Frederick John Callaghan (19 December 1944 – 13 September 2022) was an English professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

, who made over 290 appearances in the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

for

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...

as a

left back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

. After retiring as a player, Callaghan became a

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

, most notably in the Football League with

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...

. He later had a long career managing and coaching in

non-League football Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to de ...

Playing career

, Callaghan joined First Division club

as an apprentice in 1962 and made his first senior appearances during the 1963–64 season. His debut came in March 1964 during a 2–2 draw away at

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...

. As a player, he was described as "a tough-tackling defender who was not averse to crunching tackles and the occasional overlap down the flank" and was nicknamed "The Tank". By the 1966–67 season, he had broken into the starting lineup on a regular basis, but was part of the team which suffered a double relegation from the First to the

Third Division In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

in 1968 and 1969. Callaghan made a career-high 52 appearances during the 1970–71 season and appeared in 45 out of 46 league fixtures, helping the Cottagers to promotion back to the

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

with a second-place finish. Although not a regular goal scorer, he scored a key goal in the 1971–72 Second Division season, securing a 2–2 draw at Charlton Athletic that saved the club from relegation. Callaghan made his final appearances for the club during the 1972–73 season and was forced to retire in 1974 due to a back injury. He made 336 appearances for Fulham across all competitions.

Managerial and coaching career

Non-League football

Callaghan had a long

managerial Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

and

coaching Coaching is a form of development in which an experienced person, called a ''coach'', supports a learner or client in achieving a specific personal or professional goal by providing training and guidance. The learner is sometimes called a ''coa ...

career in

and held roles at

Enfield Enfield may refer to: Places Australia * Enfield, New South Wales * Enfield, South Australia ** Electoral district of Enfield, a state electoral district in South Australia, corresponding to the suburb ** Enfield High School (South Australia) ...

Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in northwest Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'' and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement o ...

Basingstoke Town Basingstoke Town Football Club is a football club based in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England. The club are currently members of the and play at the Winklebury Sports Complex. Their motto, 'Vestigia Nulla Retrorsum', means 'Never a step backward' ...

Wealdstone Wealdstone () is a district located in the centre of the London Borough of Harrow, England. It is located just north of Harrow town centre and is south of Harrow Weald, west of Belmont and Kenton, and east of Headstone. The area accommodates ...

Carshalton Athletic Carshalton Athletic Football Club is an English football club based in Carshalton in the London Borough of Sutton. They currently play in the and are based at the War Memorial Sports Ground. The club also field a women's team playing in the Lo ...

, Walton & Hersham and

Kingstonian Kingstonian Football Club is an English semi-professional football club based in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London which currently plays in the Isthmian League Premier Division. The club was founded in 1885 by YMC ...

Brentford

In February 1977, Callaghan joined

Fourth Division Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

club

until the end of the 1976–77 season, as assistant to manager

Bill Dodgin Jr Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

. His arrival coincided with the team's sharp upturn in form, which culminated in a run of just two defeats from the final 18 matches of the season, which pulled the club away from the

re-election The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-ele ...

places. After Dodgin Jr. was given a "leave of absence" in March 1980, Callaghan returned to

Griffin Park Griffin Park was a football ground in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow, England. It was the home ground of Brentford F.C. from its opening in September 1904 to August 2020. The ground is in a predominantly residential area and was ...

caretaker manager In association footballing terms, a caretaker manager or interim manager is somebody who takes temporary charge of the management of a football team, usually when the regular Manager (association football), manager is dismissed or leaves for a ...

until the end of the 1979–80 season. After some positive early results, he signed a two-year permanent contract in April 1980 and managed the Bees to an 18th-place finish, clear of the Third Division relegation places. Callaghan would go on to manage Brentford for seasons and presided over an overhaul of the squad and coaching structure at Griffin Park. The 1980–81 season saw the arrival of player/assistant manager Ron Harris, a re-formation of the youth setup and the arrivals of

Terry Hurlock Terence Alan Hurlock (born 22 September 1958) is an English former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder. Over the course of a 15-year career in the Football League, he had notable spells with Brentford and Millwall. He won ...

David Crown David Ian Crown (born 16 February 1958) is an English retired professional footballer who played as a forward in the Football League, most notably for Cambridge United and Southend United. He also played for Reading, Gillingham, Brentford, Po ...

and Gary Roberts. Callaghan added

Stan Bowles Stanley Bowles (born 24 December 1948) is an English former professional footballer who as a player in the 1970s was known for his skills as a forward, and also gained a reputation as one of the game's great non-conformists and mavericks. Club ...

and

Chris Kamara Christopher Kamara (born 25 December 1957) is an English former professional football player and manager who worked as a presenter and football analyst at Sky Sports from 1992 to 2022. As a player, he was known as a tough-tackling midfielder. H ...

to the

midfield Midfield is the part of a sports field that lies approximately in the center. In American football, association football (soccer) and field hockey, it is the area in and around the center circle, as well as the players who occupy that region. In ...

during the 1981–82 season and forwards Francis Joseph and

Tony Mahoney Anthony Joseph Mahoney (born 29 September 1959) is an English retired professional association football, footballer who played in the The Football League, Football League for Fulham F.C., Fulham, Brentford F.C., Brentford and Crystal Palace F. ...

in 1982–83, but the team's form went into decline during the 1983–84 season and he was sacked in February 1984. Callaghan's three seasons as permanent manager resulted in 9th, 8th and 9th-place finishes respectively in the Third Division.

Personal life

Frederick John Callaghan was born on 19 December 1944 in

Parsons Green Parsons Green is a mainly residential district in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. The Green itself, which is roughly triangular, is bounded on two of its three sides by the New King's Road section of the King's Road, A308 road ...

. After retiring from football, Callaghan became a London

black cab A hackney or hackney carriage (also called a cab, black cab, hack or London taxi) is a carriage or car for hire. A hackney of a more expensive or high class was called a remise. A symbol of London and Britain, the black taxi is a common si ...

driver. As of August 2012, he was working for former club Fulham as a corporate hospitality host. He died on 13 September 2022 at age 77.

Career statistics

Honours

Fulham *

Football League Third Division The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. When the FA Premier League was formed, the division become the fourth tier level. In 2004, following the f ...

second-place promotion: 1970–71

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Callaghan, Fred 1944 births 2022 deaths Association football fullbacks Basingstoke Town F.C. managers Brentford F.C. managers Carshalton Athletic F.C. managers Enfield F.C. managers Enfield F.C. players English Football League managers English Football League players English football managers English footballers Footballers from Fulham Fulham F.C. players Isthmian League managers Southern Football League managers Wealdstone F.C. managers Woking F.C. managers