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 in Glasgow) is a Scottish former professional football player and manager. He played as a strong central defender. Gordon Chisholm played for several well-known clubs. These included Sunderland, Hibernian, Dundee, and Partick Thistle.
After his playing days, Chisholm became a coach and later a manager. He worked as an assistant to Ian McCall in some of his roles. In 2005, Chisholm took over as manager of Dundee United. He led them to the 2005 Scottish Cup Final, but they lost to Celtic. He was later sacked from Dundee United.
Chisholm then became manager of Scottish First Division club Queen of the South. He guided them to the 2008 Scottish Cup Final. They lost this match 3–2 to Rangers. In 2010, Chisholm left Queen of the South to manage Dundee. However, he lost his job when the club faced financial difficulties later that year.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Playing in England
Gordon Chisholm began his football journey at Sunderland. He spent seven years playing for the club. In March 1985, he was part of the team that reached the final of the Football League Cup. Sunderland unfortunately lost this match 1–0 to Norwich City. In that game, Chisholm accidentally deflected a shot into his own net, which became Norwich's winning goal.
Playing in Scotland
Later in 1985, Chisholm moved back to Scotland. He joined Hibernian for a fee of £65,000. He made a great start by scoring a goal in his first game for Hibs. This was a Scottish League Cup semi-final win against Rangers. This meant Chisholm achieved something very unusual. He played in League Cup Finals in both England and Scotland in the same year. Sadly, both finals ended in losses for his teams. Hibs lost their final 3–0 to Aberdeen.
After his time at Hibernian, he played for Dundee and Partick Thistle. He retired from playing football in 1992. Chisholm was known as a "tall, commanding central defender". He was also able to play in a holding midfield role.
Managerial Journey
Starting as a Manager
Before becoming a main manager, Gordon 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.
Leading Dundee United
On 14 March 2005, Chisholm became the temporary manager of Dundee United. This happened after Ian McCall was sacked. Chisholm's first two games were tough, with 3–2 defeats against Celtic and Hibernian. However, his team quickly turned things around. In the following week, they won against Hibernian, Rangers, and Hearts.
United also ended a long run without a win against their rivals, Dundee. They won 2–1 with goals from Mark Wilson and Jim McIntyre. These great results helped Chisholm win the SPL manager of the month award for April 2005. His team then managed to stay in the SPL on the very last day of the season. A late penalty from Barry Robson at Inverness secured their safety.
Dundee United's victory against Hibs also meant they reached the 2005 Scottish Cup Final. They lost this final 1–0 to Celtic. However, because Celtic had already qualified for the UEFA Champions League, Dundee United earned a spot in the UEFA Cup. Chisholm was given the manager's job permanently on 24 May 2005. Despite spending money on new players like Lee Miller, Dundee United were knocked out of the UEFA Cup by Finnish team MyPa. Poor league results and a Scottish Cup defeat led to Chisholm being sacked on 10 January 2006.
Managing Queen of the South
Chisholm returned to being an assistant manager, this time at Dumfries club Queen of the South. He worked again with Ian McCall until McCall left the club in 2007. Chisholm then took over as manager, with Kenny Brannigan as his assistant. The club also announced it would become fully professional.
In March 2008, Chisholm guided Queens to only their second ever Scottish Cup semi-final. They won 2–0 against Dundee in the quarter-final. This game was famous for a goal scored from 84 yards by Ryan McCann. Queens then won their semi-final 4–3 against Aberdeen. This meant Chisholm had led Queens to their first ever Scottish Cup Final. In the Final, despite goals from Steve Tosh and Jim Thomson, Rangers won 3–2. Queens finished fourth in the Scottish First Division that season.
Because Rangers had already qualified for the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League, Queens entered the 2008–09 UEFA Cup competition. They played against Danish club FC Nordsjælland in a qualification round. The first game was played in difficult conditions, and the Danes won 2–1. Queens played better in the second game, but only scored one goal. With Queens pushing for another goal, the Danes scored twice in the last five minutes, winning the tie.
Queens had a strong start to the 2008–09 league season, being top of the table in October. Chisholm was linked with the vacant manager position at Dundee. However, the club chairman did not allow him to talk to Dundee. This period also saw Queens' form drop. Their form improved later in the season, and they 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's job at Kilmarnock, but it went to someone else. Two months later, he was offered the manager's job at Dundee. Chisholm said he had a great relationship with the chairman and fans at Queen of the South. He remembered the good times, like reaching the Scottish Cup Final and playing in Europe.
Time at Dundee
Chisholm took the Dundee job when they were at the top of the First Division. However, the club had just sacked their previous manager after four games without a win. Chisholm said it was an opportunity he could not miss. He was the first person to manage both major Dundee clubs. Billy Dodds, who was a coach at Queen of the South, joined him as his assistant at Dundee.
Dundee did not win promotion at the end of the 2009–10 season. A few months later, the club faced serious financial problems. The person in charge of the club's finances made Chisholm and Dodds redundant the next day.
Later Coaching Role
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, Chisholm was appointed assistant manager of East Fife. This was a part-time role under Gordon Durie. When Durie became unwell during a game, Chisholm took charge of the team. He resigned from East Fife in October 2012. This was because it was difficult to balance his business and the football job, especially with the travel involved. Chisholm then became an international development coach with Sunderland.
