http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/sport/Jimmy-Calderwood39s-second-coming.5988951.

 

Jimmy Calderwood's second coming

 

Published Date: 17 January 2010

 

HE STILL doesn't understand it. Back in work, he knows he has to let it go but new Kilmarnock manager Jimmy Calderwood still can't rationalise his enforced departure from Aberdeen in the summer.

"I'm going to talk to you about this now and I'm sure I will be asked about it again next week before we play them, but after that I'm not going to talk about it any more. But it still hurts. I loved my time up there and I wasn't the only one at the club who was emotional that last day. I did a good job.

 

"The board still haven't given me a reason. Maybe they can't," he says with a shrug.

 

Maybe they think they don't need to. After all, whether it should be considered valid or not, the reason was splashed across internet sites, repeated time and again on radio phone-ins and newspaper hotlines and was the subject of morose mumbling among the Aberdeen faithful. They wanted cup success and he couldn't deliver.

 

"I never ducked those comments, I remember being at one of these fans' forums and being told by one person that he would rather have a cup final appearance than a place in the top six. He didn't even care if we won the cup final, he just wanted his day in the sun and (former Dons defender and Aberdeen Evening Express columnist] Stewart McKimmie agreed with him. I couldn't get my head around that. Top six meant more money, better games and the chance to get into Europe and I gave them top six every year and I'm very proud of that record and I think I'm right in saying, other than Aberdeen, only the Old Firm could boast that record during my time there."

 

It's a record he would dearly love to protect even though he has taken over a club immersed in a relegation fight. Rather than look down, he is looking up and with sixth-placed Aberdeen seven points above them, he has 14 games left to bridge that gap before the split. It's a big challenge but it's one he believes is also realistic. He wouldn't have contemplated taking on the role vacated by Jim Jefferies if he didn't, regardless of how keen he was to end his exile and how much his assistant Jimmy Nicholl was pestering him into accepting.

 

"It's my neck on the block, my reputation and I'm still very ambitious," he says. "I was desperate to get back into football, I was hating being out of it, but not that desperate that I would take just anything."

 

An evening's contemplation was needed, during which he studied the names of players at his disposal. In doing so he came to the conclusion that even with no money to bring in new faces, he had the personnel to move up the table. "There are good players at Kilmarnock and they shouldn't be where they are. That's no disrespect to Jim and Billy (Brown], who I have a lot of time for but maybe they just need to hear a different voice and get a bit of confidence back."

 

Having met the squad on Friday afternoon, he immediately laid down new ground rules, all designed to bolster a feeling on togetherness. Wee things really, but he wants them all travelling to away games together, instead of various pick-up points and a fragmented journey. At home matches he has told them no one leaves until 6.15pm. A room has been set aside for the players and staff and their families. "I did the same at Dunfermline and Aberdeen. If you don't, they all shoot off and I don't want that because that's where I can have a word with them after a game or they can have a chat with me. If they mess up they have to face their mates or the manager, and when we win we get to celebrate together. I think it's a good thing."

 

At the first training session, too, there was scope for optimism. "I was very impressed. I don't know if they train to that standard every day, but from now on they'd better. I told them that. They have now set their own standards."

 

A sociable type, Calderwood's drive is often underestimated. His fluid tactics are sometimes considered baffling or even suicidal, but he says that organising his teams is one of his strengths. "Making those changes works more than it doesn't but no one talks about those ones," he says. "And when I push more players forward, it's when we are already losing and trying to get back into the game. No, you can't commit suicide if you're already dead. I'm not being kamikaze, I'm fighting to give us a lifeline and take something from the game!"

 

His affability is definite but when it comes to the daily grind, there is no slacking, no Mr Nice Guy. "Jimmy and I have very big demands. I think that was one of the good things we learned when we went on our trip around Europe watching the training at Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern, Ajax, Manchester United. We learned that we have been doing a lot of things right. We demand a high tempo and high standards in training. We are always making demands of ourselves and our players and if people don't like it they can leave.

 

"Jimmy keeps a track of everything we do, every player we bring in or let go and I think he said we had 50-60 players during our time at Aberdeen. It helps freshen things up, and it's a reflection of those standards we set. But look at the players who react well to the demands, they've got the chance to go down south and do well for themselves."

 

That is still the aim for Calderwood. He did not hide the fact when he discussed his contract with Killie. He wanted a deal until the summer. No longer. After that he still hopes a job will become available in England. He has friends in high places and has made many good contacts while scouting for players.

 

"That's where I want to test myself. I had offers to go to places like Dubai and I could have had all the money and the cars and the lifestyle but I'm not ready for that yet, not while I still have my ambition. Imagine it, players turning up some days and not bothering other days, I couldn't deal with that. I want to win too much to accept that attitude. It would drive me mad."

 

No, being out the game for seven months has not made him crave the pipe and slippers or even a day sat by the pool with a bit of training in the evening sun. The enforced vacation has made him even hungrier for all the success he previously craved.

 

And he believes in himself and his inherited Kilmarnock squad. Much will depend on luck and he will need his best players fit but the rest is down to organisation, tough training and enhanced belief. His enthusiasm had threatened to wane as self-doubt nibbled at his synapses but, seeing his smile and his enthusiastic gesturing, listening to the infectious optimism about how it can all be made good, it's clear Jimmy Calderwood is back.

 

He smiles wryly as he acknowledges the ultimate irony would be a good cup run with Kilmarnock this season but he will not allow himself to look beyond tomorrow's fourth round tie against Falkirk. He has a fantasy idea of how the next few months will pan out, though. "I turn things around, take Kilmarnock up table and protect my record, then I'm off," he says with a theatrical wave of the hand. "Off to England and a new challenge. That would shut some people up." A fantasy at the moment… but no one will demand he turns it into reality more than the man himself.

Oops, 90's and 00's.

In terms of re-establishing our position at the correct end of the table, when put into context of the previous 10 years, he was a success on the pitch. The league performances plateaued however, and following poor cup performances he was justifiably removed. Whether this makes him a good manager or not is a matter of opinion , but to deny his achivements with us, whilst citing a 'loser mentality', seems a little churlish.

Fair enough. He was the best of an atrocious bunch served up under Milne's chairmanship. It might be a little churlish but I'm sure there's worse things in China.

Fair enough. He was the best of an atrocious bunch served up under Milne's chairmanship. It might be a little churlish but I'm sure there's worse things in China.

 

All fair enough, I'd hate to hear what you said about Steve Paterson though...

 

You know you don't have to like the guy to appreciate what he did for us.  Anyone on this site would tell you I grew tired of the guy way before he got sacked, it doesn't mean I can't appreciate what he did for us.  Things aren't always black and white.

All fair enough, I'd hate to hear what you said about Steve Paterson though...

 

You know you don't have to like the guy to appreciate what he did for us.  Anyone on this site would tell you I grew tired of the guy way before he got sacked, it doesn't mean I can't appreciate what he did for us.  Things aren't always black and white.

I'm not aware that I said anything unfair on here about JC but Pele was a peer crater with obvious problems, a different kettle of onions.

The statistical probability of mostly weegies on any AFC webchatspeaksite is remote although I am impressed that you have actual residential addresses logged though. As for the non existent "jiggers", I agreed with your assesment of their imposed and imagined creation.

 

Your thinking that the ship had been steadied in years 4 and 5 and that it was acceptable to continue with him does not accord with my own. To say that McGhee is "a similar type of manager" makes no sense to me neither in football terms nor on a personal level. He may prove to be as bad as JC but I sincerely hope not and don't think he will. The lack of support from the board is a worry, however.

 

The compensation paid to our former manager and his entourage was a travesty in that there was no need to give the extended contract in the first place. He was never in demand then or now and had he been, it would have been perfect for AFC to take the fresh opportunity to move on. It is arguable that the folly of the contract extension perhaps should have cost Willie Miller his job. To raise this as a reason for suggesting the maintainence of the status quo is insane, particularly with the regard to the financial position at the club and the scale and import of March next year.

 

If I ever listen to morons, I can assure you that it is unwittingly and that I try not to be influenced by them. I reckon I do not a bad job at finding truths out for myself. Rather than insinuating that my outlook is flawed for reason of undue moronic influence, there is one quirk and strangeness which is slightly charming that I'm sure you might acknowledge. Unlike the vast majority of Aberdeen fans that I meet in the real world, there is a anxiousness and vociferousness to defend JC's record on here consistently. That, I simply don't get and conjecture that mere differentiation is somewhere near the core of this source. It's as if in a debating chamber such as this, it is frowned upon to have an alternative view. Testing the climate - by any means including sensationalism and provocation - is actually a proven method of determining the integrity, idiocy or otherwise of the debating culture. My own reasearch is inconclusive as yet.

 

I'd tend to agree with the notion that JC did steady the ship. Under Alex Miller, Heggarty, Skovdahl and Paterson, Aberdeen FC was gradually weakened and weakened and weakened as a whole. I'm of the belief that JC brought back stability, brought back an element of pride, and actually made clubs fear Aberdeen once again. There were times in the late 90s/early 2000s when some clubs loved playing Aberdeen as it was a surefire 3-points.

 

Under JC, we became a lot tougher to beat and restored the idea of us being a "massive" club, as so many players seem to put it.

I'd tend to agree with the notion that JC did steady the ship.

Nobody would dispute this but just because the previous was so appalling doesn't mean that he was the right man for the position going forward. Judging and comparing him to the absolute dross that Milne gave us previously is not as valid as considering where we could have been given the resources and potential and with some focus and desire. The ambition itself of the club has been compromised as a result of years and years of shite and mediocrity.

 

 

Under JC, we became a lot tougher to beat and restored the idea of us being a "massive" club, as so many players seem to put it.

I haven't seen this player commitment that you talk of, neither have I ever felt that we were performing anywhere near an acceptable level that we could consider AFC a big club, let alone "massive". On the contrary, our bigger names such as Severin and Lee Miller got off with murder, such was the inconsistency of their application. Ironically and unfortunately, the only player who put in week in week out was Mackie, and with the limitations that he has this wasn't going to make a huge difference. Gary Mac and Mark Kerr are other Calderwood acquisitions who we also never know whether this week they will be trying or whether they will be invisible. The drinking culture that Calderwood did not discourage was sympomatic of a non-professional culture which manifested itself all too often in sloppy, inconsistent efforts.

 

It could equally be said that there is an anxiousness and vociferousness to denigrate  Calderwood's record as well as his character.

True but who really gives a fuck if he's getting slagged? Look at him. Listen to him. He's a waste of space. If he wasn't so thick and hadn't put us through so much bullshit, then I might have had sympathy but I couldn't give a fuck about him and I'm glad he's history. His record is a matter of fact.

 

 

I don't think anyone on any site was particularly happy with the way things were but it seemed to descend into he's fat, he's orange, he's a weegie, he's a fat orange weegie, he's a clueless fat orange weegie.

 

that's not really debate now is it? It's just bitterness like "You ain't from around here are you boy?"

 

Perhaps even fishing village mentality.

Agree. At least this JMG'er had the decency to articulate why I wanted him gone. Some of it was occasionally hilarious though.

 

 

I do find it amusing that the arguments that were used against the JMG mob are now being used by the MIGgers aka fucking muppets.

Don't tell me you are inventing a new division for AFC fans aka MIGgers? Who are these people? I've never seen them. On the contrary, there are some major morons on the hat that have been slagging McGhee from day one.

My god you would think that my view was a wildly minority one. What did I say?

 

Am I allowed not to like him? Are you forgetting his continuous blaming of the players in his first two years until Aberdeen Journals kicked that out of him? Have you forgotten the infuriating tombola and tactics that failed more often than not? What about his insulting references to the fans and the North east? Did you not hear him say that we didn't support the team enough, that we are cowardly "keyboard warriors" and that we all had unrealistic expectations?

 

When you listen to him, does your instinct not inform you that he is a blustering charlatan? Do you not understand that he will never get a job with a club with an average crowd of five figures? Are his comments in two of today's papers not evidence of bitterness towards us and a complete ignorance of why he's no longer at Aberdeen? I thought that it might be pretty obvious that his own notion of self worth was off the plant with regard to unrealistic.

 

But my purpose was not to come on here and reveal the obvious about him. I merely added an actual quote from the paper. Then, incredulously to me, 4 posters thought that he had a point. I disagreed and now you take a strop. What does puzzle me is that a number of you won't hear any criticism of the man despite the evidence to the contrary. That's fine but accept that different people have different views and in my experience the majority of Aberdeen fans were delighted to see the back of him. He's history, and now that he has emerged as a competing manager in the SPL then I'm sure we'd all like to see him off with a defeat next week.

 

Equally puzzling is what anyone finds to like within the man. Is it symapthy for who he is, do you genuinely rate him or is it just taking an alternative stand for the sake of it?

 

Meh.

It's what happens on the pitch that counts.

Rocket, i don't even think we need to 'make up' a new group for the MIGers as there are clearly people, not necessarily on this site, who back him to the hilt and seem to think he is the dogs Bollocks. I don't think anyone can dispute that the board cannot afford to give him the backing they, and we want them to. This is because of their short sightedness at the peak time of jc's tenure. This has lead to a dramatic slump of form on and off the pitch and thus culminated in sacking jc when the club could not afford to do so. However, thats beside the point. The summer is when there are decent players available and Mcghee wasted most of it tracking players we were never going to sign. Sound familiar? I hope Mcghee, and i know everyone here does too, turns it around and becomes successful. The warning signs are there though, we should not be losing to st midden. Mcghee and the team need to buck up their ideas. We went for a manager that finished below us, and so far we can see why.