) · Gray (1986–88) · Bergara (1988–89) · Dolan (1989–91) · Sutton (1991–94) · Docherty (1995–96) · Barrow (1996–99) · Hamilton (1999) · Parkin (1999–2001) · Hoyland (2001) · Hamilton (2001) · Hollins (2001–02) · Simpson (2002–03) · Buckley (2003) · Parkin (2003–06) · Hill (2006–11) · Eyre (2011–)
Stockport County F.C. – managers Stewart (1894–1911) · Lewis (1911–14) · Ashworth (1914–19) · Williams (1919–24) · Scotchbrook (1924–26) · Hyde (1926–31) · Wilson (1932–33) · Westgarth (1934–36) · Kelly (1936–38) · Hunt (1939) · Marshall (1939–49) · Beattie (1949–52) · Duckworth (1952–56) · Moir (1956–60) · Flewin (1960–63) · Porteous (1963–65) · Quigley (1965–66) · Meadows (1966–69) · Galbraith (1969–70) · Woods (1970–71) · Doyle (1972–74) · Meadows (1974–75) · Hopkinson (1975) · Chapman (1975–76) · Quigley (1976–77) · Thompson (1977–78) · Summerbee (1978–79) · McGuigan (1979–82) · Webster (1982–85) · Murphy (1985) · Chapman (1985–86) · Melia (1986) · Murphy (1986–87) · Hartford (1987–89) · Bergara (1989–95) · Jones (1995–97) · Megson (1997–99) · Kilner (1999–2001) · Madden (2001) · Palmer (2001–03) · Hollins (2003) · McIlroy (2003–04) · Lillis (2004) · Turner (2004–05) · Gannon (2005–09) · Ablett (2009–10) · Simpson (2010–11) · Ward (2011) · Mathias (2011) · Hamann (2011) · Gannon (2011–)
Rotherham United F.C. – managers Heald (1925–29) · Davies (1929–30) · Heald (1930–33) · Freeman (1934–52) · Smailes (1952–58) · Johnston (1958–62) · Williams (1962–65) · Mansell (1965–67) · Docherty (1967–68) · McAnearney (1968–73) · McGuigan (1973–79) · Porterfield (1979–81) · Hughes (1981–83) · Kerr (1983–85) · Hunter (1985–87) · Breckin (1987) · Cusack (1987–88) · McEwan (1988–91) · Henson (1991–94) · Gemmill and McGovern (1994–96) · Bergara (1996–97) · Moore (1997–2005) · Knill (2005) · Harford (2005) · Knill (2005–07) · Robins (2007–09) · Moore (2009–11) · Scott (2011–)
Doncaster Rovers F.C. – managers Porter (1920–21) · Tufnell (1921–22) · Porter (1922–23) · Ray (1923–27) · Menzies (1928–36) · Emery (1936–40) · Marsden (1944–46) · Bestall (1946–49) · Doherty (1949–58) · Bycroft (1958) · Hodgson (1958) · Crayston (1958–59) · Bestall (1959–60) · Curtis (1960–61) · Malloy (1961–62) · Marshall (1962) · Hold (1962–64) · Leivers (1964–66) · Kettleborough (1966–67) · Raynor (1967–68) · McMenemy (1968–71) · Setters (1971–74) · Anderson (1975–78) · Bremner (1978–85) · Cusack (1985–87) · Mackay (1987–89) · Bremner (1989–91) · Beaglehole (1991–93) · I. Atkins (1993–94) · Chung (1994–96) · Dixon (1996–97) · Weaver (1997) · Cowling (1997) · Bergara (1997) · Weaver (1997–98) · Snodin (1998–00) · M. Atkins (2000) · Penney (player) (2000) · Wignall (2000–01) · Penney (player) (2001–02) · Penney (2002–06) · Walker (2006) · O'Driscoll (2006–11) · Saunders (2011–)
Categories:- 1942 births
- 2007 deaths
- Racing Club de Montevideo players
- CD Tenerife players
- Doncaster Rovers F.C. managers
- People from Montevideo
- RCD Mallorca footballers
- Rochdale A.F.C. managers
- Rotherham United F.C. managers
- Sevilla FC footballers
- Stockport County F.C. managers
- Grantham Town F.C. managers
- Uruguayan footballers
- Uruguayan football managers
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