Gordon Chisholm facts for kids
Chisholm outside Palmerston Park, Dumfries.
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gordon William Chisholm | ||
| Date of birth | 8 April 1960 | ||
| Place of birth | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
| Position(s) | Central defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1978–1985 | Sunderland | 197 | (10) |
| 1985–1987 | Hibernian | 59 | (4) |
| 1987–1992 | Dundee | 155 | (15) |
| 1992 | Partick Thistle | 9 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2005–2006 | Dundee United | ||
| 2007–2010 | Queen of the South | ||
| 2010 | Dundee | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Gordon William Chisholm (born 8 April 1960) is a Scottish former professional football player and manager. He played as a central defender for several teams. These included Sunderland, Hibernian, Dundee, and Partick Thistle.
After he stopped playing, Chisholm became a coach. He often worked as an assistant to Ian McCall. In 2005, Chisholm became the manager of Dundee United. He led them to the 2005 Scottish Cup Final, but they lost 1–0 to Celtic. He was later appointed manager of Scottish First Division club Queen of the South. Chisholm guided them to the 2008 Scottish Cup Final, where they lost 3–2 to Rangers. He then managed Dundee in 2010, but lost his job when the club faced financial difficulties.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Playing in England
Gordon Chisholm started his football journey at Sunderland. He played there for seven years. In March 1985, he was part of the team that reached the Football League Cup final. However, Sunderland lost 1–0 to Norwich City. Unfortunately for Chisholm, he accidentally sent Asa Hartford's shot into his own net, which was the winning goal for Norwich.
Playing in Scotland
Later in 1985, Chisholm moved back to Scotland. He joined Hibernian for £65,000. He scored a goal in his very first game for Hibs. This was in a Scottish League Cup semi-final win against Rangers.
This meant Chisholm played in two League Cup finals in the same year! One in England and one in Scotland. Sadly, Hibs lost their final 3–0 to Aberdeen. After Hibernian, he played for Dundee and Partick Thistle. He stopped playing professionally in 1992. Chisholm was known as a "tall, commanding central defender" who could also play in a holding midfield role.
Managerial Journey
Early Coaching Roles
Before becoming a main manager, Chisholm worked as an assistant manager. He helped out at several clubs. These included Partick Thistle, Clydebank, Ross County, Airdrie, Falkirk, and Dundee United. He often worked alongside Ian McCall.
Managing Dundee United
Gordon Chisholm became the temporary manager of Dundee United on 14 March 2005. This happened after Ian McCall was no longer manager. Chisholm's first two games were tough, with 3–2 losses to Celtic and Hibernian.
However, the next week, his team started winning. They beat Hibernian, Rangers, and Hearts. Dundee United also ended a long losing streak against their rivals, Dundee, winning 2–1. These great results earned Chisholm the SPL manager of the month award for April 2005. His team also managed to stay in the SPL on the very last day of the season.
Dundee United reached the 2005 Scottish Cup Final, but lost 1–0 to Celtic. Because Celtic had already qualified for the UEFA Champions League, Dundee United got to play in the UEFA Cup. Chisholm was then given the manager job permanently on 24 May 2005. Despite spending money on new players, Dundee United were knocked out of the UEFA Cup by Finnish team MyPa. Poor league results and a Scottish Cup loss led to Chisholm being sacked on 10 January 2006.
Managing Queen of the South
Chisholm became assistant manager again, this time at Dumfries club Queen of the South. He worked with Ian McCall until McCall left in 2007. Chisholm then took over as manager, with Kenny Brannigan as his assistant. The club also became fully professional that season.
In March 2008, Chisholm led Queens to their second-ever Scottish Cup semi-final. They beat Dundee 2–0 in the quarter-final. A goal from 84 yards by Ryan McCann was a highlight of that game. Queens then won 4–3 against Aberdeen in the semi-final. This meant Chisholm had guided Queens to their first-ever Scottish Cup Final.
In the Final, Queens scored goals through Steve Tosh and Jim Thomson. However, Rangers won the match 3–2. Queens also finished fourth in the Scottish First Division that season.
Because Rangers had qualified for the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League, Queens got to play in the 2008–09 UEFA Cup. They played against Danish club FC Nordsjælland. The first game was tough, and the Danes won 2–1. In the second game, Queens played well and scored one goal. But the Danes scored two goals in the last five minutes, winning the tie.
Queens started the 2008–09 league season strongly, even reaching the top of the table in October. Chisholm was linked with the manager job at Dundee, but he wasn't allowed to talk to them. After this, Queens' form dropped, but they improved later and finished in the middle of the table.
The 2009–10 season was similar. Queens started well but then had poorer results. They also lost 4–0 in the Scottish Cup to Airdrie. Chisholm applied for the manager job at Kilmarnock, but Jimmy Calderwood got it. Two months later, Chisholm was offered the manager position at Dundee.
Chisholm shared his thoughts after leaving Queen of the South:
I had an excellent working relationship with Chairman Davie Rae, a person I always had a tremendous respect for. I'll always remember the great support shown by Queens' fans over the past two and a half years and the players themselves have been fantastic and a pleasure to work with. We had some great times getting to the Scottish Cup Final at Hampden and playing in Europe and those memories will live with me for the rest of my life. I'd just like to add a big 'thank you' to all at Queen of the South and wish them all the best for the future. And I genuinely mean that!
Managing Dundee
Chisholm took the Dundee job when they were at the top of the First Division. However, the club had just fired their previous manager after four games without a win. Chisholm said it was an opportunity he "couldn't pass by." He was the first person to manage both major Dundee clubs. Billy Dodds, who was a coach at Queen of the South, joined Chisholm at Dundee as his assistant.
Dundee did not win promotion at the end of the 2009–10 season. A few months later, the club faced financial difficulties. Chisholm and Dodds lost their jobs the next day.
Time at East Fife
After leaving Dundee in October 2010, Chisholm took a break from professional football. He started an estate agent business with his wife. In March 2012, he became assistant manager of East Fife on a part-time basis, working with Gordon Durie.
When Durie became ill during a game, Chisholm took charge of the team. He later resigned from East Fife in October 2012. This was because it was difficult to balance his business, the football job, and travel from Lenzie to Methil. After this, Chisholm was appointed as an international development coach with Sunderland.
