Sad news, Danny Bergara has died, another of the characters of the game gone.
Stockport hero Danny Bergara dies
Former Stockport manager Danny Bergara has died at the age of 64, following a short illness.
Uruguayan-born Bergara is believed to be the first foreign manager to take over an English League club.
Bergara enjoyed his most successful spell at Stockport, where he played a key role in the Hatters' rise to the second tier of English football.
A former Mallorca and Sevilla player, Bergara also had spells in charge of Rochdale, Rotherham and Doncaster.
Bergara, a member of the Hatters' hall of fame, was in charge at Edgeley Park between 1989 and 1995.
He was born in Montevideo and won a handful of caps for Uruguay at Under-21 level before moving to Spain in 1962.
While playing in Spain, he married an English travel guide and when he retired from playing moved to England.
He began coaching with Luton reserves, before moving to a similar post at Sheffield United.
Bergara became a forerunner for the likes of Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho when he took over the reins at Rochdale, before moving to Stockport.
In addition to managing Doncster and having a second spell at Rochdale, Bergara also managed the Brunei national team, and worked with the England Under-18 and U20 teams.
Latterly, he filled a scouting role at Sunderland.
He once said in an interview with The Guardian: "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."
Danny Bergara
Stockport hero Danny Bergara dies
Former Stockport manager Danny Bergara has died at the age of 64, following a short illness.
Uruguayan-born Bergara is believed to be the first foreign manager to take over an English League club.
Bergara enjoyed his most successful spell at Stockport, where he played a key role in the Hatters' rise to the second tier of English football.
A former Mallorca and Sevilla player, Bergara also had spells in charge of Rochdale, Rotherham and Doncaster.
Bergara, a member of the Hatters' hall of fame, was in charge at Edgeley Park between 1989 and 1995.
He was born in Montevideo and won a handful of caps for Uruguay at Under-21 level before moving to Spain in 1962.
While playing in Spain, he married an English travel guide and when he retired from playing moved to England.
He began coaching with Luton reserves, before moving to a similar post at Sheffield United.
Bergara became a forerunner for the likes of Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho when he took over the reins at Rochdale, before moving to Stockport.
In addition to managing Doncster and having a second spell at Rochdale, Bergara also managed the Brunei national team, and worked with the England Under-18 and U20 teams.
Latterly, he filled a scouting role at Sunderland.
He once said in an interview with The Guardian: "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."
Danny Bergara
