Dario Gradi

Dario Gradi, MBE (born 8 July 1941) is an Italian-English former amateur football player, coach and manager. He was associated for more than 36 years with Crewe Alexandra, where he was variously manager, director of football and director of the Academy, until October 2019.

Dario Gradi
MBE
Gradi in 2010
Personal information
Full name Dario Gradi
Date of birth (1941-07-08) 8 July 1941
Place of birth Milan, Italy
Playing position(s) Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1969–1970 Sutton United
1971 Tooting & Mitcham United
Teams managed
1976–1977 Sutton United
1978–1981 Wimbledon
1981 Crystal Palace
1983–2007 Crewe Alexandra
2008 Crewe Alexandra (caretaker)
2009–2011 Crewe Alexandra
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Gradi played as an amateur for clubs in the London area (and won an England amateur cap); he then took on various coaching roles in the region. His first major managerial success was achieved with Wimbledon after which he briefly managed Crystal Palace in 1981.

Gradi had a 24-year first spell as manager of Crewe between 1983 and 2007. He stepped down from his managerial role in 2007, handing first-team responsibilities to Steve Holland, and became technical director. At that time, Gradi was the longest-serving manager of an English football league club.[1] After two further spells as Crewe manager, he finally stepped down in November 2011 to focus on the club's youth system,[2] after managing Crewe in 1,359 first team games.

In late 2016, as the United Kingdom football sexual abuse scandal expanded, Gradi's roles at Crewe at the time of alleged offences in the 1980s and at Chelsea in the early 1970s were the subject of media scrutiny. The Chelsea allegations led to Gradi being suspended by The Football Association in November 2016. Gradi denied any wrongdoing and in February 2017 was planning an appeal against his FA suspension. However, he was heavily criticised by Chelsea's inquiry report, published in August 2019.

Early life and playing career

Born to an Italian father (who died when Dario was still a child) and an English mother, Gradi moved to London, aged four, when his mother returned after the Second World War in 1945.[3][4]

He attended Glyn Grammar School in Epsom,[5] and trained as a teacher of physical education at what is now Loughborough University from 1960 to 1963 (where he played for the university's first XI football team, alongside Bob Wilson and Barry Hines),[4][6] before returning to teach at his former school.

By this time he had already played as an amateur for Sutton United[4] and for Tooting & Mitcham United in the early 1960s.[7] He was later capped once for England's amateur side (playing in the team's British Amateur Championship tie against Scotland in Dundee in September 1967).[8] He later rejoined Sutton United, playing in the FA Amateur Cup Final against North Shields in April 1969,[9] and in the club's FA Cup 4th round tie against Leeds United in January 1970.[10] Gradi also played for Wycombe Wanderers, long before the club became fully professional.

Coaching career

After a period of teaching, Gradi became a London regional coach for the FA; this caused him to lose his amateur status and become ineligible to continue his playing career. He had a spell coaching at east London's Senrab F.C.,[11] and was appointed assistant coach at Chelsea in 1971 at the age of just 29. This was followed by coaching posts at Derby County (first team coach, 1977–78), and, later, a two-year spell at Leyton Orient (youth team coach, 1981–83).[12]

Management career

Sutton United

Gradi managed Sutton United from 1976 to 1977.[12]

Wimbledon

He took over as manager of Wimbledon in January 1978, helping the Plough Lane side win their first promotion from the Football League Fourth Division in 1978/79, although they were relegated at the first attempt. They were well on course for an immediate return to the Football League Third Division when in February 1981 an offer came for Gradi to manage struggling Football League First Division side Crystal Palace. Palace chairman Ron Noades had only recently left Wimbledon himself and saw Gradi as the ideal man to save his new purchase from relegation.

Crystal Palace

Gradi's time at Selhurst Park was not a success, as he failed to save Crystal Palace from relegation and he resigned the following November after a disappointing start to the 1981/82 season.

Crewe Alexandra

After a spell coaching at Leyton Orient, Gradi returned to management on 9 June 1983,[12] when he accepted an offer to manage Crewe Alexandra, a team who regularly finished near the bottom of the Fourth Division and had been forced to apply for re-election on several occasions in order to avoid slipping into the Northern Premier League and, since its creation in 1979, the Football Conference. His first season signings included Mark Leonard from Tranmere, John Crabbe from Hereford and David Pullar from Exeter[13] as Gradi looked to build an academy structure to develop players that could be sold to help fund the player development programme. Among his first transfer successes were Dave Waller (sold to Shrewsbury), Gary Blissett (sold to Brentford) and Geoff Thomas (sold to Crystal Palace);[14] gradually the club moved forward.

In 1988/89, after six seasons of steady progress, they won promotion to end 25 years in the league's basement division. Gradi signed a then unheard of ten-year contract with Crewe.[15] They went back down again two years later, but in 1994 won promotion to Division Two and three years after that they reached Division One for the first time in their history.

Shortly after the 1994 promotion, Gradi became the League's longest-serving manager. By 2002 he was one of just two managers, the other being Alex Ferguson, to have held their position since before 1990. He later joined the club's Board of Directors.

Gradi's contract with Crewe was one of the most controversial in the football league; it included a clause giving him a percentage of the profit on any player sold to another club.[16]

Talent spotting
"Dario is honest, diligent and remarkable. He did a great job at Crewe and proved himself to be one of our best managers."

Sir Bobby Robson[17]

His keen eye for spotting and rearing young talent is what has gained him some recognition in football. He entered into discussions with Portugal's Benfica over the vacant managerial spot in the 1980s, and was linked with the post of FA Technical Director in 1996.[18]

During the 1980s and 1990s Gradi helped launch the careers of many players who went on to play top division and international football. These include David Platt, Rob Jones, Geoff Thomas, Danny Murphy, Ashley Ward, Wayne Collins, Seth Johnson, Robbie Savage and Neil Lennon. Platt was the most successful of these players, captaining England on many occasions and also helping Arsenal win the double at the end of his playing career.

Gradi's success continued into the 2000s, when he helped players including Rob Hulse, Dean Ashton, David Vaughan, Michael O'Connor, Billy Jones, Nicky Maynard and Ashley Westwood.

Crewe Alexandra won the PFA Bobby Moore Fair Play trophy 12 times in 15 years during Gradi's reign.[19]

End of managerial career

On 20 April 2007 Gradi announced that with effect from 1 July he would relinquish first team responsibilities, becoming technical director while gradually handing over to new first-team coach Steve Holland, with Neil Baker remaining as assistant manager. Gradi was then the longest serving manager of an English football league club.[1] Gradi told the club website:

I didn't want to be a 75-year-old manager working seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. That is not healthy for the future of the club. I will probably drop dead doing the job at some point but I wanted to put that day off a bit. This is a better way to do things, to introduce this gradual transition because it will take some of the workload off me.[20]

On 18 November 2008 Gradi resumed control of Crewe's first team on a caretaker basis after a poor start to the 2008/09 season under Steve Holland had left the club bottom of League One.[21] He was in charge for just over a month before Gudjon Thordarson was announced as his successor on Christmas Eve 2008.[22] Gradi remained in charge of the team for two games during the Christmas period, with Thordarson taking over on 29 December. Following the sacking of Thordarson on 2 October 2009,[23] Gradi was again reinstated as caretaker manager which the board of directors then stated would be until further notice.

After returning as manager in 2009, on 10 November 2011 it was announced that Gradi had chosen to step down as manager, returning to his position as Director of Football. Gradi's then assistant manager Steve Davis, who had played for Crewe under Gradi from 1983 to 1987, was appointed as manager with immediate effect.[2]

Gradi announced his retirement from all positions at Crewe Alexandra on 7 October 2019, at the age of 78.[24][25]

Managerial statistics
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team From To Record Ref
PWDLWin %
Wimbledon 5 January 1977 1 January 1981 171 63 47 61 036.8 [26]
Crystal Palace 1 February 1981 10 November 1981 27 6 3 18 022.2 [26]
Crewe Alexandra 1 June 1983 21 September 20031 1,053 411 251 391 039.0 [26]
18 October 2003 1 July 2007 188 53 50 85 028.2 [26]
18 November 2008 29 December 2008 8 3 1 4 037.5 [26]
12 October 2009 13 November 2011 110 38 23 49 034.5 [26]
Crewe total 1,359 505 325 529 037.2 —
Total 1,557 574 375 608 036.9 —

1Gradi was absent from his post between 22 September and 17 October 2003, due to heart surgery. Assistant manager Neil Baker took charge of the team for this period (P6, W0, D1, L5).

Honours and tributes

In January 1998, Gradi was awarded an MBE for services to football.[27] In 2003 he was made an Honorary Freeman of the Borough of Crewe and Nantwich[28] and in the same year was awarded an honorary doctorate by Loughborough University.[4]

In 2004, Gradi won the PFA Merit Award and was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame for his services to football.[29] In 2011 at the Football League Awards Gradi was again honoured by his peers as he won the 'Outstanding Contribution to League Football' for his work at Crewe. A street in Crewe, Dario Gradi Drive, is named in his honour. The winning school in the Surrey Schools Football Association's boys under-13s competition receive the Dario Gradi Trophy.[30]

UK football sexual abuse scandal
Main article: United Kingdom football sexual abuse scandal

On 16 November 2016, former Crewe defender Andy Woodward revealed that he had been the victim of child sexual abuse by former football coach Barry Bennell (convicted in 1998) at the club in the 1980s.[31][32][33] Subsequently, six other individuals contacted the police, and on 22 November, The Guardian reported that Crewe teammate Steve Walters had been another of Bennell's victims.[34] As Gradi had been manager at the time of the abuse, and as one attack was reported to have taken place at Gradi's home but without his knowledge, Gradi was pressed to "say more about what he knew and when."[35][36] On 24 November, Gradi released a statement saying he knew nothing of Bennell's crimes:

I would like to express sympathy to the victims of Barry Bennell not only at Crewe Alexandra, but at other clubs in the North West. The first I knew of Barry Bennell's crimes was when he was arrested in the United States in 1994. I knew nothing of his crimes before this time when he was employed by us. No-one at the Football Club knew of Bennell's crimes until his arrest in 1994 and his subsequent prosecution in the United Kingdom. The football club also co-operated fully with the authorities in 2003. The club are in the process of a review and I won't be making any further comment until this is finalised."[37]

Also on 24 November, another ex-Crewe academy graduate Danny Murphy talked to the Evening Standard about Gradi:

"He was an amazing, generous, caring guy but he would never cross boundaries. I felt comfortable in his company. I felt safe in his home and under his guardianship. The more time I spent at Crewe, I notice the caution he exercised within his role. ... For example, he wouldn't come into the bedroom to wake you up but he would always shout through the door. ... I hate the fact that he might be doubted in any way or even remotely linked to such negativity and bad things. My experience is totally the opposite. ... I believe that if he had known what Barry Bennell had been doing, he would have put a stop to it."[38]

Similar character references were provided by former Crewe trainee, later Crewe Chronicle (and Cheshire Live) journalist, Peter Morse,[39] and former defender David Wright.[40]

On 3 December, The Independent reported an allegation from a former Chelsea youth player (later named as Eamonn Manners) that Dario Gradi, then Chelsea's assistant manager, visited the player's family's home to "smooth over" a complaint of sexual assault against Chelsea chief scout Eddie Heath in 1974.[41] Gradi responded with a statement:

"Aside from denying any wrongdoing, it would be inappropriate and unfair on all parties to comment piecemeal through the media at this time in connection with historic allegations. Suffice to say, I will do everything within my power to assist all investigatory authorities into what is becoming a wide-ranging and important enquiry into historic sexual abuse."[41]

On 6 December 2016, the Football Association announced the terms of reference of a review to be conducted by Clive Sheldon QC,[42] and said Dario Gradi would be among the first to be asked questions over the "smoothing over" allegation.[43] In connection with these allegations, on 11 December 2016, the FA announced that it had suspended Gradi.[44][45] Gradi subsequently said he had been notified by the FA of his interim suspension from football on 25 November, and reiterated "that I will do everything within my power to assist all investigatory authorities."[46][47]

On 7 December, the BBC reported that the mother of a former Crewe youth team player wrote an anonymous letter to Dario Gradi in 1989–90, asking him to investigate "inappropriate" behaviour whereby a member of staff "took lots of boys into his room overnight" during a weekend away in Blackpool.[48]

In February 2017, it was reported that Gradi planned to appeal against his FA suspension from football, feeling he had been left "in limbo",[49] but, a year later, he remained suspended from football. On 27 February 2018, claims were made that, in 2001, a former Crewe Alexandra employee was asked by a senior official at the club to help wipe pornography off Gradi's home computer, which had been viewed by a group of Irish Under-13 players at his house.[50]

In February 2019, The Guardian reported on a nine-page statement from Dario Gradi about what he knew regarding Barry Bennell. Gradi admitted to encouraging a close player-coach culture and to not making detailed background checks about Bennell because Crewe was trying to poach him from Manchester City "on the quiet". Club chairman John Bowler said Crewe had not appreciated the dangers of football being used as a means for a paedophile to prey on young boys ("documented procedures that are now in place for the protection of minors were not in place at that time"), while Gradi had not made detailed inquiries into Bennell's background ("He did not have any specific coaching qualifications but none were required and at the time the FA did not publish any guidance on child protection"). However, former club secretary Gill Palin had been uncomfortable about Bennell.[51]

In August 2019, Chelsea's board apologised "unreservedly" for allowing Eddie Heath, a "prolific and manipulative sexual abuser", to operate "unchallenged". Its inquiry, led by barrister Charles Geekie QC, was also critical of former assistant manager Gradi. He was accused of failing to tell senior club staff about a sexual conduct allegation concerning Heath made by the parent of a young player. Gradi denied trying to "smooth over" the matter in a meeting with the boy's father and said he had reported the allegations to Chelsea manager Ron Suart.[52] Gradi was accused by Geekie of giving "somewhat unlikely and unconvincing" evidence; Geekie also rejected Gradi's claim to have reported the matter to more senior staff, saying "this was a significant personal failure by Mr Gradi. It was a lost opportunity to expose Mr Heath and prevent further abuse."[53]

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See also

References
  1. Footballers are greedy says Gradi, BBC Sport, 19 June 2008. Retrieved on 20 June 2008.
  2. Dario Gradi steps down as Crewe Alexandra manager, BBC Sport, 10 November 2011. Retrieved on 10 November 2011.
  3. Hughes, Simon (2016). Ring of Fire: Liverpool Into the 21st Century: the Players' Stories. Random House. p. 55. ISBN 9780593076590.
  4. Biddle, Stuart. "Dario Gradi, MBE : Public Orator, Professor Stuart Biddle, presented the Honorary Graduand at the Degree Ceremony held on Monday 14 July 2003 at 10.30am". Loughborough University. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  5. Jackson, Stanley (2012). Get Me a Celebrity!: Memoirs of a Celebrity Booker. Ecademy Press. p. 73. ISBN 9781907722486.
  6. "Loughborough team photo with Barry Hines is a bit of football history | Letters". 29 March 2016 – via www.theguardian.com.
  7. "Isthmian League Division 1 : Season 1961–62". Tooting & Mitcham United F.C. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  8. "England Matches Amateur 1962–1974". England Football Online. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  9. "Stock Photo – Amateur Cup Final. North Shields v. Sutton United. Rutherford of North Shields and Dario Gradi of Sutton. 12th April 1969". Alamy. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  10. Ticher, Mike (January 2017). "Sutton v Leeds in 1970: Full-strength teams and Don Revie's obsessiveness". When Saturday Comes. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  11. Holt, Sarah (30 March 2004). "Lessons from Senrab's soccer school". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
  12. "Dario Gradi – A Brief History (dated Wed 17 Nov 2004)". CreweAlexandra.net. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  13. Hornbrook, Jules (2000). The Gradi Years. Crewe: Jules Hornbrook. p. 14. ISBN 0953887707.
  14. Thomas, Geoff (2008). Riding Through The Storm: My Fight Back to Fitness on the Tour de France. London: Hachette.
  15. Conn, D. (2005), p.259.
  16. Conn, D. (2005), p.257.
  17. "Dario Gradi Football Hall of Fame profile". English Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 15 November 2007. Retrieved 19 November 2007.
  18. "Gradi stays at Crewe". 15 October 2002. Archived from the original on 26 December 2002 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  19. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2008.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  20. Times Online and agencies (20 April 2007). "Gradi reaches end of the line at Crewe-Sport-Football-League One-TimesOnline". Times Online. London. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2007.
  21. "Gradi replaces Holland at Crewe". BBC Sport. 18 November 2008. Retrieved 18 November 2008.
  22. Thordarson appointed Crewe boss Archived 27 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine BBC Sport; 24 December 2008
  23. Thordarson sacked as Crewe boss BBC Sport; 2 October 2009
  24. Morse, Peter (7 October 2019). "Dario Gradi retires from positions at Crewe Alex". Cheshire Live. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  25. "Dario Gradi retires from Crewe Alexandra director of football and board roles". 7 October 2019 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  26. "Managers: Dario Gradi". Soccerbase. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  27. Dario Gradi MBE Archived 17 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine, League Managers Association. Retrieved: 17 April 2015.
  28. McGarry, Graham (2 July 2009). "Dario Gradi – Crewe's longest serving manager". BBC Radio Stoke. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  29. "Hall of Fame: Dario Gradi". National Football Museum. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  30. "The Dario Gradi Trophy U13". Surrey Schools Football Association. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  31. Taylor, Daniel (16 November 2016). "Andy Woodward: 'It was the softer, weaker boys he targeted'". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  32. Taylor, Daniel; James, Stuart (17 November 2016). "Associate of Barry Bennell also preyed on boys, two former footballers reveal". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  33. "Former footballer Andy Woodward tells of sexual abuse". BBC News. 17 November 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  34. Taylor, Daniel (22 November 2016). "Second footballer reveals abuse by serial paedophile Barry Bennell". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  35. Herbert, Ian (23 November 2016). "As the Crewe sexual abuse scandal develops, it is time for Dario Gradi to tell us what he knows". The Independent. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  36. Gibson, Owen (24 November 2016). "Crewe Alexandra: how a football talent factory has been thrown into turmoil". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  37. "Crewe Alex director of football Dario Gradi: Statement". Crewe Chronicle. 24 November 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  38. Collomosse, Tom (24 November 2016). "Danny Murphy: 'I heard rumours of abuse but it's only later you piece it together'". Evening Standard. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  39. Morse, Peter (29 November 2016). "'I declined evil Bennell's invitation to his home but Dario was always honest and proper'". Crewe Chronicle. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  40. Watson, Stuart (1 December 2016). "Ex-Crewe academy player David Wright shocked by child sex abuse allegations centred around his boyhood club". Ipswich Star. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  41. Herbert, Ian; Williams, Richard A L; Pitt-Brooke, Jack (3 December 2016). "Dario Gradi covered up sex abuse complaint, ex-Chelsea youth player claims". The Independent. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  42. "Harry Redknapp criticises FA over coach claims". BBC News. BBC. 6 December 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  43. Taylor, Daniel (6 December 2016). "FA to question Dario Gradi over claims he 'smoothed over' sex abuse at Chelsea". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  44. "Dario Gradi suspended by FA pending investigation into sexual abuse scandal". The Guardian. 11 December 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  45. "Dario Gradi: Crewe Alexandra director suspended pending FA investigation". BBC News. BBC. 11 December 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  46. Ryan, Belinda (12 December 2016). "Dario Gradi issues statement about his suspension by FA". Crewe Chronicle. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  47. Rawlinson, Kevin (12 December 2016). "Dario Gradi offers to help in football child abuse investigation". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  48. Ray, Louis Lee (7 December 2016). "Football abuse claims: Ex-QPR player speaks out". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  49. Conway, Richard (27 February 2017). "Dario Gradi: Crewe director of football to appeal against FA suspension". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  50. Roan, Dan (27 February 2018). "Dario Gradi: Ex-employee claims Crewe asked him to wipe pornography from then-manager's computer". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  51. Taylor, Daniel (25 February 2019). "Revealed: the evidence Crewe supplied on Barry Bennell scandal". Guardian. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  52. Roan, Dan; Skelton, Jack (6 August 2019). "Chelsea apology over ex-chief scout Eddie Heath's 'unchallenged' sex abuse". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  53. Taylor, Daniel (6 August 2019). "Revealed: Dario Gradi could have stopped serial sex abuser at Chelsea". Guardian. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  • Conn, David (2005) The Beautiful Game?: Searching for the Soul of Football. Random House. ISBN: 9780224064361.
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