Calderwood blames SPL

[DinViesel 399]

Nothing new but just because Celtic are blinkered and think they won the title fair and square, doesn't mean the rest of the SPL teams do.

Rangers should have been champions, says Aberdeen boss Jimmy Calderwood

May 23 2008 By Colin Duncan & David McCarthy

ABERDEEN boss Jimmy Calderwood watched his side wreck Rangers' title dreams and then claimed Walter Smith's men deserved to be champions.

Second-half strikes from Lee Miller and Darren Mackie killed off all hope of the Ibrox men pulling off an unlikely last-day triumph at the expense of Celtic, who won 1-0 at Tannadice.

But Calderwood believes Rangers would have walked away with the championship flag if the SPL hadn't forced them to play eight games in 21 days and Zander Diamond's last-gasp equaliser at Parkhead last month had been allowed to stand.

Diamond had a perfectly legitimate strike ruled out by referee Iain Brines, who later admitted he got it badly wrong, and Calderwood feels that was the pivotal moment in the title race.

He said: "This was a great result for the club, knowing how important the game was for Rangers.

"But you have to feel sorry for Walter, Coisty and Kenny McDowall.

"Take nothing away from Gordon Strachan's title and good luck to them but I honestly believe if Rangers didn't have that programme they would have won the league.

"It was very close and if our goal against Celtic had stood then I think the league would have been finished that day but it went somewhere else."

Calderwood is also hoping last night's 2-0 victory finally puts paid to the conspiracy theories that have surrounded him since his Dunfermline side lost 6-1 at Ibrox on the final day of the 2003 campaign to hand Alex McLeish's men the title at the expense of Martin O'Neill's Celtic.

He said: "There is never an easy game in Scotland and this is always a special fixture regardless.

"Let's hope this puts an end to all the conspiracy theories.

We tend to be involved in things in the last day, which is a good thing.

"When Henrik Larsson decided to leave, the script was written for him in the Scottish Cup Final and there was the 6-1 game at Ibrox with Dunfermline.

"Last year we beat Rangers to clinch third place in the league so hopefully we can get it sorted earlier next season and get our holidays fixed up."

Calderwood feels Aberdeen rode their luck during an edgy first half, although he was full of praise for the way his players responded after the break to end Rangers' hopes.

He said: "We got a few breaks before half time and then got the goal at the start of the second half. We took a lot of confidence from that.

"Shortly afterwards word came through from Tannadice that Celtic were winning and it was always going to be difficult for Rangers after all they've been through in the last few weeks. We then got the second goal and they had Novo sent off.

"We have clawed our way back in the league after being 11 points behind Dundee United and Hibs and all credit to the boys after the debacle of Queen of the South in the Scottish Cup semi-final.

"It is a wonderful end to the season for us and a cruel end for Rangers."

Midfielder Barry Nicholson was given a standing ovation from the crowd when he was substituted near the end of his final game for the club and his manager paid tribute to him.

Calderwood said: "He has been fabulous for us and will be a massive loss. He's a player we didn't want to go.

"I've had him for seven years at Dunfermline and Aberdeen after he left Rangers and he has been a pleasure to work with."

Rangers boss Smith admitted his team's failure to handle their fixture pile-up cost them the championship.

He saw his side lose a seven-point lead with a game in hand as recently as April 6 and believes that the number of matches they've had to cram in since then was the reason they missed out on the title.

Rangers were playing their 67th game of the campaign at Pittodrie.

Smith admitted that losing the title from a seemingly winning position made the disappointment even more crushing.

He said: "At the moment there is just disappointment. We got to the point where we felt we had a good opportunity to win the league.

"That was more than I would have expected in the first year but it was there so the disappointment is even greater when it doesn't materialise.

"When we realised what kind of fixture list we were going to have in the last couple of months, that's when we realised it would be difficult.

"Until then we'd had a really good run of games, going over 20 without losing, and I thought we could take the championship because we'd reached that level of consistency.

"But when I saw all the fixtures I knew we had an uphill battle and that's what it was."

Smith refused to drag up the row with the SPL that saw his side play three league games in five days this week - and drop the four points that cost them the championship.

He said: "We tried, as any club would, to get the fixtures spread. It didn't happen so we had to play the games and we've done that.

"They were a set of circumstances that don't normally come around and it came about because of the way the team has played and how successful it was until the last period.

"Overall it was our failure to handle a set of circumstances that were really unusual for a team to have to deal with.

That's where we've fallen down as much as anything else."

On the match, Smith felt that mental tiredness rather than physical fatigue had cost Rangers. He said: "We are disappointed at the outcome tonight and disappointed we've lost out on the championship bid.

"It was a game where there wasn't much between the teams but we lost from two set-plays, which we have been a little bit vulnerable at recently, maybe down to a little bit of mental tiredness as much as anything else.

"We have to get them ready for the Scottish Cup Final. We'd like to finish the season on a brighter note than we have done over the last week or so."

But he had little sympathy for Nacho Novo, who was shown a red card by referee Kenny Clark for a studsup challenge on Stuart Duff in the dying minutes that means the Spaniard misses the Cup Final.

Smith said: "It was difficult to see from the dug-out but if he missed the ball he deserved to be sent off and we have no argument."

http://www.<No links to this website>/sport/2008/05...86908-20426714/

[minstral 5,375]

at least he tell the truth although the tims wont like it.

[brissyger 8]

Anybody not a Tim or a member of the SPL board could see that. Kudos to him for having the balls to come out and say something though.

[pessimistic_pete 2]

Rangers should have been champions, says Aberdeen boss Jimmy Calderwood

May 23 2008 By Colin Duncan & David McCarthy

ABERDEEN boss Jimmy Calderwood watched his side wreck Rangers' title dreams and then claimed Walter Smith's men deserved to be champions.

Second-half strikes from Lee Miller and Darren Mackie killed off all hope of the Ibrox men pulling off an unlikely last-day triumph at the expense of Celtic, who won 1-0 at Tannadice.

But Calderwood believes Rangers would have walked away with the championship flag if the SPL hadn't forced them to play eight games in 21 days and Zander Diamond's last-gasp equaliser at Parkhead last month had been allowed to stand.

Diamond had a perfectly legitimate strike ruled out by referee Iain Brines, who later admitted he got it badly wrong, and Calderwood feels that was the pivotal moment in the title race.

He said: "This was a great result for the club, knowing how important the game was for Rangers.

"But you have to feel sorry for Walter, Coisty and Kenny McDowall.

"Take nothing away from Gordon Strachan's title and good luck to them but I honestly believe if Rangers didn't have that programme they would have won the league.

"It was very close and if our goal against Celtic had stood then I think the league would have been finished that day but it went somewhere else."

Calderwood is also hoping last night's 2-0 victory finally puts paid to the conspiracy theories that have surrounded him since his Dunfermline side lost 6-1 at Ibrox on the final day of the 2003 campaign to hand Alex McLeish's men the title at the expense of Martin O'Neill's Celtic.

He said: "There is never an easy game in Scotland and this is always a special fixture regardless.

"Let's hope this puts an end to all the conspiracy theories.

We tend to be involved in things in the last day, which is a good thing.

"When Henrik Larsson decided to leave, the script was written for him in the Scottish Cup Final and there was the 6-1 game at Ibrox with Dunfermline.

"Last year we beat Rangers to clinch third place in the league so hopefully we can get it sorted earlier next season and get our holidays fixed up."

Calderwood feels Aberdeen rode their luck during an edgy first half, although he was full of praise for the way his players responded after the break to end Rangers' hopes.

He said: "We got a few breaks before half time and then got the goal at the start of the second half. We took a lot of confidence from that.

"Shortly afterwards word came through from Tannadice that Celtic were winning and it was always going to be difficult for Rangers after all they've been through in the last few weeks. We then got the second goal and they had Novo sent off.

"We have clawed our way back in the league after being 11 points behind Dundee United and Hibs and all credit to the boys after the debacle of Queen of the South in the Scottish Cup semi-final.

"It is a wonderful end to the season for us and a cruel end for Rangers."

Midfielder Barry Nicholson was given a standing ovation from the crowd when he was substituted near the end of his final game for the club and his manager paid tribute to him.

Calderwood said: "He has been fabulous for us and will be a massive loss. He's a player we didn't want to go.

"I've had him for seven years at Dunfermline and Aberdeen after he left Rangers and he has been a pleasure to work with."

Rangers boss Smith admitted his team's failure to handle their fixture pile-up cost them the championship.

He saw his side lose a seven-point lead with a game in hand as recently as April 6 and believes that the number of matches they've had to cram in since then was the reason they missed out on the title.

Rangers were playing their 67th game of the campaign at Pittodrie.

Smith admitted that losing the title from a seemingly winning position made the disappointment even more crushing.

He said: "At the moment there is just disappointment. We got to the point where we felt we had a good opportunity to win the league.

"That was more than I would have expected in the first year but it was there so the disappointment is even greater when it doesn't materialise.

"When we realised what kind of fixture list we were going to have in the last couple of months, that's when we realised it would be difficult.

"Until then we'd had a really good run of games, going over 20 without losing, and I thought we could take the championship because we'd reached that level of consistency.

"But when I saw all the fixtures I knew we had an uphill battle and that's what it was."

Smith refused to drag up the row with the SPL that saw his side play three league games in five days this week - and drop the four points that cost them the championship.

He said: "We tried, as any club would, to get the fixtures spread. It didn't happen so we had to play the games and we've done that.

"They were a set of circumstances that don't normally come around and it came about because of the way the team has played and how successful it was until the last period.

"Overall it was our failure to handle a set of circumstances that were really unusual for a team to have to deal with.

That's where we've fallen down as much as anything else."

On the match, Smith felt that mental tiredness rather than physical fatigue had cost Rangers. He said: "We are disappointed at the outcome tonight and disappointed we've lost out on the championship bid.

"It was a game where there wasn't much between the teams but we lost from two set-plays, which we have been a little bit vulnerable at recently, maybe down to a little bit of mental tiredness as much as anything else.

"We have to get them ready for the Scottish Cup Final. We'd like to finish the season on a brighter note than we have done over the last week or so."

But he had little sympathy for Nacho Novo, who was shown a red card by referee Kenny Clark for a studsup challenge on Stuart Duff in the dying minutes that means the Spaniard misses the Cup Final.

Smith said: "It was difficult to see from the dug-out but if he missed the ball he deserved to be sent off and we have no argument."

http://www.<No links to this website>/sport/footbal...86908-20426714/

hes still a blue nose at heart....pitty his team couldnt do us a favour last night... <_<

[Adam 0]

but we didnt, lets not make this a hard luck story!

One cup to go, uefa cup finalist, cis cup winners runners up in the league - 68 games including internationals!!

fuck

we've done extremely well, think about it christiano ronaldo has only played 48 games for Man U this season no wonder he was getting up and down the wing on weds!!

we'll be back next year!! oh yes, 52 next season!!

[Coopermania 1]

Calderwood is right, the fixtures didnt help, but I still think we should have been able to handle the games better than we did.

[Briton 394]

Anybody not a Tim or a member of the SPL board could see that. Kudos to him for having the balls to come out and say something though.

What does he say that requires balls? Despite what the thread title says Calderwood doesn't mention the SPL, he comments on our hectic schedule. The Record headline is also inaccurate. Par for the course.

[mackerel 0]

Calderwood is right, the fixtures didnt help, but I still think we should have been able to handle the games better than we did.

Ditto Cooper.

[J_RFC87 761]

not only wil lthe Celtic fans be up in arms, so will the sheep

[Danny 9]

He said the same thing before the game when he was on Setanta punditing the other day.

Fair play to him, a decent and honest guy.

[Stardog 11]

He's right. It's the only reason we didn't win the thing.

[PeteLove 0]

Bets on the taigs starting a wave of hate towards Calderwood, labelling him a bigot and closet-h** etc:

1 week: 66/1

5 days: 40/1

48 hours: 20/1

24 hours: 17/1

10 hours: 11/2

5 hours: 4/1

1 hour: 3/1

Now: Bets are off.

[gronaldo 38]

I just don't buy into this "blame the SPL" stuff. Playing three games in six days is a nonsense, but it only affected us in the last two games of that series and we'd already blown the league before that point. The games it affected us in (St Mirren and last night) were effectively meaningless given that Celtic won at Tannadice. Unless we're going to argue that the tiredness factor was enough to stop us winning those two games with a positive goal difference of 8, then the three games in six days issue doesn't matter.

I think this is getting mixed up with a genuine grievance that we have with respects to the UEFA Cup final - when the SPL could have given us the Saturday off to prepare.