Editing Dario Gradi (section)

====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 (footballer)|Steve Holland]], with Neil Baker remaining as assistant manager. Gradi was then the [[List of English Football League managers by date of appointment|longest serving manager]] of an English Football League club.<ref name=greedy /> Gradi told the club website:
<blockquote>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.<ref>{{Cite web | last = Times Online and agencies | title = Gradi reaches end of the line at Crewe-Sport-Football-League One-TimesOnline | work = Times Online | access-date =20 April 2007 | date = 20 April 2007 | url = http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/league_one/article1682979.ece  | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130505153752/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/league_one/article1682979.ece  | url-status=dead  | archive-date = 5 May 2013  | location=London}}</ref></blockquote>

On 18 November 2008, Gradi resumed control of Crewe's first team on a caretaker basis after a poor start to the [[2008-09 in English football|2008–09]] season under Steve Holland had left the club bottom of League One.<ref>{{Cite web | title = Gradi replaces Holland at Crewe| work = BBC Sport| access-date =18 November 2008 | date = 18 November 2008 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/crewe_alexandra/7736343.stm}}</ref> He was in charge for just over a month before [[Guðjón Þórðarson|Gudjon Thordarson]] was announced as his successor on [[Christmas Eve]] 2008.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/crewe_alexandra/7799134.stm Thordarson appointed Crewe boss]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081227003812/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/crewe_alexandra/7799134.stm |date=27 December 2008 }} BBC Sport; 24 December 2008</ref> 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,<ref>[https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20091002101248/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/crewe_alexandra/8286658.stm Thordarson sacked as Crewe boss] BBC Sport; 2 October 2009</ref> 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 assistant manager [[Steve Davis (footballer born 1965)|Steve Davis]], who had played for Crewe under Gradi from 1983 to 1987, was appointed as manager with immediate effect.<ref name=steps>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/15675372.stm Dario Gradi steps down as Crewe Alexandra manager], BBC Sport, 10 November 2011. Retrieved on 10 November 2011.</ref>

Gradi announced his retirement from all positions at Crewe Alexandra on 7 October 2019, at the age of 78, ending his 36-year association with the club.<ref name="Morse-07Oct2019">{{cite news |last1=Morse |first1=Peter |title=Dario Gradi retires from positions at Crewe Alex |url=https://www.cheshire-live.co.uk/sport/football/dario-gradi-retires-positions-crewe-17044705 |access-date=7 October 2019 |work=Cheshire Live |date=7 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49963883|title=Dario Gradi retires from Crewe Alexandra director of football and board roles|work=BBC Sport|date=7 October 2019}}</ref>