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DANNY BERGARA RIP

He'll Be Remembered Forever...A True Great 

When Jim Gannon agreed with Dave Jones' Cardiff that they should replace Manchester City in their home friendly on the 28th July 2007, little did the two managers know how appropriate the two should lock horns, albeit in a meaningless friendly, literally days after the tragic loss of Danny Bergara.

Sure, people will see the postponement of the City game and subsequent rearrangement with Cardiff as pure coincidence, some of course will scream fate, but I fully feel that over the course of time, it seems just the timing was just right that Jones and Gannon, who were both brought to the club by The Uruguayan lead out the sides at possibly the most emotionally charged Edgeley Park since the Carlisle game.

I think somebody somewhere was looking over us that day. In an industry where foreign managers and players are commonplace, lots of our younger fans will be particuarly unaware on how Danny Bergara made a huge splash onto the English stage. 

Danny is believed to be the first foreign manager to take over an English League club when he took over the reigns at Rochdale and then when he arrived at County in 1989, he took hold of possibly the hardest job in football.

Danny immediately won over the heearts of the Hatters faithful and was indeed the manager in my first game at County, (so I guess he's responsible for me being bitten by the County bug all those years ago, and hence the addiction to all things county, and moving to creating this website) and began his most successful managerial spell, where he played a key role in our somewhat meteoric rise to the second tier of English football.

A player with a decent CV, the former Real Mallorca and Sevilla man also had spells in charge of Rotherham United and Doncaster Rovers - hardly glamourous clubs but with his modest yet passionate feel for the game, his arrival on the English game was a blueprint for the Wengers, Mourinhos, Houlliers and Erikssons of the modern era, mixing hard work on the training ground with a simple style of attractive football.  

Danny reigned supreme at County from 1989 and 1995, an era that coincided with the clubs rise from spending a generation in the lower teir to their promotion in 1991; four Wembley visits and becoming a whisker of taking them up to the second tier himself, before the seed was planted for Dave Jones to eventually earn the managerial plaundits in 1997. 

Danny was born in humble circumstances in Montevideo and won a handful of caps for Uruguay at U-21 level before moving hook line and sinker to Spain in 1962. Whilst playing in Spain, he married an English travel guide and it was obvious when he hung up his playing boots, he would arrive in England.

He began coaching with the other Hatters - Luton Town with their reserve side, before moving to a similar post at Sheffield United.

Danny Bergara became a forerunner for the likes Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho when he took over the reins at Rochdale, before moving to Stockport.

In addition to managing Doncaster and having a second spell at Rochdale, Bergara's CV contains managing the Brunei national team, and also worked with the England U-18 and U-20 teams. Towards the end of his footballing life, he filled a scouting role at Sunderland.

In a unique interview with The Guardian, I remember Danny saying, "It's possible that in a little way I helped open the way for the likes of Mourinho, Wenger and Eriksson. Now, though, there are too many foreigners in English football."

I'm sure other County managers down the years deserve plenty of credit for their keen eye for talent and recruitment but there certainly aren't many County managers with a record for discovering and improving players to match Danny's.

Take Alun Armstrong and Tony Dinning. Bought by Danny for about £20,000 for the pair and both players, untried at League level at the time.

Alun goes on to be sold for £1.5m to Middlesbrough and goes on to make Premiership and UEFA Cup appearances (even scoring at The San Siro). Dinning went for approximately £1m and had a very respectable career at some decent clubs at a variety of levels.

Andy Preece - Wrexham reserve. Comes to County, scores over 50 goals and goes for £250,000. Lee Todd, free from fellow traditional Fourth Division club Hartlepool United, becomes a County star / legend and loved the club so much, can still be found in the crowd for the odd game and played in the Premiership with Southampton.

Sean Connelly, playing as a student for Hallam FC, goes on to play hundreds of games and enters Hall of Fame.Mike Flynn, arguably the most influential player in recent County history, was just going through the motions at Preston North End until Danny popped up, brought him to Edgeley Park and made him a role model for thousands of young County fans. 400 games later is still remembered and associated with every single centre half ever since. Jim Gannon, then a record signing and what can be deemed now as a huge gamble, was hated by the fans at first, goes on to play 400+ games for County and Hall of Famer.

I think it's fair to say he ain't done too bad since he retired either. I think one player who deserves a special mention is Kevin Francis.

In true County 4 Life Fashion, let's be brutally honest here. He was a real ugly duckling at Derby County, an fairly un-coordinated reserve and Danny makes him a 100+ goal, million pound player and cult hero across the country. 

Throw in the names of Darren Knowles, Chris Beaumont, David Frain and current Assistant Manager Peter Ward and the list becomes even more impressive.

Here's To The Man From Uruguay..! Rest In Peace Danny.!