Fred Callaghan

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Fred Callaghan

As people might know FC works in hospitality for Fulham. Does any one remember how he use to slag the players off in Stripes after games to fans with the players in earshot. I wonder if his PR skills hve improved.
 

Fred Callaghan

Remember him laying into Lee Holmes in the stand during a Pre Season Friendly at Tooting. Not sure who looked the most embarrassed Holmes or the Bees fans in earshot. Callaghan was a Bully and had no respect for his players and I for One certainly had no respect for him after that. :nono:
 

Fred Callaghan

This is bad as I had started shagging, drinking, smoking and gambling around this time and then Fred gives me this football team to watch. They play blinding stuff and turn out to be a bunch of under achievers but it was fecking great to watch. Nothing has come close to the football on show since then.
 

Fred Callaghan

NorthamptonBee said:
This is bad as I had started shagging, drinking, smoking and gambling around this time and then Fred gives me this football team to watch. They play blinding stuff and turn out to be a bunch of under achievers but it was fecking great to watch. Nothing has come close to the football on show since then.
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They were the first Brentford side I saw who could get results, regularly, away from home and although they never achieved anything this was probably the Brentford side which gave me most pleasure as it really did look as though Callaghan was building something special at GP. Callaghan/Harris as a partnership, hard or what?
 

Fred Callaghan

That season with Mahoney and Joseph up top produced the first 3 games(from memory) 5-1 and 4-2 home wins against Bristol Rovers and Southend with a 3-2 away defeat at Wigan and a 3-3 away at Orient a few weeks later! Goals everywhere and sadly at both ends but we scored for fun up until that leg break! We were pissing that Capital Gold challenge to 80 goals in a season and then it all went wrong with that bloody cup replay and Wimbledon won it. This is all from memory and probably cack but I celebrated that 98th minute equaliser at Swindon like a madman and it proved to be our downfall.
 

Fred Callaghan

NorthamptonBee said:
That season with Mahoney and Joseph up top produced the first 3 games(from memory) 5-1 and 4-2 home wins against Bristol Rovers and Southend with a 3-2 away defeat at Wigan and a 3-3 away at Orient a few weeks later! Goals everywhere and sadly at both ends but we scored for fun up until that leg break! We were pissing that Capital Gold challenge to 80 goals in a season and then it all went wrong with that bloody cup replay and Wimbledon won it. This is all from memory and probably cack but I celebrated that 98th minute equaliser at Swindon like a madman and it proved to be our downfall.
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That could have been our season, but as you say that leg break in the Cup replay against Swindon did it for us. If only Bowen had never scored that late equaliser at their place.

:sad: :sad: :sad: :sad:
 

Fred Callaghan

But we had a poor central defence that year, which was our failing, but what a good couple years that was. 1980-81 and then 1981-82, Kamara, Bowles, Hurlock and Roberts with Joseph and Mahoney up front. Only McKellar deserves a mention at the back !!
 

Fred Callaghan

wanderer paul said:
But we had a poor central defence that year, which was our failing, but what a good couple years that was. 1980-81 and then 1981-82, Kamara, Bowles, Hurlock and Roberts with Joseph and Mahoney up front. Only McKellar deserves a mention at the back !!
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Alan sh*tehead! :nono: Was Tall and had the physique for a Centre Half but was roasted every week and consistantly beaten in the air by shorter players. Who can forget away to Gillingham in the FA Cup. :sad:
 

Fred Callaghan

Whitehead used to close his eyes when he headed the ball.
 

Fred Callaghan

Didn t we pay something like £70,000 for Whitehead?
 

Fred Callaghan

Mr Callaghan...

Taxi Driver extraordinaire
 

Fred Callaghan

The signing of Alan Whitehead was probably Callaghan's biggest blunder.

He already had more-than-decent centre-backs in Jim McNichol, Danis Salman and Pat Kruse and yet he spent a vast amount of money on Whitehead who was no more than an average low division centre-half.

If he had invested that money in a couple of good full-backs things might have been different. As it was he ended up with players like Terry Rowe, Tony Spencer, Graham Wilkins and even Bob Booker at full-back, and that's where defensively the team was weak.

Having said all that, I agree that the loss of Tony Mahoney with that broken leg was a real tragedy.
 

Fred Callaghan

HertfordBee said:
True - but at least Bolton only cost £2,000 though, as opposed to something like £78,000 for Whitehead!
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I thought Bolton was about £15K And was going to be "our Dave Mckay and lead us to the top" or more or less those words and what did he last some 6/7 games.

Didnt think Whitehead was that bad but compare with Shane Westly £150K ?
 

Fred Callaghan

It's fair to say that the signing of Ian Bolton was seen as a shrewd move in the first instance by most at GP. Didn't take long to see how wrong we were. Callaghan fell out with McNichol who was sent out on loan to Norwich at one time and Kruse had been struggling so Whitehead's signing made sense at the time. We've had some good central defenders and partnerships in my time but also some bloody awful ones.
 

Fred Callaghan

"Callaghan fell out with..." seems to be an ongoing theme.

Being so young and naive at the time I didn't realise he must have had problems with quite a few players.
 

Fred Callaghan

absenteebee said:
"Callaghan fell out with..." seems to be an ongoing theme.

Being so young and naive at the time I didn't realise he must have had problems with quite a few players.
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it did seem to be a bit of a theme of his time as manager...

- no sooner had he taken over as manager than Len Bond, Dave Carlton and John Fraser were involved in contractual disputes and either released or sold. That doesn't sound surprising nowadays but at the time it was nowhere near as common and I think it raised a few eyebrows about Callaghan's handling of the situation. He also had a major fall-out with Danis Salman and rumour had it that when David Crown surprisingly left to join Portsmouth as a swap for Chris Kamara, Crown was fed up with being criticised in public by Callaghan.

The manager's PR skills were never the best and I remember that when he took over from Bill Dodgin, one of the first things he did was to ban the players from mixing with supporters in the bar after the game and he also refused to let them speak to the local press.

If there was ever a telling comment about someone, it was when Callaghan told the press (reportedly) "I'm here to do a job, not to be popular" - but I think he took that a bit too far!!!
 

Fred Callaghan

HertfordBee said:
As it was he ended up with players like Terry Rowe, Tony Spencer, Graham Wilkins and even Bob Booker at full-back, and that's where defensively the team was weak.
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what went wrong with Terry Rowe, or rather what happened to him? I thought he looked a really good prospect that season. Spencer was very lightweight though from what i recall, and as for Wilkins, I don't think anyone other than Paul McCullough or Barry Lloyd has infuriated Bees more, I remember him dithering over a throw-in for so long that he started getting a slow hand clap from the New Road, he looked like he was going to cry!
 

Fred Callaghan

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Fred Callaghan

Chorlton Bee said:
as for Wilkins, I don't think anyone other than Paul McCullough or Barry Lloyd has infuriated Bees more, I remember him dithering over a throw-in for so long that he started getting a slow hand clap from the New Road, he looked like he was going to cry!
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when Wilkins signed a Chelsea supporter said "when he plays well, he's very good but when he has a bad game, it's painful to watch...!"

I don't think we had the benefit of too many good games from him, sadly. :(

Callaghan had tried to sign him the previous season before he finally got him!!
 

Fred Callaghan

TOMOGP said:
I thought Bolton was about £15K And was going to be "our Dave Mckay and lead us to the top" or more or less those words and what did he last some 6/7 games.
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Near enough 17 appearences in total.

The fee is correct.

Did you know that he married Bob Bookers sister?
 

Fred Callaghan

HertfordBee said:
at the time it was reported as being a "nominal fee" and Watford reported it as being around £2,000.
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I'm not sure what the transfer fee was but I do know he signed a 3 and half year deal, which was enormous back then. :eek:
 

Fred Callaghan

markbfc said:
I'm not sure what the transfer fee was but I do know he signed a 3 and half year deal, which was enormous back then. :eek:
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Timeless Bees says it was £15,000.
 

Fred Callaghan

TW3Bee said:
Timeless Bees says it was £15,000.
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Transfer fees are by and large reported inaccurately as it suits both parties.

Take Jim Leighton's transfer to Manchester United all those years ago. The fee reported to the press was 800k but the actual amount paid was half that. This suited Man U as they could announce they were splashing the cash - it was also good for Aberdeen to play along with it so they could put out they had received a large sum to placate supporters angry at him going.
 

Fred Callaghan

TW3Bee said:
Timeless Bees says it was £15,000.
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With the very greatestof respect to those who researched and published Timeless Bees (and I genuinely mean that as it's an excellent publication) there are a number of 'errors' !! :eek:
 
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