Gary Caldwell facts for kids
Caldwell lining up for Celtic in 2009
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gary Caldwell | ||
| Date of birth | 12 April 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Stirling, Scotland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre back | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Exeter City (manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1995–1996 | Celtic Boys Club | ||
| 1996–1997 | Hutchison Vale | ||
| 1997–2001 | Newcastle United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2001–2004 | Newcastle United | 0 | (0) |
| 2001 | → Darlington (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2002 | → Hibernian (loan) | 11 | (0) |
| 2002–2003 | → Coventry City (loan) | 36 | (0) |
| 2003 | → Derby City (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2004–2006 | Hibernian | 88 | (5) |
| 2006–2010 | Celtic | 106 | (5) |
| 2010–2015 | Wigan Athletic | 102 | (6) |
| Total | 356 | (16) | |
| International career | |||
| 2001–2003 | Scotland U21 | 19 | (2) |
| 2002–2013 | Scotland | 55 | (2) |
| 2002–2003 | Scotland B | 4 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2015–2016 | Wigan Athletic | ||
| 2017 | Chesterfield | ||
| 2018–2019 | Partick Thistle | ||
| 2022– | Exeter City | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Gary Caldwell (born on April 12, 1982) is a Scottish former professional footballer and coach. He is currently the manager of Exeter City.
Gary played for several well-known clubs like Newcastle United, Hibernian, Celtic, and Wigan Athletic. He also played 55 times for the Scotland national team.
He was mainly a centre back, which is a defensive player. But he could also play as a right back or a defensive midfielder. His older brother, Steven, was also a footballer. They even played for Wigan at the same time! Gary is part of the Scottish FA International Roll of Honour because he played over 50 games for his country.
After he stopped playing, Gary became a coach. He has managed Wigan Athletic, Chesterfield, Partick Thistle, and now Exeter City.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Starting Out at Newcastle United
Gary Caldwell began his football journey at Celtic Boys Club. When he was 16, he moved to England. He joined Newcastle United with his older brother, Steven.
It was tough to get into the main team at Newcastle. So, Gary went on loan to other clubs. He played for Darlington and Hibernian in 2001–02. Then, he played for Coventry City and Derby County in the next season.
Time with Hibernian
In the 2003–04 season, Newcastle let Gary leave for free. He signed a short contract with Hibs. During this time, he played in the 2004 League Cup Final, where Hibs lost to Livingston.
After trying out for a team in the Netherlands, he signed a two-year deal with Hibs in 2004. In the 2005–06 season, there were rumors he would join Celtic. This made some Hibs fans unhappy. But then, the deal was confirmed by Celtic's manager, Gordon Strachan.
Playing for Celtic
Gary spent four years at Celtic. He helped the club win two league championships. They also won the 2006–07 Scottish Cup and the 2008–09 Scottish League Cup.
At first, some Celtic fans were critical of him. Gary later said this was because of injuries. He also had to play in a different position sometimes. He was also criticized for a tackle on a player named David Fernández. Gary apologized, saying he never meant to hurt anyone.
Later, Gary earned more respect from the fans. They even started chanting "heid" (head) when he had the ball. In the 2008–09 season, he was named the Writers' Player of the Year. He felt this was because he played in his favorite position more often.
In the 2009–10 season, Gary had a disagreement about his contract. He left Celtic after Middlesbrough made an offer for him and another player.
Years at Wigan Athletic
Gary joined Wigan Athletic on January 13, 2010. He signed a four-and-a-half-year contract. He played his first game for Wigan on January 16, 2010, in a 2–0 win against Wolves. He scored his first goal for Wigan on January 27.
Gary became the captain of Wigan Athletic in the 2010–11 season. In the 2011–12 season, he was very important in helping the club avoid being relegated from the Premier League. He won the club's Player of the Year award that season.
In May 2013, Gary helped Wigan win the FA Cup. They beat Manchester City 1–0 in the final. He lifted the trophy with the playing captain, Emerson Boyce.
Gary signed a new one-year contract with Wigan in July 2014. As part of this, he also started taking on some coaching duties. He announced he was stopping his playing career on February 28, 2015. This was because he couldn't recover from a long-term hip injury.
Playing for Scotland
Gary Caldwell played his first full international game for Scotland in 2002. It was a tough game, a 5–0 loss to France.
He scored his first goal for Scotland on October 7, 2006. It was the only goal in a 1–0 win against France. This was during a qualifying match for the Euro 2008 tournament. He was sent off in a World Cup qualifying match against Norway. Gary played alongside his brother Steven in five matches. They were the first brothers to play together for Scotland since the 1940s.
Coaching and Managerial Career
Managing Wigan Athletic
After he stopped playing in February 2015, Gary joined the coaching staff at Wigan Athletic. He became the new manager of Wigan Athletic on April 7, 2015. The club was struggling at the time.
Gary could not stop the club from being relegated to League One. But the club chairman said he would stay in charge. The next season, Gary led Wigan to win the League One title. This meant they were promoted back to the Championship right away! He also won the Manager of the Month award for February and the LMA League One Manager of the Year award.
On October 25, 2016, Gary was let go by Wigan. The club was in 23rd place and had not won in four games.
Managing Chesterfield
In 2017, Gary became the manager of Chesterfield, a League One club. He could not prevent the club from being relegated. He was sacked on September 16 after a bad start to the next season.
Managing Partick Thistle
Gary was appointed manager of Partick Thistle in October 2018. This club plays in the Scottish Championship. Thistle avoided being relegated at the end of the 2018–19 season. However, Gary was sacked in September 2019. The club was near the bottom of the league table at that time.
In 2021, Gary was named the temporary manager for Newcastle United's Under-23 team. Later that year, he joined Manchester City. His job there was to look after players who were loaned to other clubs. Gary then returned to Hibernian as an assistant manager in December 2021. He worked with Shaun Maloney. They were both sacked in April 2022 after losing a Scottish Cup semi-final.
Managing Exeter City
On October 24, 2022, Gary Caldwell became the manager of Exeter City. This club is in League One. Exeter finished the 2022–23 season in 14th place in League One. He continues to manage the team.
Awards and Achievements
As a Player
Celtic
- Scottish Premier League: 2006–07, 2007–08
- Scottish Cup: 2006–07
- Scottish League Cup: 2008–09
Wigan Athletic
- FA Cup: 2012–13
Scotland U16s
- Victory Shield: 1997–98
Individual Awards
- SFWA Footballer of the Year: 2008–09
- SFWA International Player of the Year: 2008–09
- Clydesdale Bank SPL Player of the Year: 2009
- Scottish FA International Roll of Honour inductee 2012
- Wigan Athletic Player of the Season: 2011–12
As a Manager
Wigan Athletic
- Football League One: 2015–16
Individual Awards
- League One Manager of the Month: February 2016
- LMA League One Manager of the Year: 2016
See also
In Spanish: Gary Caldwell para niños
