Former Sunderland goalkeeper Craig Gordon is widely rumoured to be contemplating retirement after failing to recover sufficiently from his injury problems of recent years. The former Rangers goalkeeper has won 40 caps for the Scotland national team, but he has been plagued by injury problems in the last few years. This has led to him being released by Sunderland at the end of last season despite costing the club a British transfer record fee of £ 9 million in 2007. He was viewed as the next big thing from Scotland, but his career has been slaughtered by injury problems in recent years.
He recently said that he would be interested in the possibility of going into football coaching and management as he does not want to leave the game. This has sparked rumours that he may officially announced his retirement after almost a year of being from his contract. He has failed to find a new club during this period. SFA performance director Mark Wotte also said in a recent interview that the 30-year-old has decided to hang up his boots. Wotte said that Gordon plans to enter into coaching of the young goalkeepers.
However, the 30-year-old goalkeeper has branded rumours about his retirement as rubbish. “It was unfortunate he had to quit the game but he’ll coach our young goalkeepers,” said Wotte in a recent interview. Gordon demonstrated his impressive potential by managing to win the vote for the best save in the last two decades of the Premier league. He made one of the best saves in the history of Premier league football in a match against Bolton several years ago.
He has suffered from several knee tendon problems, which have kept him out of the game for the last two years. Martin O’Neill was the Sunderland manager when he was released by the club.
The former Sunderland goalkeeper Craig Gordon has said that he is extremely fearful that his playing career may have come to an end. The 30-year-old has been unable to find a new club after being released by Sunderland at the end of last season. He has made just a handful of appearances in the last few years after suffering several tendon and ligament problems. The former Scotland international was signed for a then-transfer record fee for goalkeeper at £ 9 million in 2007 when Sunderland were managed by the former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane.
He was also regarded as one of the best goalkeepers for Scotland. However, he has faced a nightmare few years as a result of injuries. Sunderland decided not to offer him a new contract after he failed to prove his fitness sufficiently to the manager Martin O’Neill. He has been trying to find a permanent club since being released by Sunderland in the summer, but has been unable to do so. He has revealed that coaching is the next option in his mind because he does not want to leave the game. He has already started coaching duties with the former teammate Ian Murray at Dumbarton. Ian Murray is currently the player manager at the club.
“It’s very unlikely I will be playing again this season. In fact I’m not sure if I’ll play again, so I’m looking to get into coaching as I want to remain in the game. I’m not ruling out playing again but I need to get things in place if the news is not good in that respect. We agreed last week for me to come in and start things at Livingston and it may become a regular thing,” said Gordon, who made one Premier league appearance in the 2011-12 season.
The former Sunderland goalkeeper Craig Gordon has backed the much criticised pyramid system then Scottish football by saying that it will certainly help the lower league and non-league clubs. The pyramid system in Scotland has been criticised a lot in recent weeks. It follows the non-league clubs to get promotion into the league system. Gordon has said that there are several ambitious clubs across the length and breadth of the country. He has said that this system will provide clubs with something to aim for at the end of the season. It will certainly increase the competition amongst the non-league clubs according to Gordon.
The 30-year-old is currently a free agent after being released by Sunderland at the end of last season. He is currently fighting to get fit once again. Gordon was once the British transfer record holder for a goalkeeper after his £ 9 million move to Sunderland in 2007. However, a succession of injuries in recent seasons have meant that he has been able to make only one appearance since 2011. There have been reports that the third division club Rangers will be interested in the possibility of signing him if he returns to full fitness, but Gordon has revealed that he has his eyes set on coaching already.
“I am doing my goalkeeping licence and trying to become qualified as a coach. It is something I can look forward to and get my teeth into. Coaching is not something I looked into too closely until my injury. I am still pretty young, having just turned 30, but if I can get some coaching badges then I might give it a shot. I have played at Netherdale for Hearts when I was younger. The pyramid system has got to come in,” said Gordon in a recent interview.
The Everton manager David Moyes is thought to be one of the managers interested in the possibility of bringing the former Scotland international Craig Gordon on a free transfer. The 29-year-old is currently available on a free transfer after being released by the Premier league club to Sunderland after the end of last season. It was not long ago that he commanded a £ 9 million fee for his transfer from Rangers. However, numerous injury problems over the last few years has meant that he has been able to appear in the first-team only a handful of times. Yet, David Moyes is willing to take the gamble with the former Scotland international.
The Sunderland manager Martin O’Neill had the opportunity to look at Craig Gordon before the end of his contract, but decided against offering him a new deal due to his injury problems. He has since been without a club. If Gordon does come to Goodison Park, then he will not be the first gamble taken by David Moyes at the club. During his tenure at the club, Moyes has been extremely successful in getting the best out of players on free transfer. Craig Gordon is currently recovering from a knee problem that has kept him out of action at the back end of last season.
“We need competition in all areas and that extends to Tim Howard in goal, absolutely. Everybody has got to make sure they are at the top of their game. We have got to make sure we are not continually giving away things, making mistakes that are leading to goals which cost us. We need competition and there hasn’t been enough of that in the last few weeks when we’ve had a few injuries. It is something we have to think about in January,” said Moyes.
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May 14, 2013 3:41 am | 
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