Eric Caldow - A True Giant Of The Game Has Gone

Eric Caldow - 4 May, 1934 -  March, 2019

WHEN YOU are growing up in Ayrshire and attending Cumnock Academy, as I did, you soon become aware that, once you get into the school team, you are standing on the shoulders of giants.

Well, one of those giants – although he was actually only five feet eight inches tall and weighed 11 stones soaking wet has died – and we are all poorer for the passing of Eric Caldow, aged 84 and following a lengthy battle against Alzheimer's.

During my time at the Academy, I can remember the frisson of excitement which went round the school, if Eric ever called in. I supported Lugar Boswell Thistle and Kilmarnock; some of my team mates followed Cumnock Juniors and Rangers; we had the odd Ayr United supporter, a few Glenafton Athletic fans, one or two who followed Ayr United, a smattering of “Talbot Bees”, while Richard, my oldest friend supported Partick Thistle. But, if Eric came into school – we all loved him and knew, we were in the presence of greatness.

It must be hard to be a Rangers' full-back, just look at who you are following. From Tom Vallance of the original Gallant Pioneers, via Nicol Smith and Jock Drummond, the Rangers and Scotland full-backs of the Edwardian era, through Dougie Gray's two and more decades in the first team, via Tiger Shaw, then George Young, Sammy Cox and Johnny Little – Caldow was following an illustrious line when he got into the first team.

He formed an illustrious partnership with Bobby Shearer, then, after he left, the likes of Sandy Jardine, Gary Stephens and the trio of Dutch greats, Artur Numan, Gio van Bronckhurst and Fernando Ricksen have carried on the line. But, in picking their full-backs in any All-Time Rangers XI, few people would not pick Caldow to wear either the number two or three shirt.

Indeed, when the readers of the Daily Record were asked to choose Scotland's international Team of the Millennium in 2000, their full-backs were Danny McGrain and Eric Caldow, and few argued about that. That recognition came 37 years after Caldow had won the last of his 40 caps, he was the earliest-capped player picked.

Eric. pictured in the home dressing room on his final visit to Ibrox, last year

But, this son of an insurance agent hardly looked likely to be a football great when at Cumnock Academy. His talent was recognised, but, he was regarded as lacking pace – that is, until he used his earnings from a Saturday job, as a butcher's delivery boy, to buy running spikes. In no time at all, he was flying and Charlie Wilson, the History teacher who ran the Academy school teams, was soon letting Rangers know, there was a diamond in the rough down in Ayrshire.

He left school to become an apprentice painter with Cumnock Burgh Council, playing football with Glenpark Amateurs, then Muirkirk Juniors, and he was still only 18 when Bill Struth summoned him and his father to Ibrox in 1952.

According to Eric, Mr Struth took such good care of his Dad that it was: “Johnnie Walker rather than Mr Struth that signed me. The likes of Ralph Brand and Davie Wilson would come later, but, Eric was actually the last young player to be signed then given his first-team debut by the great Mr Struth.

He was always proud of being one of “Bill's Boys” and the standards which the legendary manager set, in dress, decorum and behaviour, Eric followed all his life. He was always immaculately dressed, on and off the field, and a complete gentleman.

As was the fashion then, he had to undergo an “apprenticeship” in the reserves, under the watchful eye of Bob McPhail, but, in September, 1953, after just over a year at the club, he was blooded – standing-in for the injured George Young, in a League Cup clash with Ayr United. His performance was so-impressive he made his league debut one week later, in an Old Firm clash at Ibrox.

But, he was soon back in the Reserves and, while he was a regular stand-in, it wasn't until Scot Symon had replaced Mr Struth that Eric Caldow began to feature regularly in the first team. In February, 1955, when the first Scotland Under-23 team was named, Eric was in and after that, he began to be picked regularly for the Scottish League XI, the normal staging post on the way to a full cap.

That full cap duly arrived, on 6 April, 1957, when he was selected at right-back for the Scotland team to play England at Wembley. Today, Eric is more-often seen as a left-back, but, he could play either side, indeed, he broke into the Rangers team regularly at right-back, taking over from George Young, when he moved to centre-half following Willie Woodburn's sine die suspension.

Delighted to be capped, he had, however, hoped he might be given the number three jersey, which would have put him head-to-head with the great Sir Stanley Matthews, the “Wizard of Dribble” whose skills had baffled many Scottish full-backs. But, Charlton's South African-born John Hewie got that gig – although, Caldow did reportedly face Matthews once that day, and won the ball.

His second cap brought him face-to-face with another legendary winger, Real Madrid's Francisco Gento, as Scotland opened their 1958 World Cup qualifying campaign with a -2 win over the Spaniards at Hampden.

Gento was impressed by his young opponent, he was not used to facing a full-back who was as quick as the legendary “Madrid Express.” After that tough start, Eric was a Scotland regular. He won 40 caps out of a possible 42, missing the England game in 1958 through injury, and a friendly against Poland in 1960 because Rangers were playing Eintracht Frankfort in a European Cup semi-final.

In October of that year, Eric celebrated his 26th cap by leading Scotland for the first time, against Wales at Ninian Park. It was the first of 15 times he would lead out his country.

He had been an ever-present during the 1958 World Cup qualifying campaign, and the three group games which Scotland played in the finals in Sweden, and he would again be an ever-present in the unsuccessful 1962 qualifying campaign, in which Scotland were only knocked-out, in extra time, in a play-off against Czechoslovakia, who would go on to reach the 1962 World Cup Final.

Being named Scotland captain, in succession to Bobby Evans of Celtic was a natural progression for Eric, in 1960 he had succeeded Ian McColl as Rangers captain. He led his club to that aforementioned European Cup semi-final, and to the Cup-Winners Cup Final in 1961, when they lost to Fiorentina – whose legendary right-winger, Sweden's Kurt Hamrin, joined the ranks of Caldow admirers.

However, Eric never enjoyed the good relationship with Scot Symon he had had with Mr Struth. He had a spell out of the team in 1959,with Symon preferring to pair Shearer and Johnny Little at full-back. While he was out of favour, Matt Busby, who had worked with Eric during his short stint as Scotland team manager, tried to persuade him to join Manchester United.

United were rebuilding after Munich, and Busby wanted Eric to replace Roger Byrne, their England internationalist and captain, who had been killed at Munich, as left-back and captain. The clubs had agreed a £75,000 fee, a huge sum for a full-back then, the paperwork was in order, but, Eric just could not bring himself to pick-up the pen, sign, and leave Rangers. He opted to stay and was soon back in the side.

Even when Symon made Bobby Shearer Rangers' captain in place of Eric – a move for which Eric never forgave his boss, although he understood – perhaps Symon wanted Shearer, a man he had signed, rather than Caldow, one of the old guard of Struth's men, to lead the side – Ian McColl, by now Scotland manager, kept Eric as the national captain.

These were good years for Rangers and for Scotland. In all, in his 14 years at Ibrox, Eric won five League Championship, three Scottish Cup and three League Cup winners' medals. But, there were bad days too, he played in the 7-1 “Hampden in the sun” League Cup loss to Celtic in 1957, that European Cup semi-final against Eintracht was another disaster, as was the 1961 England game, at Wembley, in which Eric led Scotland to a 9-3 loss.

But, these down days were more than offset by such triumphs as 14 April, 1962, when Eric led Scotland to their first Hampden win over England since 1937, scoring the clinching second goal from the penalty spot in 88 minutes, as Scotland won 2-0.

A year later he led Scotland out against England at Wembley. The Scots had not won there since 1951 and for Eric, Dave Mackay, Ian St John, Denis Law and Davie Wilson there was the small matter of exorcising the ghost of two years previously. It was Eric's 40^th cap, a total which made him, at that time, the third most-capped Scot.

 Eric and Jimmy Armfield lead the teams out on 6 April, 193

However, just five minutes in, as he tried to clear his lines he was caught by “a forward's challenge” from England centre forward Bobby Smith. Both players were carried off, but, while Smith, his knee heavily bandaged, was able to come back and hobble around an nuisance value on England's left flank, Eric was on his way to hospital, to have a compound fracture of his left leg treated.

Davie Wilson dropped back to left-back, to play the game of his life, while Jim Baxter scored both goals as ten-man Scotland won 2-1.

Eric did not return to the Rangers team until 28 December of that year. But, in his absence, Davie Provan had come in and not only replaced Eric in the Rangers side, he had also been capped for Scotland. Eric played just four games that season.

The following season, however, Provan too broke a leg and Eric was back in the team. He was now 30, and deemed to have lost a yard of pace. However, he was now a cleverer full-back, and in the 1965 League Cup final, he gave a master-class in full-back, rendering Jimmy Johnstone ineffectual as he jockeyed the great Celtic winger down blind alleys before taking the ball from him.

Years later, asked by the great Daily Record sports writer Alex “Chiefy” Cameron, if he had ever got past Eric, wee Jinky replied: “Aye once, but, I was driving my Jaguar, Eric was walking.”

In 1966, the split came as Symon handed him a free transfer. Eric by now was running a pub in Hamilton, so, part-time football with Stirling Albion suited him. It wasn't Rangers, however and after a season, he retired.

Not for long though, there was a season in English non-league football, with the Scots exiles of Corby Town, as player-manager. Robert Scott, one of my team mates and best friends through Lugar Primary School and Cumnock Academy was a team-mate that season, he still cannot quite believe he shared a dressing room with two of his great football idols – Eric Caldow and former Kilmarnock star Bertie Black.

But, Eric returned to his native Ayrshire. He had short spells managing Hurlford Unite and home-town team Cumnock Juniors, and a half season as manager of Stranraer. Former Scottish Junior FA President and long-serving Cumnock secretary George Morton says of those days: “Everyone knows Eric was one of life's gentlemen. His knowledge of football was fantastic, but, he was perhaps too-nice to be a manager. However, I will always be grateful for having known him and enjoyed his company and friendship.”

He became a rep for a building supplies firm, played golf and snooker and even returned to Rangers, in retirement, as a very-popular Match Day Host. His fans at Ibrox even made sure he got the testimonial he had been refused as a player, such was his popularity.

He continued to play for the Ayrshire Ex-Professionals team, in fund-raising charity games, where his talent was enjoyed, albeit at a slower pace, by youngsters who had never seen him in his pomp.

On one occasion, he turned out at full-back for a Cumnock Rugby Club team, in a tour match in Oban, marking his flirtation with the handling game in typical style, with a penalty goal.

But, his third age was not without its set-backs, he lost only son Eric Junior, killed in a car crash, and just as he began to display the first signs of Alzheimer's, he lost his beloved English wife Laura – a life-time support who was as much of a lady as her husband was a gentleman.

He was hit hard by Alzheimer's, but, he found relief in the Football Memories project, although, at one meeting, he got into a terrible argument with legendary Auchinleck Talbot manager Willie Knox, after Eric refused to believe Raith Rovers had beaten Rangers 5-2 at Stark's Park, Knox, who had played for Raith, just could not get Eric to accept the result.

At the next meeting, the organiser said to Willie: “For God's sake Knoxie, don't get started with Eric about that Raith game. I checked up on the score, you actually won 5-1, and Eric had been in the Rangers' team.”

Eric is at peace now, reunited with Laura, and leaving behind some wonderful memories for daughter Jacqueline, her children and everyone who remembers him as a player.

How good was Eric Caldow? Of course, I am biased, but, he's in my all-time Scotland team and while we in East Ayrshire have produced some wonderful players, since Dr John Smith in the early days of football, through to more-recent stars such as George and Craig Burley and Billy Dodds, for me, and for many more from our wee corner of God's County, Eric Caldow remains the best player to come out of our part of the world.

Some have tried to tag him: "The first modern full-back," maybe so, but Eric himself always repudiated claims he was the first over-lapping full-back. He said: "When you have Jim Baxter in front of you, and Ralphie Brand and Davie Wilson in front of him, you don't need to over-lap. I would just have got in the way. My job was to win the ball, and give it to Baxter to play with."

Baxter certainly rated him, he said: "One of the reasons why I was ranked as the best left-half in the world was because, I was playing in front of the best left-back."

Eric's place in the Rangers Hall of Fame, and the Scottish Football Hall of Fame are fully-deserved.

Rest in Peace Sir, you have left us so-many great memories.