The Longside Reference

Burnley Manager from Oct 1985 till June 1986 

Born in Liverpool in 1928, Tommy Cavanagh had an extensive career in the game. He  started out on his footballing life in 1948 at  Preston North End,  where he first met Tommy Docherty he then went onto Edgeley park and Stockport County. His most productive time was at Leeds Road,Huddersfield Town where he netted 29 goals in just 93 appearances.Three seasons at Doncaster Rovers before he had a season at Bristol City and a final season at Carlisle United.

When his playing days came to an end in 1961, he was hired as trainer at  Brentford and later the club's manager.

In 1966, Johnny Carey the former Manchester United player, then manager at Nottingham Forest, appointed Tommy as trainer/coach. In 1971 he moved on to Hull City, but was only there for a short spell before  his former Preston North End team mate Tommy Docherty lured to Old Trafford in 1972. The Doc was sacked in 1977, but Cavanagh stayed leaving in 1981 when Ron Atkinson took charge at Old Trafford.

Newcastle United and Rosenborg of Norway used Tommy's coaching prowess, before Manchester United and Scottish legend Martin Buchan brought him to Turf Moor, after Buchans shock appointment at the Lancashire club.

Martin Buchan, i haven't a bad word for, but Cavanagh will go down in Turf Moor history as one of the worst managers ever! ( the worst is Bond! and it will be a cold day in hell if anyone takes that crown). He was put in temporary charge when Buchan stood down early in the 1985/86 season, Buchan only managed 11 games in the hot seat.

This is where the Claret faithful could not work out, Wayne Biggins transferred to Norwich, his replacement Derrick Parker? Parker was a Claret youngster, but didn't have what it took to make the grade, 2 goals in 5(1) appearances, he does hold one distinction, he was the last Burnley player to score a goal in the top flight. He left Burnley and plied his trade for Southend,Doncaster,Oldham and Barnsley, before Cavanagh paid out £10,000 to bring him home.

Cavanagh resorted to loan signings, the youth team played there part for Cavanagh , as he chopped and changed his teams blooding untried youngsters, only Ashley Hoskin made any in-roads into a sustained run at Burnley.

1985/86 was hard to take as a 15 year old in a Blackburn school, It was like supporting "Colne Dynamos" there seemed no light at the end of the tunnel, Cavanagh like Benson and Bond before him, ripped the heart out of this famous club. We were just going through the motions of a league club, nothing was good, the victories were hollow (and there was only a few of those).

It probably wasn't Cavanagh's fault, in hindsight, Burnley did what they always do, and hire the next in line for manager, and Cavanagh had 38 years in the game. Burnley were in a bad state, Bond sold us down the river, Benson took us to the basement division for the first time in our illustrious history, Buchan couldn't save us, and here we are with Tommy Cavanagh, who's love was first and foremost for Manchester United, Burnley just payed him a wage.

When he left, for an apparent health reasons, Burnley had a bare bone squad, a rock bottom fan base, a youth set up which was destroyed, and a board with no funds. was a very depressing time to be a Claret.

After Burnley Tommy worked at the FA School of Excellence at Lilleshall from 1986 until his retirement.

In 2002, Cavanagh was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and died in March 2007, aged 78