Jump to content

Saturday 27th April 2024:  kick-off 3pm

Scottish Premiership - Aberdeen v Motherwell

🔴⚪️ Come on you Reds! ⚪🔴

Official - McNamara is offski


Recommended Posts

  • Replies 67
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Just to confirm like most others that I am delighted to see the back of this guy! Yes, he could play once upon a time, however he can hack it no longer and goodbye!

 

Even as early as the away match against Panathinaikow he was selling the jerseys with misplaced passes (so much for the experience he was supposed to bring to such matches).

 

Even after the Q.O.S. game he was seen in the Hampden V.I.P. lounge swanning around with a big smile!

 

Bye Bye!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

McNamara ends Dons career by phone

 

Calderwood left to explain Scotland international Jackie’s pittodrie departure

 

By Paul Third

 

Published: 22/04/2008

 

Jackie McNamara was hailed as one of the most exciting arrivals of Aberdeen manager Jimmy Calderwood’s tenure when the player joined the Pittodrie ranks last July.

 

He left yesterday with barely a whimper.

 

The Dons manager and his club bent over backwards to be as accommodating as possible to the 34-year-old, who refused to move his family from his home in Edinburgh to the north-east.

 

He repaid his employers by offering little on the pitch and did not have the grace to tell his manager he was leaving face to face. Booed off the pitch by his own supporters when substituted following a dire display in the Scottish Cup semi-final defeat by Queen of the South, McNamara headed straight down the tunnel.

 

Nine days later he headed straight out of the club, leaving his manager, who had every right to be happy at signing the former Celtic player last summer, to explain why.

 

Calderwood said: “I had a talk with Jackie last week when he said he might not be here next season. We had suffered a massive disappointment in the Scottish Cup and I wanted to make sure it was not a kneejerk reaction from a player.

 

“He is a proud man and player who has enjoyed a great career. It came to a head on Thursday when he came to see me.

 

“Due to his history with Celtic and how he was mentally, I decided it was not a game he should be involved in and I told him to take the weekend to talk things through with his family.

 

“Something came up on Monday which meant Jackie could not come to see me but he phoned to say he would be in on Tuesday. I knew this was coming and I wanted a decision from him and he told me he will not be here next season.â€

 

McNamara’s lack of empathy with the Dons support can be traced back to his decision not to move to the city. Insulated from the pressures of playing in Aberdeen, McNamara, it seems, regretted his decision to play for the Dons as soon as he arrived.

 

Calderwood said: “Trying to get Jackie to the club last summer was difficult to begin with due to the travelling. We worked out a rota for him which did not give him special preference on the rest of his team-mates, but he had a couple of injuries which meant he had to be in Aberdeen more for treatment.

 

“Due to what happened at Wolves last year, when his family moved back to Scotland in January, he wanted to be near his children as much as possible. Because of the circumstances, it didn’t happen. He was driving to Edinburgh when he was injured and I don’t think it helped his rehab. It was a vicious circle.

 

“We talked about it, but he got himself fit and was playing again, and things were going all right, but I could see he was not himself.â€

 

The departure of the former Scotland international means Calderwood now has another space in his squad to fill for next season but that was the last thing on his mind yesterday as he came to terms with losing his most experienced player.

 

He said: “I don’t think we have seen the best of Jackie McNamara at Aberdeen. He has been there and done it in his career, but it didn’t work out here. He won’t play again this season. He will come up to say cheerio to the players later in the week. Your heart has to be in it.â€

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jimmy: Jackie’s career not over

 

Jimmy backs veteran to end on a high

 

Published: 22/04/2008

 

JACKIE McNamara’s Dons career ended in total humiliation at Hampden.

 

But Aberdeen manager Jimmy Calderwood is convinced the 34-year-old still has one more glory day left in him before he has to hang up his boots.

 

McNamara, whose contract has been terminated by mutual consent, left the Hampden pitch with jeers from the Red Army ringing in his ears after being substituted during their 4-3 Scottish Cup semi-final defeat by lowly Queen of the South.

 

The Dons fans dishing out the criticism had no idea that the last time they would see McNamara in their team’s colours was when he stormed up the Hampden tunnel that day.

 

The agreement to cancel the remaining year of his contract means those fans, who never really took to McNamara after his move north from Wolves last summer, may be pleased.

 

But Calderwood is backing McNamara to bounce back from his painful period at Pittodrie and set up a more fitting finale to an otherwise illustrious career.

 

Calderwood said: “It would be terrible for people to remember Jackie only for what happened that day at Hampden.

 

“He is one of the most outstanding players of his generation, look at what Jackie won as captain of Celtic. You don’t get as many winners’ medals as Jackie has – and the respect of everyone within football – if you aren’t a great player.

 

“I hope Jackie now goes on to underline that by finishing his career on a high.

 

“It didn’t work out with us, Jackie knows he could have played a lot better at times for Aberdeen.

 

“Now the decision has been made for us to part company it could be a blessing in disguise for Jackie.

 

“It gives us clarity to get on with finding a suitable replacement and Jackie time to sort out something for next season.

 

“We will miss him but we have to respect Jackie’s decision and wish him the best of luck in the future.â€

 

Calderwood played down reports of a dressing room bust-up between him and the former Celtic skipper in the wake of the Hampden debacle.

 

McNamara is said to have slated the way the Dons boss and reserve team coach Sandy Clark criticised Andrew Considine and Richard Foster.

 

That came during clear the air talks with the whole squad on the Monday after the Queen of the South defeat. Calderwood said: “I’m not annoyed Jackie spoke frankly, the whole point of the meeting was to allow people to have their say.

 

“I also said what I wanted, so it was a great meeting.

 

“Considine and Foster were mentioned and maybe I have been harsh on them at times.

 

“But there wasn’t a bust-up and I don’t have a problem with Jackie.â€

 

Falkirk and Hibs are understood to be among the clubs considering a move for McNamara.

 

The Dons know they could have held on to the player’s registration and demanded a fee, but Calderwood claimed making a clean break was the best thing for everyone.

 

“I’m not in this game to ruin people’s careers,†he said.

 

“He was the model professional, great in the dressing room and a great source of advice for the younger players.

 

“He’s also handed his departure very professionally.

 

“I’ve no regrets about signing Jackie, even though we never saw the best of him on the pitch.â€

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fair enough if Jackie thought that the manager wiz bein a bit hard on the young lads, but surely the older heads in the dressing room like Severin and Jackie himself should've been helping the young lads out on the pitch.  That's why he wiz brought in.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

McNamara quits Dons and eyes role in coaching

 

JACKIE McNamara is seeking a move into coaching next season after leaving Aberdeen yesterday by mutual consent with the Pittodrie club.

The former Celtic captain, who joined Aberdeen last summer on a Bosman free transfer from Wolves, had another year left on his contract but has terminated it with the agreement of manager Jimmy Calderwood.

 

McNamara felt the strain of almost daily

commuting to Aberdeen from his home near Edinburgh was undermining his enjoyment of the final years of his playing career and the 34-year-old is now hoping to join a club in the Central Belt.

 

He intends to continue playing for at least one more season, but is also keen to pave the way for a move into management by securing a player-coach role with his next club.

 

"I've left Aberdeen on good terms with Jimmy Calderwood and the club," McNamara told The Scotsman last night. "The travelling had become a problem, especially in terms of recovering from injuries, and I feel it is best I move on.

 

"I know people will say I should have lived in Aberdeen more, but that's not why I came back to Scotland last year. I wanted to spend more time with my family.

 

"Unfortunately it didn't work out as I'd hoped, but it's something you just have to put down to experience and move on. I'd like to keep playing for another year and I'm also interested in doing some coaching."

 

McNamara made 24 appearances for Aberdeen, making only 12 Clydesdale Bank Premier League starts, but very few of them were in his favoured holding midfield role which he had anticipated being deployed in when he decided to sign for the Pittodrie club.

 

His on-field Aberdeen career ended on a sour note ten days ago when he was substituted during the 4-3 Scottish Cup semi-final defeat against Queen of the South and uncharacteristically stormed straight down the Hampden tunnel in a public display of disapproval at the decision, accompanied by the boos of some Aberdeen fans.

 

Despite his considerable disappointment, however, McNamara is determined to maintain a positive relationship with his now former club.

 

"I'll be back at Pittodrie later this week to tie up a few details," he said. "I'll say my farewells to the players and staff and I wish Aberdeen all the best."

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Surprise there hasnt been more vitriol on this thread. No matter what you think of Calderwood, Jackie McNamara has been a fucking parasite on this great club. He showed his utter contempt for the club and the city by trying to commute from Edinburgh everyday (which isna actually true cos he hardly ever trained with the rest of the squad). He took a very good wage from us knowing full well that his heart wasnt in it and his fitness was nowhere near the standard required to play in the SPL. He tried to use us as one last pay day. And he showed the watching nation in the semi final how far past it he really is, and after such a shite performance didnt even have the balls to sit on the bench with his team mates and headed straight down the tunnel.

 

Jackie McNamara your a fucking parasitic excuse of a man. Thank fuck you've left my club. Fuck off

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Surprise there hasnt been more vitriol on this thread. No matter what you think of Calderwood, Jackie McNamara has been a fucking parasite on this great club. He showed his utter contempt for the club and the city by trying to commute from Edinburgh everyday (which isna actually true cos he hardly ever trained with the rest of the squad). He took a very good wage from us knowing full well that his heart wasnt in it and his fitness was nowhere near the standard required to play in the SPL. He tried to use us as one last pay day. And he showed the watching nation in the semi final how far past it he really is, and after such a shite performance didnt even have the balls to sit on the bench with his team mates and headed straight down the tunnel.

 

Jackie McNamara your a fucking parasitic excuse of a man. Thank fuck you've left my club. Fuck off

 

You fell better with that off your chest?  :lolabove::clap:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...