Jimmy Calderwood: Former Aberdeen & Dunfermline manager dies
As a midfielder, Calderwood signed an apprenticeship contract with Birmingham City in 1971 and went on to make over 150 appearances for the senior team.
In 1979 he joined Sparta Rotterdam, playing alongside giants of Dutch football and future coaching luminaries including former Rangers manager Dick Advocaat, Danny Blind and Louis Van Gogh. Gal.
Calderwood spent his career in the Netherlands, playing for Willem II, Roda JC and Herkales, before retiring in 1989 to become a coach.
His first managerial appointment came in 1996, when he was promoted from the position of assistant at Wilhelm II before moving to NEC Nijmegen a year later.
Dunfermline brought him back to Scotland in 1999 and Calderwood repaid their faith by winning the League Two title in his first season.
In the top flight, Calderwood’s side finished ninth, sixth, fifth and qualified for the UEFA Cup before finishing a club-best fourth in 2004, but in Lost to Celtic in the Scottish Cup final.
Dunfermline said they were “extremely sad” at his death.
After five years at East End Park, Calderwood moved north to Aberdeen, spending a further five years at Pittodrie.
His best domestic season came in 2006-07, when the Dons finished third in the league, their highest ranking in 21 years, and won the European Football Championship.
This led to an improbable UEFA Cup campaign the following season, when Dnipro was knocked out of the qualifying round and FC Copenhagen triumphed in the group stages and secured their place in the last 32.
Aberdeen drew with Bayern Munich and drew 2-2 at Pittodrie, but were eliminated in the second leg.
Calderwood left Aberdeen in 2009 and kept Kilmarnock in the top flight after taking over at Rugby Park in January 2010.
A year later he won the Challenge Cup with Ross County before returning to Holland with the Eagles.
In August 2017, he revealed his dementia diagnosis to raise awareness of the disease.
