Jimmy Calderwood 1999-2004
Jimmy Calderwood was born in Glasgow in February 1955 but earned the title of "foreign coach" since all his prior managerial experience was in Holland.
A player with Birmingham City whom he joined in July 1971. Made his football league debut against Stoke City in November 1972. He played 159 matches for Birmingham mainly at right back, scored 5 goals and gained representative honours playing for Scotland U23s. His association with Birmingham ended after their relegation in May 1979 after a short loan spell with Cambridge United, he signed for Sparta Rotterdam and he has remained in Holland ever since.
After initially carving out a playing career that lasted a further ten years with Sparta, Willem II (1980-82), Roda JC (1982-88) and SC Heracles (1988-89), he took up his first coaching appointment in 1991 with amateurs Rietvogels.
He moved on to be Assistant Coach for FC Zwolle (1992-93), he was Assistant and then in charge of Cambuur Leeuwarden (1993-95), assistant at Willem II (1995-96), and in 1996 he was appointed Head Coach and then Chief Coach of NEC Nijmegan from July 1997. NEC finished mid-table in the Dutch League in the 1998-99 season.
Dunfermline were alerted to Jimmy Calderwood`s desirability through Dick Advocaat and David Murray. Advocaat and Calderwood had played against each other as players in Holland. Jimmy arrived at Dunfermline in November 1999 despite a Chic Young exclusive that the next manager was going to be Mike Walker or Bobby Gould. NEC were reported to have been paid £200,000 in compensation.
He achieved promotion to the SPL within 5 months and in season finished fourth in the Premierleague and reached the 2004 Scottish Cup Final.
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