MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JANUARY 10: Gary Caldwell, Manager of Exeter City, looks on prior to the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Manchester City and Exeter City at Etihad Stadium on January 10, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images)
In midweek The Sun went big on how Gary Caldwell would use the brilliance of Walter Smith to inspire Exeter City to a victory away to Manchester City in the FA Cup.
Following a 10-1 pumping Caldwell had been demoted to a former Celtic hero by the same publication!
Back in 2006 Scotland fluked a win over the then World Cup finalists thanks to a header from Caldwell.
SMITH- A TRAITOR TO SCOTLAND?
A few months later Smith ditched the Scotland job to return to manage Rangers.
He wasn’t branded a traitor for walking out in the middle of a qualifying campaign. He was a national hero as he returned to manage the EBT All Stars assembled by Dave Murray.
Smith’s brief spell, 15 matches in charge of Scotland is looked back on fondly with any opportunity used to spin it as a golden period.
The former Rangers boss was a safe pair of hands following Berti Vogts, the only non-Scot to take charge of the national team.
Exeter’s FA Cup tie with Manchester City was an opportunity to indulge in the magic of Smith.
Ignore the ritual four goal defeats in the Champions League and celebrate parking the bus across Europe for club and country.
The Sun reported Caldwell saying:
It’s my job, just like it was Walter’s job before Scotland played France that night at Hampden, to give the players the blueprint and the plan. It’s up to me to convince the players that plan can work.
Walter did that before that France game. We parked the Scottish bus in front of the goal, but Walter did say we would score a set-piece and we would grow into the game.
And everything he said that week actually happened in that game.
I have to find a game-plan that convinces my players it can happen on Saturday. I asked them what did they need to win these sort of cup ties and big Kev McDonald said they needed luck.
“But I said luck is when opportunity meets preparation – and we’ve prepared for this game all season. It’s now we have the opportunity.
Profound words. Truly inspiration.
THE SUCCESS OF CALDWELL
It seems that the League One side bought in to having a chance against the real Pep.
Caldwell has carved out a decent career managing in the lower divisions in England at Exeter and Wigan. Against that he had a horrific spell managing Partick Thistle.
Exeter are sitting comfortably in 14th place in League One with 30 points from 24 matches after winning promotion last season.
With competition from clubs such as Cardiff, Bolton and Luton Town all pushing for promotion.
Well, since you mentioned ‘Walter’ and him leaving Scotland in January 2007, to return to ibrox…
The publicised £400K compensation due to be paid by Rangers to The SFA for breaking his contract was never paid.
It wasn’t identifiable / disclosed in either the SFA or Rangers accounts for that particular financial year,
(or in later years either, just in case).
Off topic here,but regarding our club and how they allow everyone to shite on top of us,that was one thing about KING the CHISLER he fought sevco’s corner,said all the right things to rattle a few cages at the SFA,that’s definitely something we don’t have.
Our board are parasitic cowards.
Smith helped young Murdo Mcleod come through at Dumbarton in the 70s and Murdo was able to help stop the 10 against him all those years later.
Smiths record in Europe was shockingly bad in the 90s after that fluke run in the first CL. Still makes me smile to recall that week in August 92 when Celtic beat them at Ibrox, AEK knocked them out of Europe then Richard Cadete knocked them out of the League cup at Ibrox!
1994.
Ah – The Good Old ‘The man with no surname’ is wheeled out once again then !