And man of the season, part ’08 is . . .

Gary Caldwell

Of the many qualities that go to making a first-class footballer, Gary Caldwell has one of the rarest in spades: mental strength.

A scan over his early career points to a player who required the greatest determination to rise to the highest levels of the game. A couple of years with Celtic Boys Club before moving to Newcastle in his mid-teens, he secured a contract with the Magpies at 17. So far, so good for the young man.

However, a lack of first-team opportunities saw him loaned out to four clubs between 2001 and 2003. Often that would be a sign that a player was destined for the lower leagues but this is also where Caldwell’s cerebral toughness came through.

During that period, he made his Scotland debut in the most trying circumstances, losing 5-0 to France. If that match was infamous for the scoreline and the subsequent abuse doled out to the then coach Berti Vogts, the enduring image was of Caldwell being taunted by an obnoxious David Trezeguet, who went down in the estimation of many that day.

Many players would have had their confidence shattered but Caldwell used the experience as positive inspiration, determined to be the best player he could be.

Signing for Hibs in 2004, for whom he had played 11 times while on the books at Newcastle, Caldwell soon caught the eye and was described by Tony Mowbray as “the best footballing centre-half in Scotland”. And that soon led to Celtic.

It would be dishonest to say that he was an instant success. In his early days, his performances were sometimes marked by poor positioning and over-ambitious passing that resulted in losing possession. He also found himself playing at right-back – a position that didn’t flatter him, though he performed reasonably enough in the circumstances.

The critics – some not too far from this blog – gave vent to their frustrations but gradually his form improved and his international transformation was illustrated when he scored a memorable winning goal against France at Hampden, by which time an ineffectual Trezeguet had been substituted (he did have a good greet at full-time).

However, just as Gary was starting to look a real player, bad luck struck. An unfortunate accidental collision with David Fernandez led to the former Celt being badly injured. Caldwell was blameless but his performance did seem to be affected. A night to forget away to Benfica was quickly followed by an injury of his own.

On returning, it seemed for a time as if all the good habits had been forgotten and many fans again began to despair of his ever becoming a reliable central defender.

This, though, is where Caldwell has again come into his own. The perfect way to “silence the boo-boys” is always to play better football and Gary’s return to top form was crucial to the run of victories that took Celtic to the title in May. This season, he has been arguably the club’s best player, demonstrating intelligence and maturity in his partnership with Stephen McManus.

Appearances as a defensive midfielder have demonstrated Caldwell’s versatility and given him a chance to display those ball skills that are sometimes best kept hidden by a defender.

He is now enjoying the best football of his career and, in this sort of form, few Celtic fans would want any other player in his position.

A very likely contender for Scotland’s Player of the Year awards, Mr Winning-Mentality is our man of the season, part ’08.





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