Golden memories of Wolves' 'jack of all trades' Carlo Federico

And, in doing so, offer the best possible opportunity to football players and coaches, and managers like McCarthy, to try and produce positive results on the pitch.

Carlo Federico, Chico as he was better known, was exactly one of those people.

In almost 20 years spent at Molineux, ultimately on a full-time basis in the Academy, he was very much a jack of all trades, delivering so many different tasks and roles, but each and every one with the same air of integrity and unbridled professionalism.

The job description of ‘schoolboy liaison officer’ was one which hid a multitude of sins!

“Working for a football club, in whatever capacity, is not so much a job, more like a way of life,” explains former Academy physiotherapist Gavin Blackwell, who also had an extremely varied portfolio himself whilst at Wolves.

“Your job title or job description defines a very narrow view of your function, and the broader application of being a member of the staff team is probably more accurate.

“That was the same for Chico, was a conduit in linking everything together.

“From coaching, sorting tickets, driving the minibus to games, picking up players for training, arranging refreshments, sorting fixtures and officials, organising flights, answering the phones, and so much more – so many aspects fell under his remit.

“Remember as well, this was in the days before mobile phones and even emails.

“Technology was nothing like it is now, so when a schoolboy fixture was called off, it would need 120 phone calls, and Chico would deliver most of those.

“His sense of duty and professionalism was unbelievable.”

Chico was part of the engine room at Wolves for almost two decades. And a crucial and valued part at that.

Sadly, he passed away last week, after a long illness, at the age of 78.

For the staff who so enjoyed working with him, and the young players who were so appreciative of his good nature and wise counsel, such was the intensely close-knit nature of life in the Academy in those days that they feel like they have lost a member of their family.

And the tributes have been as heartfelt as they have been sizeable in number.

“Chico, even his nickname was cool,” reflects Matt Murray, who emerged through Wolves Academy to become Wolves number one and the best goalkeeper England never had.

“Just a lovely, lovely man – that’s the only way I can describe him.

“A big guy, with dark hair and a big ‘tache, and such a nice manner about him, someone who really cared about the players.

“It’s such sad news, and I was only actually thinking about him the other day, and remembering what a warm and special person he really was.”

Chico was actually the first full-time appointment made by respected Academy director Chris Evans after he himself stepped up from coaching to head up Wolves’ youth arm in 1997.

Of Italian descent, Chico was born just outside Shifnal, and spent many years with Shifnal Town having had trials at both Wolves and Shrewsbury.

At the same time, his talents and people skills were also honed and developed during three decades spent working in agriculture, including in management.

“Chico was very much at home in the countryside, and myself and Tony Lacey would joke that if he wasn’t involved in football, he could go out ferreting instead,” laughs Blackwell.

“His copy of The Countryman’s weekly was just as important as the latest coaching session!”

His interest in football led to taking his coaching qualifications, from where he was first brought to Wolves by physio Paul Darby in the days of Graham Turner, going on to work with schoolboy players at East Park, the Jennie Lee Centre in Wednesfield and at Aldersley.

A keen student of the game, he had been a member of Shropshire Football Coaches Association where he listened intently to guest speeches from the likes of Jack Charlton and Dave Sexton, and would regularly visit Lilleshall to observe coaching courses and pick up tips.

At the same time, he was also helping distribute players’ tickets on a first team matchday at Molineux, and helping with access to the Players’ Lounge.

Evans had spotted his talent and versatility, hence his decision to bring him on board full time, outlining how his workrate and enthusiasm lent itself so well to what was initially the Centre of Excellence, and then the Academy.

‘His personality is infectious and his manner and empathetic aura make him an immediate champion to our schoolboy players and parents,’ Evans wrote in a matchday programme.

‘The word ‘no’ or ‘cannot’ seem missing in his vocabulary, and he has an ability to make those who seek help or guidance seem special.

‘His ability to organise is excellent and with such programme enhancement and expansion, his operational management skills and enthusiasm have been invaluable.’

Whilst coaching the Under 9s and 10s alongside other tasks in his portfolio, for all the practical assistance which Chico delivered with such vigour and professionalism, the emotional support he provided to young players of all ages was probably of equal importance.

As Murray readily recalls.

“When you are a young kid, coming into Wolves, everything seems really serious and intense,” he says.

“It was nerve-wracking, and you would put pressure on yourself, but Chico was always calm, or on hand to provide a bit of fun.

“He would tell us funny, bordering rubbish jokes – Dad jokes – to lift the mood.

“He did so much for us all, making sure we were all alright, and for me, it’s difficult to imagine what life would have been like in the Academy without Chico.”

Chico also dipped into the world of scouting, once spotting the talents of a certain Dave Edwards at training, and while the Shropshire-born midfielder ultimately opted to join his home-town club of Shrewsbury, 307 Wolves appearance and 44 goals later suggests Chico had a good eye for a player!

Some big and successful names certainly emerged from Wolves at that time, such as Murray, Lee Naylor and Joleon Lescott, all of whom retain fond memories of Chico’s influence.

So many others also responded to a Facebook post about Chico’s passing from Wolves’ former long-standing academy scout Les Green, just indicating the sort of legacy he left.

A host of former Academy scholars including – amongst others - Mark Clyde, Keith Lowe, Daniel Jones, Mark Danks, Matt Bailey, Dean Coleman, Liam Hughes along with Tracey Bennett, mother of Elliott and Kyle, and Lynn Collins, mother of Lee, were quick to pay tribute, all indebted, in their different ways, to Chico’s care and compassion.

For Elliott Bennett, captain and player of the tournament when Wolves Under-12s won a FIFA-endorsed Shizuoka World Junior tournament in Japan back in 2001 – a trip which Chico was involved with – his influence was vital.

“Chico was a fantastic coach and an even better man,” Bennett recalls.

“He was always on hand to offer advice and was a friendly face during my time at Wolves – he helped everyone he came in contact with whether that was with his coaching, or support off the pitch.”

Also on that trip to Japan was Richard Skirrow, who served as Wolves’ club secretary during much of Chico’s time with the club, and earmarked his ‘pastoral care’ as a key factor in the cosmopolitan role which he fulfilled.

“I always remember Chico as a real all-rounder, who played a key part in what was a very tight-knit and well-run team under Chris in the Academy,” he explains.

“When I think of Chico, I think of someone who had a presence, and was always cheerful and had a smile on his face, which was often invaluable in so many situations.

“On a matchday, he would always be very smartly dressed in his club blazer and he was such a good person to have around youth football.

“He also played a really important part in the area of pastoral care and making sure young players were as settled as they could be, considering many were away from home for the first time.

“At the time, we were recruiting young players from Scotland but particularly from Ireland, where we had an excellent scout in Willie Byrne who helped make sure we were always in for some top players, including Robbie Keane.

“When you have players coming over from a different country, having staff who could turn their hand to helping them settle in - a part of the job which was so important but which they hadn’t necessarily had years of training in - was vital.

“And Chico was very much a key part of that.”

That ‘Player Care’ element, which is so much a part of modern football, and is delivered expertly at Wolves across senior and Academy levels, simply didn’t exist back in that era, necessitating, as Skirrow explained, staff to take on almost a counselling and psychological aspect as part of their daily work.

That was where Chico excelled, and one player who came over from Northern Ireland, Craig Gilmore, has nothing but the best of memories, even though he didn’t actually go on to make the grade.

“As a young lad of 14, I travelled every weekend from Belfast to Birmingham, and most times I was met by Chico with his usual warm-hearted firm handshake,” says Gilmore.

“On a Sunday, he would collect me from the Goldthorn Hotel and take me to play for Wolves Schoolboys at the Grammar School, then drive me back to the airport to travel home.

“That happened until I went full-time at 16, but after that I suffered a back injury which kept me out of action for 18 months before turning professional.

“This really affected me and I felt so down and spent many mornings chatting with Chico, which really helped.

“His handshake always met me first and he lifted my mood on a daily basis with his warm approach, making sure my head wasn’t down in the dumps every day.

“When my parents came to visit, Chico would collect them from the airport and give them a rundown on all the areas as they travelled to Wolverhampton.

“I will never forget Chico and how he helped me during my time at Wolves.

“He was a true gentleman, someone who I admired a lot and was highly respected by so many.”

The word ‘gentleman’, in reference to Chico’s warm and welcoming manner and the way he treated others, is one which is almost universal when people pass on their reflections and memories of his personality.

And those people skills, especially with young players, mean it was no surprise that in later life he worked as a mentor to children from local schools.

“Chico epitomised what the term gentleman meant in the modern age,” Green confirms.

“It is difficult to exaggerate how popular he was within the club along with the many parents and young players he met and coached.

“He was one of the early pioneers of coaches and mentors that worked at Wolves in the Centre of Excellence and then as it transferred to become the Academy.”

Glyn Harding, who worked as Education & Welfare Officer and later Assistant Academy Director, remembers a ‘great colleague’ and ‘tremendous coach to young players, especially those of adolescent age who he had a great empathy for.’

“Chico was the glue between the full and part time Academy coaches and importantly, had the trust of the many parents associated with the youth programme,” Harding continues.

“As a full-time member of staff Chico selected and supported everyone involved with the families housing the Academy scholars.

“This challenging role was done with professionalism, wisdom and the ability to see a range of issues from the perspective of all parties involved.

“I was proud to have worked alongside Chico and greatly appreciated his friendship, wisdom and humour.”

For Blackwell meanwhile, the togetherness and sense of camaraderie during those days is something that was akin to the much famed Liverpool ‘boot room’ culture where the overall sum of the parts was always far more important than the profile of each individual.

Operating out of what was effectively a broom cupboard tucked away down a corridor at Molineux, alongside other key figures such as Tony Lacey, a love and passion for the job far outweighed the desire for plush and luxurious facilities. It was all about teamwork, and delivering the best possible service for the young players.

“It was so close-knit among the staff and everyone knew the routine, there was no jockeying for position or trying to get one over on anyone else,” Blackwell explains.

“That’s why I would describe it as being like the Liverpool boot room in many ways with loyalty and trust to the gaffer Chris and to each other.

“Chico was very much at the heart of that – he had a great sense of humour but no ego, he was very unassuming and would help anyone if he could.

“He left a legacy with all of those players who spent time in the Centre of Excellence or Academy during those years, with the impression he made on them and their parents.

“Sometimes people try and treat the elite players better than the others because of what they can offer, but with Chico, everyone was treated the same, whoever they were.”

That was a group of people connected with the Academy – both full and part time staff - who will be forever remembered fondly by players and parents from that era.

Whether Academy players went on to make it at Wolves, elsewhere, or not within football at all, they couldn’t have asked for anything more.

Chico’s substantial influence and contribution is remembered by those on the first team side of the club as well, but long-serving employee Sarah Egerton was the Academy administrator at the time – another job title which does scant justice to her overall role - and she sums him up perfectly.

“Chico was such a lovely man and a proper gentleman,” she says.

“Nothing was too much trouble for him, and he would always be happy to help and pull things together in the daily running of the Academy.

“We had a great Academy director in Chris Evans at the time and a fantastic team who worked really hard, and had some laughs as well!”

Chico leaves wife Lin and three children and partners in what was a very close family – Giulia and Kev, Joanne and Kieran and Ben and Stace – as well as seven grandchildren and eight grandchildren.

A family who will dearly miss him but also be incredibly proud of his life and his achievements.

As seen with the reaction of his passing to so many connected with Wolves whether players or staff at both Academy and first team level, his legacy, in football terms, has left an indelible mark.

Chico time was a special time for all who had the good fortune to encounter him.