David Cardoza

[pattcobb]

I seem to remeber Gray presiding over possibily the worst relegation the club has suffered when we dropped down to the current division without so much as a whimper.
I also rember the summer after that Gray coming out with a quote something like I know nothing about this division. To me he should have been sacked there and then, however he didn't last much longer did he?

[Zen Master]

The previous season where we finished 9th was a high and we enjoyed done great games and clearly had some talented footballers on show. The year after when we just needed a point to hang on was desperately frustrating. Definite whimper.
 Beating Leeds at home with the late Bignall goal a particular high. Much to the annoyance of many local Leeds lads I know.

[Carlo Corazzins Corduroy]

He was our best manager.... That's all I care about. You must be arguing with someone else about the rest 

He wasn't our best manager.... etc.

[guest1269]

I've always thought that Gray never got the respect he was due from a significant proportion of our support.

He was by far and away the best talent spotter and improver of players we have had since Carr. Gypes, Kyle Walker, Simon Cox, Bayo, Bradley Johnson, Bunn were all signed or improved by his coaching and he built arguably the best side of the Sixfields era. Unfortunately, he made two catastrophic mistakes in our relegation season which may or not have been influenced by budgets cuts and player sales: the continued selection of Dunn and the signing of Constantine. 

I see some parallels between Gray and Boothroyd in that AB has in the past made some very astute signings but has recently made some inexplicably poor decisions. For Dunn and Constantine read Carter and Platt.

The difference hopefully, is that while Gray persisted with Dunn and Constantine despite their shocking form, AB seems to have finally realised that the likes of Carter and Deegan aren't performing to the required standard. Hopefully the penny will finally drop re: Platt if it hasn't already. His lastest batch of signings, Blyth, Norris, Doumbe, Reid and Ravenhill, have all been decent acquisitions and there are signs that his decision making is getting back to the calmness and astuteness he showed when he first arrived.



 

Good shout - and history lesson from which we do not learn!

Dunn as a youngster should have been sent non league to hone his skills and Constantine should have never had his lazy arsed name insulting a professional team sheet.......

[FezNTFC]

I seem to remeber Gray presiding over possibily the worst relegation the club has suffered when we dropped down to the current division without so much as a whimper.
I also rember the summer after that Gray coming out with a quote something like I know nothing about this division. To me he should have been sacked there and then, however he didn't last much longer did he?

In what possible way was it the worst relegation we've ever had!? We were relegated on the very last day, hardly a whimper!

I completely agree with bundle, Gray was by and large a great manager for us, but had a bit of a blind eye when it came to Constantine. But he built a team that was actually too good for us, they were all sold on and he was never given the funds to replace them.

[lift tower]

I am firmly convinced it is down to the right man at the right time. Very few managers enjoy success at different clubs. Calderwood was a classic example of this. What he did worked really well for us. What we needed was discipline and organisation in a squad that was well paid, but lost. He brought that and managed to secure the mantle of most successful Cobblers manager. Of course there was the foolish argument that anybody could have done that with the funding he had. Well, Wilkinson didn't and neither did Fenwick. To reinforce that point. When Calderwood went on to manage on a much bigger budget, it all went wrong. It was just the right man at right time.

Are you going purely off Calderwood's winning percentage? Dave Bowen may have a lower winning percentage than him but that was because we got promoted three times under him so were playing teams of a higher standard! 3 promotions all the way to the top flight beats what Calderwood did hands down. I'd even argue what Carr did in 86/87; 99 points 103 goals beats what Colin did. If you go purely by winning percentages that makes Calderwood at 48% a more successful manager than Clough at Forest 45%!

Definitely agree with the right man at the right time theory though, look at Johnson.

[guest47]

Can any of those managers claim to have changed the way the game was played in England? Herbert Chapman can and he started the transformation at The Cobblers with great success.

[Saint Cobbler]

Dave Bowen and Calderwood - no comparison.

[DrillingCobbler]

Can any of those managers claim to have changed the way the game was played in England? Herbert Chapman can and he started the transformation at The Cobblers with great success.

Carr actually changed the way world football was played...or at least in the way Ireland did!!

[The 12th Marquis of Sixfields]

Herbert Chapman did more to change football than Graham Carr. Stuff like inventing tactics and putting numbers on shirts

[Wolvo]

A couple hours ago, I was just going for a quick tinkle in the needle and awl pub when in comes Mr David Cardoza and stands next to me at the urinal. Didn't consider it an appropriate place to thank him in person.

[A view from the east]

A couple hours ago, I was just going for a quick tinkle in the needle and awl pub when in comes Mr David Cardoza and stands next to me at the urinal. Didn't consider it an appropriate place to thank him in person.

Thank him for what ? did he piss on your shoes ?

[fwalden]

Can any of those managers claim to have changed the way the game was played in England? Herbert Chapman can and he started the transformation at The Cobblers with great success.

+1. A great manager at the time with excellent players - notably the great Fanny Walden! :-D

[Zen Master]

A couple hours ago, I was just going for a quick tinkle in the needle and awl pub when in comes Mr David Cardoza and stands next to me at the urinal. Didn't consider it an appropriate place to thank him in person.

You should have jostled by the doorway with no one able to get in or out.

[defender]

Of course it was to do with money. We were refered to as the 'Chelsea' of League Two at the time, our budget eclipsed the rest yet it took three attempts for Calderwood to finally drag us up. His tactics were as negative as Boothroyds, he just happened to have the players that created goals inspite of that. In fact his record at Forest was actually very similar to ours, they just lost patience with him quicker. If we had a more adept manager at the time we'd have pushed on earlier and not squandered money in the basement division.

              Re money ect,
              I remember when we were relegated from the 1st division, Dave Bowen said, ''I wish we had Chelsea's money and that was BEFORE the Russian went there!

[The 12th Marquis of Sixfields]

yeah thanks dave, took us from 12th in division 4 to bottom in division 4 & all for just what? £12m?

[GrangeParkCobbler]

yeah thanks dave, took us from 12th in division 4 to bottom in division 4 & all for just what? £12m?

A bargain if you ask me!! 

[Shoemaker]

When you look at it like that DCs reign at this moment in time has been a failure.
When other clubs are taken over and state a plan for future success they usually deliver.
Crawley,port vale,Stevenage,fleetwood have all moved in the right direction where we have moved backwards.
What are their boards doing right that we can't be??

[brickowski]

What are their boards doing right that we can't be??

not employing Gary Johnson?

[Saint Cobbler]

Yeovil!