How Caledonian Braves boss Ricky Waddell played part in Liverpool and Scotland star Andy Robertson’s rise to top

The manager of Motherwell-based Lowland League outfit Caledonian Braves was a key cog in the wheel of the early development of Liverpool and Scotland star Andy Robertson, now rated by many as the world’s best left-back.
Scotland skipper Andy Robertson (second right) celebrates with team-mates after Ryan Christie (far left) had scored in Serbia on our way to us reaching next summers Euro finals (Pic courtesy of Getty Images)Scotland skipper Andy Robertson (second right) celebrates with team-mates after Ryan Christie (far left) had scored in Serbia on our way to us reaching next summers Euro finals (Pic courtesy of Getty Images)
Scotland skipper Andy Robertson (second right) celebrates with team-mates after Ryan Christie (far left) had scored in Serbia on our way to us reaching next summers Euro finals (Pic courtesy of Getty Images)

Braves boss Ricky Waddell regularly coached a teenage Robbo – on Queen’s Park’s books at the time – at Lesser Hampden, where the fresh-faced kid and other youngsters including fellow current Scotland international Lawrence Shankland and Falkirk ace Aidan Connolly were taken under his wing.

“Lawrence and Andy were really good players, but you never thought for a minute they would have the careers they’ve had,” Waddell, who coached Robertson for around two years, told the Times and Speaker. “I think what Andy has done has surprised everybody.

“He was very good at that under-17 age group.

Braves gaffer Ricky WaddellBraves gaffer Ricky Waddell
Braves gaffer Ricky Waddell
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“Andy was very dedicated from the start. I remember he was consistent. He never really had a bad game.

“Once he got into Gardner Speirs’ first team at Queen’s Park and he gave him his chance, he never looked back.

“Andy retained that ability to be consistent throughout his career.

“I remember watching him a few times at Dundee United, and he was the same – consistent, worked really, really hard, good energy, good speed, good on the ball.

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“Defensively was always maybe his negative point, but he worked on that quite a lot, I think, and you can see in his games these days that defensively he is very solid.

“He’s obviously playing with one of the best teams in the world now, but you don’t get to that level if you can’t defend in one-on-one situations.

“I think the main reason he’s got to the very top is his mentality, which is very strong. He didn’t get too up or down when things didn’t go his way or the team wasn’t playing well and he had a real drive about him.”

Like all other proud Scots watching at home over 1800 miles away, Waddell took great delight in seeing Robertson lead Scotland to a sensational 5-4 penalty shootout win in Serbia on November 12 to qualify us for next summer’s European Championships.

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It means that – 23 long years after playing at the 1998 World Cup in France, Steve Clarke’s team will at last participate in a major tournament again, with two Hampden Park group D fixtures against the Czech Republic on June 14 and Croatia on June 22 sandwiching a clash against England at Wembley on June 18.

“I definitely took great pride in seeing Andy lead Scotland to a major finals, but I take a lot of pride in all the guys I coach, through all the youth teams I took whether it’s St Mirren, Motherwell or Rangers, who had wee Billy Gilmour (now of Chelsea) at the time,” Waddell, 39, said.

“Obviously Andy’s the one who stands out because he’s done so well, but any one of those young players who get to a professional level and carve a career out at it, I don’t take credit for it but I would like to think I played some part in it.”

Falkirk-born Waddell, who also coaches the Rangers Academy’s under-15s, stressed that other coaches also helped the young Queen’s Park stars’ development in the Robertson era.

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The modest Braves gaffer praised the work of coaches Graham Connell, Davie Graham and Mark McCarney, under the leadership of Queen’s Park youth supremo David McCallum.

“They were good guys, good coaches as well,” Waddell said.

“I think what we had then was a really good coaching team, so I think the boys who played for us must have fed off that.

“Was it the reason the guys got to the top? No.

“The reason was that a manager gives them a chance and Andy ultimately took it, as did the rest of the lads mentioned.”

Waddell also has fond memories of working with Motherwell back in the day.

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“I really liked working with Motherwell for a wee while in the academy when Gordon Young was the head of youth there,” he added. “I knew Youngy from doing the A-licence with him.

“We had a right good squad, a couple of squads actually – guys like Chris Cadden, John Guthrie, David Turnbull, Jake Hastie,

“I was really lucky with the guys I got in there.”

From that list, Cadden played 115 games for the Motherwell first team between 2013 and 2019 before moving to American outfit Columbus Crew, who loaned him out to Oxford United for the 2019-20 season.

Guthrie is playing under Waddell at Caledonian Braves, while Turnbull is starring for Celtic after making Motherwell a club record transfer fee received of £3 million when joining the Hoops this summer.

Hastie, who joined Rangers from the Steelmen in summer 2019, is currently back on loan at the Fir Park outfit.

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