Calderwood takes another swipe at "Faceless" Fans

[stoney]

From todays record.

 

QUOTE

Former Aberdeen boss Jimmy Calderwood opens his heart on his exit from Pittodrie.

 

I knew there was a problem when people at Pittodrie changed towards me. Instead of coming around my office, they stayed away and avoided me in the corridors.

 

For instance, I hadn't spoken a word to the managing director, Duncan Fraser - a guy I used to go for a drink with - for two months.

 

And I knew that two directors were plotting behind my back to get me out. After the worst result in my career, the defeat by Queen of the South in the Scottish Cup semi-final last season, I'm certain one of them briefed the media that I was a dead man walking.

 

When we were knocked out the same competition by Dunfermline this season, this director never said anything to my face but told others we had to qualify for Europe or I would be sacked.

 

The other director ludicrously claimed the inconsistent results were caused by a lack of fitness.

 

LastTuesday, with the rumour mill in full flow, I asked for a meeting with chairman Stewart Milne to clear the air and tell him what was going on.

 

The great Rinus Michels once said to me that if there is a cancer within the club, you must cut it out. But within a minute, I knew there was a serious problem because he was not 100 per cent behind me.

 

He complained I was too critical of the players, that I changed the team too much and thatsometimes he couldn't understand my tactics.

 

Progress

 

I told him any criticism of the players had been said to their faces before I went to the media and they didn't have any problem and that teams and tactics were picked to suit the opposition and win games.

 

Surprisingly, Willie Miller also said he couldn't understand what I was trying to do in certain games and he mentioned a cup tie at Tannadice.

 

This was the one in which we trailed 2-0 at half-time and came back to win 3-2 so I must have done something right. As Aberdeen manager, I tried to win every match and won a lot more than I lost.

 

We have been top six every season, finished third once and fourth twice and qualified for Europe twice which I believe is real progress. We also made a £700,000 profit in the transfer market.

 

Our last campaign in Europe was a wonderful adventure that lifted everyone associated with the club and generated record turnover and a £2.7million profit.

 

By comparison, our record in the domestic cups was really poor and that is where I have been judged.

 

I always felt I was just one bad cup result away from the sack and that is no way to operate when your board isn't fully behind you.

 

The chairman said there was a board meeting the following day when my position would be discussed.

 

I said there was no need for a board meeting, it was his club and just get the severance cheques written.

 

When your bosses doubt your ability and your methods, it's time to go. It was all done very calmly. There was no shouting match but I still felt gutted that my five-year reign at Pittodrie was over. It was a sore one. My pride was hurt because I'd never been in this position before where my employers questioned if I was the right man to take the club forward.

 

They felt they couldn't sell enough season-tickets and that corporate hospitality would suffer if I stayed on. Fair enough, that was their decision.

 

But I insisted this be kept away from the players in case it affected them before the match with Hibs and cost the club a place in Europe.

 

The next few days were like walking through a minefield. Staff kept asking about contracts, pre-season plans, squad numbers and a thousand other things and I felt like a fraud because I couldn't give them an honest answer.

 

But everything worked out.

 

We beat Hibs with a superb performance to qualify for the Europa League and Jimmy Nicholl, Sandy Clark and I walked away with our heads held high.

 

Face to face, the fans were brilliant with me apart from the night a bunch of kids came to my house. My wife thought they'd come to get autographs but they were there to have a go at me.

 

It was the faceless cowards who went on to websites and phone-ins that did the real damage. Fan power is a new phenomenon in the game and every manager in the SPL, apart from Craig Levein and Billy Reid, have had to put up with unwarranted abuse.

 

I am proud of my record at Aberdeen considering the state the club was in when we arrived. There was little money to spend because of debts run up by previous managers.

 

Real quality such as Scott Severin, Stevie Crawford, Jamie Langfield, Lee Miller, Gary McDonald, Mark Kerr, Jamie Smith and Craig Brewster was brought in on free transfers.

 

Healthier

 

We also got Sone Aluko for a bargain fee and the kid, along with Miller and Langfield, will eventually go on to earn the club millions.

 

It's satisfying to me that the players who left, Russell Anderson, Markus Heikkinen, Kevin McNaughton, Michael Hart and Chrissie Clark, are all playing at a higher level.

 

I often dream that if they'd all stayed, we might even have had a team capable of winning the league. But that could never happen and never will because Aberdeen, like every other club in Scotland except Celtic, have to sell their best players.

 

Aberdeen is in a much healthier condition than the day I arrived and it was the same story at Dunfermline. My successor will take over a team with the basics in place and a youth system producing talent such as Peter Pawlett.

 

I don't know what the future holds. I could have gone to England twice but didn't believe the clubs there were as big as Aberdeen and there were opportunities to return to Holland.

 

I plan to go and watch Manchester United, Barcelona and Arsenal train and expand my knowledge. It's a thing I've always wanted to do but have never had time to leave the job in hand. I will stay in football but you need to be asked first.

[stoney]

QUOTE

Former Aberdeen boss Jimmy Calderwood opens his heart on his exit from Pittodrie.

 

I knew there was a problem when people at Pittodrie changed towards me. Instead of coming around my office, they stayed away and avoided me in the corridors.

 

For instance, I hadn't spoken a word to the managing director, Duncan Fraser - a guy I used to go for a drink with - for two months.

 

And I knew that two directors were plotting behind my back to get me out. After the worst result in my career, the defeat by Queen of the South in the Scottish Cup semi-final last season, I'm certain one of them briefed the media that I was a dead man walking.

 

When we were knocked out the same competition by Dunfermline this season, this director never said anything to my face but told others we had to qualify for Europe or I would be sacked.

 

The other director ludicrously claimed the inconsistent results were caused by a lack of fitness. or the drink culture within the club, also we must have the worst record of training ground injurys in the world so surely there must be some sort of problem with that

 

LastTuesday, with the rumour mill in full flow, I asked for a meeting with chairman Stewart Milne to clear the air and tell him what was going on.

 

The great Rinus Michels WHO? once said to me that if there is a cancer within the club, you must cut it out. Job Done But within a minute, I knew there was a serious problem because he was not 100 per cent behind me.

 

He complained I was too critical of the players, that I changed the team too much and thatsometimes he couldn't understand my tactics. here here, my only problem with calderwood

 

Progress

 

I told him any criticism of the players had been said to their faces before I went to the media and they didn't have any problem and that teams and tactics were picked to suit the opposition and win games. precisley why you were sacked, have faith in YOUR team

 

Surprisingly, Willie Miller also said he couldn't understand what I was trying to do in certain games and he mentioned a cup tie at Tannadice. Willies not the only one

 

This was the one in which we trailed 2-0 at half-time and came back to win 3-2 so I must have done something right. (yes you stopped playing with one fucking player up front and changed to 4-4-2) As Aberdeen manager, I tried to win every match and won a lot more than I lost. You also drew a hell of a lot we should have won

 

We have been top six every season BOOM BOOM, finished third once (In 5 seasons) and fourth twice and qualified for Europe twice which I believe is real progress it wasnt good enough under ebbe so why would it be now. We also made a £700,000 profit in the transfer market. by selling our players on the cheap

 

Our last campaign in Europe was a wonderful adventure that lifted everyone associated with the club and generated record turnover and a £2.7million profit. and won us one game

 

By comparison, our record in the domestic cups was really poor and that is where I have been judged.

 

I always felt I was just one bad cup result away from the sack and that is no way to operate when your board isn't fully behind you. How many chances did you want jimmy?

 

The chairman said there was a board meeting the following day when my position would be discussed.

 

I said there was no need for a board meeting, it was his club and just get the severance cheques written. All about the money at the end of the day was it?

 

When your bosses doubt your ability and your methods, it's time to go. It was all done very calmly. There was no shouting match but I still felt gutted that my five-year reign at Pittodrie was over. It was a sore one. My pride was hurt because I'd never been in this position before where my employers questioned if I was the right man to take the club forward.

 

They felt they couldn't sell enough season-tickets and that corporate hospitality would suffer if I stayed on. Fair enough, that was their decision.

 

But I insisted this be kept away from the players in case it affected them before the match with Hibs and cost the club a place in Europe.

 

The next few days were like walking through a minefield. Staff kept asking about contracts, pre-season plans, squad numbers and a thousand other things and I felt like a fraud because I couldn't give them an honest answer.

 

But everything worked out.

 

We beat Hibs with a superb performance to qualify for the Europa League and Jimmy Nicholl, Sandy Clark and I walked away with our heads held high.

 

Face to face, the fans were brilliant (really? so what about the 40odd fans who waited outside pittodrie for you after the cally game? who were the "Faceless" People then with me apart from the night a bunch of kids came to my house. My wife thought they'd come to get autographs (aye thats why they were there hahaha) but they were there to have a go at me.

 

It was the faceless cowards (apart from those who protested and took the bother to go to your house?)  who went on to websites and phone-ins that did the real damage every time i listened to a phone in more often then not it was people praising you, you clown? . Fan power is a new phenomenon in the game and every manager in the SPL, apart from Craig Levein and Billy Reid maybe theres something in that jimmy, what about lazlo? and butcher, and mcghee? , have had to put up with unwarranted abuse.

 

I am proud of my record at Aberdeen considering the state the club was in when we arrived. There was little money to spend not as little as paterson because of debts run up by previous managers.

 

Real quality such as Scott Severin, Stevie Crawford, Jamie Langfield, Lee Miller, Gary McDonald, Mark Kerr, Jamie Smith and Craig Brewster was brought in on free transfers. so was kristjanson, blaha, baas, paatalinen etc etc etc

 

Healthier

 

We also got Sone Aluko for a bargain fee and the kid (after he phoned you and ASKED to come back), along with Miller and Langfield, will eventually go on to earn the club millions.

 

It's satisfying to me that the players who left, Russell Anderson, Markus Heikkinen, Kevin McNaughton, Michael Hart and Chrissie Clark, are all playing at a higher level who brought them to the club?

 

I often dream that if they'd all stayed , we might even have had a team capable of winning the league. But that could never happen and never will because Aberdeen, like every other club in Scotland except Celtic, have to sell their best players.

 

Aberdeen is in a much healthier condition than the day I arrived i beg to differ and it was the same story at Dunfermline. My successor will take over a team with the basics in place and a youth system producing talent such as Peter Pawlett why not give him a better chance then he got in the first team

 

I don't know what the future holds. I could have gone to England twice but didn't believe the clubs there were as big as Aberdeen and there were opportunities to return to Holland.

 

I plan to go and watch Manchester United, Barcelona and Arsenal train and expand my knowledge why not start at your level watching dundee united and motherwell, maybe killie the teams you were scared to have a go at in your time here. It's a thing I've always wanted to do but have never had time to leave the job in hand. I will stay in football but you need to be asked first.

[Kowalski]

From todays record.

 

...was as far as I got.

[mizer]

So tempted to go though that article and have a go at what he says, but is there any point?

[wee toon red]

...was as far as I got.

 

Skip the first post and read the second with Stoney's highlights in red. Some belters there. Particularly the bit about the club not being in a better position than we were before Jimmy came in  

[baggy89]

It would be easy to get riled up by some of the comments made by Jimmy in that article, but really what would be the point. The guy is obviously hurting, and anyone with half an ounce of common sense can see why. As far as I'm concerned no matter what your opinion of him while he was our manager the guy now deserves our respect, forget about the shortcomings and focus on the fact we are no longer a laughing stock.

[Kowalski]

Some belters there.

 

Has Stoney never heard of Rinus Michels?

[stoney]

So tempted to go though that article and have a go at what he says, but is there any point?

 

Not really - just to get abuse form the regulars on here.

 

But i certainly feel better for it  

[wee toon red]

Not really - just to get abuse form the regulars on here.

 

But i certainly feel better for it  

 

Hardly abuse man. I actually agree with a lot of your comments but the daft ones don't do your more sensible opinions any favours.

[bilbobaggins]

Gie yer arse a biscuit Stoney. You're just pissed off because he called you faceless.

[RDU_64]

I could argue with some of the more ridiculous comments that you have kindly said Stoney, but then it's what your fishing for and it would be like arguing with a brick wall. 

[TENEMENTFUNSTER]

Your thread title has the wrong word in inverted commas stoney. Give it up stoney, you are beginning to more bitter than just plain deluded now.

[stoney]

Im not the bitter one

 

when will you jiggers give it up 

[TENEMENTFUNSTER]

 

Give what up?

[roosterbooster]

mmm ye dont know who Rinus Michels is?? need to brush up on some footy knowledge there - a legend of the game

[dave_min]

I only got to your first comment when you blamed Calderwood for our poor training facilities 

[Ajja]

Has he not gone now ? We just don't need to discuss this anymore.

[Mentorred]

I hear this guy is really upset about JC'S comments.

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_UV5RuxaDkGU/SaYJR2oXjjI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/qJP-SWgBeAo/s400/man+have+no+face2.jpg[/img]

[Sharpie]

Willie says Jimmy is full o' shite.

 

http://www.afc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/clubNewsDetail/0,,10284~1667231,00.html

[BrownyBrown]

I think the club have to be very careful here that this doesn't turn into a mud-slinging match. It won't do anyone any good at all. I'm surprised the club didn't have some sort of gagging order in place for his pay-off, given his track record of foot-in mouth PR. Still he's entitled to his say and its interesting to get an insight into what does exactly go on behind closed doors at AFC.

 

It's understandable that Calderwood feels aggreived - he has just been sacked. I'd challenge anyone not to be resentful when they are sacked so I can understand why he has tried to 'clear his name'. When you consider his motives, he'll be looking for a new job so having 'sacked' at the bottom of his CV does him no good.

 

Since when has anyone ever paid much attention to JCs column in the Record anyway?...

 

 

[Harcus]

Interesting article. It's all a bit "woe is me" to my mind, and I don't think Jimmy does himself any favours.

 

Nor does Stoney (and I bet they're having fun with it over on Hat) but who really cares. 

[BobbyBiscuit]

Interesting article. It's all a bit "woe is me" to my mind, and I don't think Jimmy does himself any favours.

 

Agreed, Harcus. Comes across as more of his inability to ever admit to getting things wrong. Quite sad he felt that these things had to be said in public.

[willie_millers-barmyarmy]

Let it die!

[caledonia]

Post of the year i agree with everything said especially the bit about tactics they have been abysmal

Team selection don't get me started on that as they have been nothing short of a joke and i have been saying this all year

Makes some of the regulars on here look silly now as they defended him, the team selections and tactics all along and have now been proved wrong

God what does it take with Willie Miller even saying his tactics were crap.

 

 

QUOTE

Former Aberdeen boss Jimmy Calderwood opens his heart on his exit from Pittodrie.

 

I knew there was a problem when people at Pittodrie changed towards me. Instead of coming around my office, they stayed away and avoided me in the corridors.

 

For instance, I hadn't spoken a word to the managing director, Duncan Fraser - a guy I used to go for a drink with - for two months.

 

And I knew that two directors were plotting behind my back to get me out. After the worst result in my career, the defeat by Queen of the South in the Scottish Cup semi-final last season, I'm certain one of them briefed the media that I was a dead man walking.

 

When we were knocked out the same competition by Dunfermline this season, this director never said anything to my face but told others we had to qualify for Europe or I would be sacked.

 

The other director ludicrously claimed the inconsistent results were caused by a lack of fitness. or the drink culture within the club, also we must have the worst record of training ground injurys in the world so surely there must be some sort of problem with that

 

LastTuesday, with the rumour mill in full flow, I asked for a meeting with chairman Stewart Milne to clear the air and tell him what was going on.

 

The great Rinus Michels WHO? once said to me that if there is a cancer within the club, you must cut it out. Job Done But within a minute, I knew there was a serious problem because he was not 100 per cent behind me.

 

He complained I was too critical of the players, that I changed the team too much and thatsometimes he couldn't understand my tactics. here here, my only problem with calderwood

 

Progress

 

I told him any criticism of the players had been said to their faces before I went to the media and they didn't have any problem and that teams and tactics were picked to suit the opposition and win games. precisley why you were sacked, have faith in YOUR team

 

Surprisingly, Willie Miller also said he couldn't understand what I was trying to do in certain games and he mentioned a cup tie at Tannadice. Willies not the only one

 

This was the one in which we trailed 2-0 at half-time and came back to win 3-2 so I must have done something right. (yes you stopped playing with one fucking player up front and changed to 4-4-2) As Aberdeen manager, I tried to win every match and won a lot more than I lost. You also drew a hell of a lot we should have won

 

We have been top six every season BOOM BOOM, finished third once (In 5 seasons) and fourth twice and qualified for Europe twice which I believe is real progress it wasnt good enough under ebbe so why would it be now. We also made a £700,000 profit in the transfer market. by selling our players on the cheap

 

Our last campaign in Europe was a wonderful adventure that lifted everyone associated with the club and generated record turnover and a £2.7million profit. and won us one game

 

By comparison, our record in the domestic cups was really poor and that is where I have been judged.

 

I always felt I was just one bad cup result away from the sack and that is no way to operate when your board isn't fully behind you. How many chances did you want jimmy?

 

The chairman said there was a board meeting the following day when my position would be discussed.

 

I said there was no need for a board meeting, it was his club and just get the severance cheques written. All about the money at the end of the day was it?

 

When your bosses doubt your ability and your methods, it's time to go. It was all done very calmly. There was no shouting match but I still felt gutted that my five-year reign at Pittodrie was over. It was a sore one. My pride was hurt because I'd never been in this position before where my employers questioned if I was the right man to take the club forward.

 

They felt they couldn't sell enough season-tickets and that corporate hospitality would suffer if I stayed on. Fair enough, that was their decision.

 

But I insisted this be kept away from the players in case it affected them before the match with Hibs and cost the club a place in Europe.

 

The next few days were like walking through a minefield. Staff kept asking about contracts, pre-season plans, squad numbers and a thousand other things and I felt like a fraud because I couldn't give them an honest answer.

 

But everything worked out.

 

We beat Hibs with a superb performance to qualify for the Europa League and Jimmy Nicholl, Sandy Clark and I walked away with our heads held high.

 

Face to face, the fans were brilliant (really? so what about the 40odd fans who waited outside pittodrie for you after the cally game? who were the "Faceless" People then with me apart from the night a bunch of kids came to my house. My wife thought they'd come to get autographs (aye thats why they were there hahaha) but they were there to have a go at me.

 

It was the faceless cowards (apart from those who protested and took the bother to go to your house?)  who went on to websites and phone-ins that did the real damage every time i listened to a phone in more often then not it was people praising you, you clown? . Fan power is a new phenomenon in the game and every manager in the SPL, apart from Craig Levein and Billy Reid maybe theres something in that jimmy, what about lazlo? and butcher, and mcghee? , have had to put up with unwarranted abuse.

 

I am proud of my record at Aberdeen considering the state the club was in when we arrived. There was little money to spend not as little as paterson because of debts run up by previous managers.

 

Real quality such as Scott Severin, Stevie Crawford, Jamie Langfield, Lee Miller, Gary McDonald, Mark Kerr, Jamie Smith and Craig Brewster was brought in on free transfers. so was kristjanson, blaha, baas, paatalinen etc etc etc

 

Healthier

 

We also got Sone Aluko for a bargain fee and the kid (after he phoned you and ASKED to come back), along with Miller and Langfield, will eventually go on to earn the club millions.

 

It's satisfying to me that the players who left, Russell Anderson, Markus Heikkinen, Kevin McNaughton, Michael Hart and Chrissie Clark, are all playing at a higher level who brought them to the club?

 

I often dream that if they'd all stayed , we might even have had a team capable of winning the league. But that could never happen and never will because Aberdeen, like every other club in Scotland except Celtic, have to sell their best players.

 

Aberdeen is in a much healthier condition than the day I arrived i beg to differ and it was the same story at Dunfermline. My successor will take over a team with the basics in place and a youth system producing talent such as Peter Pawlett why not give him a better chance then he got in the first team

 

I don't know what the future holds. I could have gone to England twice but didn't believe the clubs there were as big as Aberdeen and there were opportunities to return to Holland.

 

I plan to go and watch Manchester United, Barcelona and Arsenal train and expand my knowledge why not start at your level watching dundee united and motherwell, maybe killie the teams you were scared to have a go at in your time here. It's a thing I've always wanted to do but have never had time to leave the job in hand. I will stay in football but you need to be asked first.

 

 

[Mackie's ace!]

Yes, his tactics have been wrong all along. I can't believe he got it so wrong, and we're playing in Europe next season instead of the first division.