Billy Dodds
William "Billy" Dodds (born February 5 1969) is a Scottish former professional footballer, currently working as strikers coach at Dumfries club Queen of the South. Doods also has media work as a pundit for BBC Scotland and a weekly column in the Scottish Sun tabloid newspaper.
He also has a keen interest in horse racing. His horse, Lampion du Bost (which he co-owns with former Rangers team mate Craig Moore), won its first race in the UK on 2007-11-25 in the "prestigious" Grand Sefton Chase over the Grand National fences at Aintree, winning the pair "tens of thousands".
Early career
Born in New Cumnock, Dodds first appeared on the books of English club Chelsea in 1986 but had his first taste of professional football in a successful loan period at Partick Thistle in 1987-88. After making only three appearances for the London club he was transferred to Dundee in 1989. It was during his time at Dens Park that Dodds became prolific, netting nearly 70 league goals in his 174 appearances, winning a Scottish First Division title in the 1991-92 season.Dodds moved to St. Johnstone in January 1994 but moved to Aberdeen within six months. During his time at Pittodrie, he was part of the side that won the 1995-96 Scottish League Cup, scoring as The Dons beat his former club Dundee in the November 1995 final. Within a year, Dodds gained his first Scotland cap against Latvia, coming on as a 59th-minute substitute in the October 1996 World Cup Qualifier win in Riga.
Dodds remained at Aberdeen until September 1998, when he was used - along with £700,000 - in a swap deal to bring Robbie Winters to Pittodrie from Dundee United.
Recognition
Dodds enjoyed something of a rebirth when Aberdeen offered him and cash for Winters. Restored to playing as a striker, Dodds' full debut for United saw a hat-trick against former club St. Johnstone, earning him instant hero status. During his time at Tannadice, he scored 25 goals in 45 league appearances. His form attracted the attentions of Scotland coach Craig Brown, who restored Dodds to the Scotland squad after a twelve month absence. During his time with United, he featured in ten competitive international matches, including the playoff matches against England, scoring four times.It was in December 1999, less than fifteen months after joining United, that Dodds was signed for £1.3m by the then-manager of Rangers, Dick Advocaat. Dodds proved an instant success at Ibrox, scoring goals domestically and in European competition, and although later in his stay at Ibrox his first team opportunities dried up, Dodds proved a key member of the team that won The League Championship and Cup double in 2000 and Scottish Cup and League Cup double in 2002.
Final playing spell
In January 2003, frustrated by the lack of first team chances under new Rangers manager Alex McLeish, Dodds returned to Dundee United in another swap deal that saw Steven Thompson move in the opposite direction. On Dodds' second debut for United, wearing his familiar no.14 shirt, he scored the first equaliser in United's 2-2 draw at home to Kilmarnock.During 2005, Billy Dodds signed a new contract at Dundee United that would see him work with the-then manager Gordon Chisholm, as both player and first team coach. Dodds moved into midfield and later sweeper as his pace began to slow down, but as Chisholm steered Dundee United away from relegation, Dodds' vision and playmaking skills proved a valuable asset.
After only seven months in the job, Gordon Chisholm was sacked as manager of Dundee United on 10 January 2006. Billy Dodds took over as caretaker manager for one match, a 2-1 win against Falkirk in the Premier League. When Inverness CT Player/Manager Craig Brewster took over the side the following week, Dodds parted company with the club, signing for Second Division side Partick Thistle as a player on 20 January; however, he left after only three matches.
Coach
Gordon Chisholm appointed Billy Dodds as strikers coach at Queen of the South. With Dodds Queens made it to the 2007/08 Scottish cup final where they lost 3 - 2 despite a battling second half performance.
International goals
- Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 10 1998 | Tyencastle Park, Edinburgh | 1-1 | 3-2 | ECQG9 | |
| 2 | October 10 1998 | Tyencastle Park, Edinburgh | 3-2 | 3-2 | ECQG9 | |
| 3 | October 14 1998 | Pittodrie, Aberdeen | 2-0 | 2-1 | ECQG9 | |
| 4 | September 4 1999 | Olimpijski Stadion, Sarajevo | 2-1 | 2-1 | ECQG9 | |
| 5 | March 24 2001 | Hampden Park, Glasgow | 1-0 | 2-2 | WCQG6 | |
| 6 | March 24 2001 | Hampden Park, Glasgow | 2-0 | 2-2 | WCQG6 | |
| 7 | March 28 2001 | Hampden Park, Glasgow | 3-0 | 4-0 | WCQG6 |
Statistics
Correct as of 26 April 2008Honours
Dundee
Aberdeen
Rangers
References
External links
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Saturday September 27, 2008 at 00:21:32 PDT (GMT -0700)
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