Stuart87 Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Although never the greatest player, always gave his all for Scotland and his playing career will be remembered for that goal against France, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caledonian Craig Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 By a long shot not my favourite Scotland defender but he has put in a dedicated stint for us and you can't ask for more than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teecee- Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Much maligned player who always played with commitment. Although still remember his " chuckle brothers" performance with his sibling in Oslo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanderer Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Type of player that needed a older and wiser head playing beside him to guide him through games and to assure him (when put beside David Weir they formed a not to bad partnership) and when David Weir retired he should have matured enough to be the one to take this role on for someone else to come through..... Yet this was the one aspect of his game he never developed and was times guys like Berra, Webster and Hanley looked worse because they were covering for him. Can not question his commitment though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bannannan Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Has he honestly retired?His goal against France and subsequent celebration was unreal.Sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZoltanBuchan Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 By a long shot not my favourite Scotland defender but he has put in a dedicated stint for us and you can't ask for more than that. Really not trying to be snide or sneery here - for example, I think Kenny Miller genuinely deserves a lot of respect for the dedication and sheer effort he never failed to put in when wearing a Scotland shirt - but..."he has put in a dedicated stint for us" sounds uncomfortably like being damned with faint praise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caledonian Craig Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Really not trying to be snide or sneery here - for example, I think Kenny Miller genuinely deserves a lot of respect for the dedication and sheer effort he never failed to put in when wearing a Scotland shirt - but..."he has put in a dedicated stint for us" sounds uncomfortably like being damned with faint praise. Well what else would you have me say? I am not questioning his dedication to the shirt as that was always top notch and was already to turn out for us even if carrying injury. However, as people on here will know, I never saw him as a great defender and wouldn't even put him in my top twenty Scottish central defenders of all-time. Just being honest here - no harm in that is there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the Sunnylaw Jag Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Has he honestly retired? I wrote an article for the Scotland Epistles fanzine recently entitled 'The Curse Of Berti Vogts' as it is incredible the run of misfortune that has struck so many players that he gave their first cap to and that more than a few are already retired at a young age from playing including the likes of John Kennedy, Lee Wilkie, Gareth Williams, Kevin Kyle, Michael Stewart, Peter Canero . . . the list is almost endless. Even those players who became established Scotland players also seemed to have a bad run of luck with injury and illness including Darren Fletcher, James McFadden, Craig Gordon and Gary Caldwell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gala Tartan Army (Borders) Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I always remember being in a pub in Stirling not long after his goal v France and Caldwell was in singing along to Flower of Scotland being played by a guitarist. Always got impression he was very proud to play for his country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmcca5 Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Heartbreaking end to a very decent footballing career. Faddy and Caldwell both hero's v France in that campaign. Obviously faddy will get the plaudits but Caldwell deserved recognition for his part in the home games. I can see him becoming a good manager if he goes that way. Proud to say I played in the same team at school as him and Steven, both have been an inspiration to me in what you can achieve with hard work and determination. http://m.scotsman.com/sport/football/latest/painful-decision-as-gary-caldwell-retires-1-3705239 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonny78 Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 great moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasMc1973 Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 Cheers Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyD Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 Shame. He was a very good player on his day, much as some liked to give him stick for mistakes when they happened. In truth he was the most solid part of a defense which was often under siege due to managers who set the team up to be under pressure. in that environment it's not surprising that not just caldwell but the entire backline often made mistakes. He, and the rest of them, deserved better. To succumb to injury as significantly as he has over the last 2 years must have been hard to take. He's still only 32. I'd like to thank him for his efforts and wish him every success in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 I was always a fan of Caldwell and think he got a lot of unfair stick. Was never going to be world class but he always played his heart out for us and did a good job for the most part. Best of luck to him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaid Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 I wrote an article for the Scotland Epistles fanzine recently entitled 'The Curse Of Berti Vogts' as it is incredible the run of misfortune that has struck so many players that he gave their first cap to and that more than a few are already retired at a young age from playing including the likes of John Kennedy, Lee Wilkie, Gareth Williams, Kevin Kyle, Michael Stewart, Peter Canero . . . the list is almost endless. Even those players who became established Scotland players also seemed to have a bad run of luck with injury and illness including Darren Fletcher, James McFadden, Craig Gordon and Gary Caldwell. To be fair, Vogts capped so many players that the law of averages meant there would be a few crocks in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bzzzz Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 I was always immediately worried when there was a Caldwell on the team sheet. Mistakes by defenders are always costly and GC had his fair share of them. Cannae criticise his commitment etc but I will not miss him off the team sheet in the slightest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sporranmaster Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 Not blessed with silky skills but generally did a pretty good job for us. Very committed to playing for Scotland and know that he was really proud to play so often for his country. Know from girls in SFA that he always bought extra tickets for family & friends and he was usually the player with most tickets to be collected. A good guy who did his best - good luck mate! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PASTA Mick Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 I always liked him. I don't remember that many mistakes or bad games. Norway away was a low point but I could give you an equally bad match for most players that picked up as many caps as Caldwell did. He played a big part in some big games for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runningtings Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 Always tried his best. Good luck for the future Gary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jagtag Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 One of my favourite players over the last decade because of his attitude and the undeserved stick he got. what sums him up most for me was the Brazil game when he was on the ground and they were about to score till he threw his face in front of the ball And took a sore one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParisInAKilt Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Shame. He was a very good player on his day, much as some liked to give him stick for mistakes when they happened. In truth he was the most solid part of a defense which was often under siege due to managers who set the team up to be under pressure. in that environment it's not surprising that not just caldwell but the entire backline often made mistakes. He, and the rest of them, deserved better. To succumb to injury as significantly as he has over the last 2 years must have been hard to take. He's still only 32. I'd like to thank him for his efforts and wish him every success in the future. Good post Never realised he got 55 caps. Although could have been a lot more if not for injuries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParisInAKilt Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 I was always immediately worried when there was a Caldwell on the team sheet. Mistakes by defenders are always costly and GC had his fair share of them. Cannae criticise his commitment etc but I will not miss him off the team sheet in the slightest. I think you can count on one hand his individual errors that led to goals, not bad for someone who had 55 caps and played under Levein and Burley. As someone said, the the majority of his Scotland career he played in teams than generally sat back and defended. He would have flourished in this Strachan side I think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Gills Mcginty Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 He's a great guy, knows his limitations, and was always delighted to play for Scotland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robroysboy Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Head like a 50 pence piece, but will always be remembered fondly for his goal against France. Happy retirement Gary, to become a multi-millionaire for someone who had limited ability is quite scary, but fair play to him. He must have been on good wages at Celtic and Wigan. Don't imagine we will see him flipping burgers in a restaurant, if he has invested his money wisely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Gills Mcginty Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 He's nae as daft as he looks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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