Inigo Calderon the perfect man to manage Brighton Under 18s

The news that Inigo Calderon has been appointed as the new head coach of Brighton Under 18s has been met with near universal approval amongst Albion fans.

This hardly comes as a surprise. Calderon is such a popular figure amongst Seagulls supporters that he could have been brought back into a role he has absolutely no qualifications for and it would have been hailed a brilliant appointment.

Calderon the new chief chef at the training ground? Fantastic. Calderon put in charge of reconstructing the Amex so that the North Stand can hold an additional 17,000 fans? No better architect or builder in the world for the job.

Calderon commissioned to produce an oil painting of Tony Bloom himself? Move over Leonardo da Vicini, the Mona Lisa never was that good.

But Calderon taking over as Brighton Under 18s boss has not got people giddy just for nostalgia reasons. He looks perfectly suited to the role for all manner of reasons which extend well beyond playing 232 times for the Albion between 2010 and 2016.

It is telling that Brighton have waited seven years to bring Calderon back to the Amex. Of the appointment, Paul Barber said: “We have kept in touch (with Calderon) since he left the club, and looked for the right opportunity and time for him to return both professionally and personally.”

The Albion could have found a role for Calderon the moment he hung up his playing boots. Instead, they have let him gain experience as a coach working through a variety of positions at another of his former clubs, Deportivo Alaves.

Brighton also waited for the correct job to become available. Under 18s manager suits Calderon’s coaching abilities and him as a person. It is the right role at the right time.

Calderon’s ability on the pitch needs no introduction. A rampaging right back, he was exactly what you expect from a Spanish football. Namely, supreme technical ability and a desire to play passing football. Any teenager coming through the ranks at the Amex will learn plenty from him.

But coaching at Under 18s level is about far more than what happens on the pitch. You are charged with teaching life lessons, creating good people as well as great players and preparing them for the challenges which come with being a professional footballer.

In most cases, those challenges will be rejection and adversity. Only a small number ever progress from Under 18s to Premier League and even those who do will face setbacks along the way. Having the right attitude and resilience are vital.

This is where Calderon comes into his own. He has the sort of qualifications, experience and ethos which can benefit every player lucky enough to work under him.

Two things caught the eye when Gus Poyet He Who Must Not Be Named signed Calderon in the January 2010 transfer window.

The first was that Brighton now had huge wealth compared to most other League One clubs (i.e. spending £300,000 on Liam Dickinson) and yet here was Poyet You Know Who signing a 28-year-old right back on a free transfer who had been released by Alaves in the Spanish third tier. Why?

Obviously, Poyet He Must Not Be Named’s decision worked out pretty bloody well. The other intriguing thing about Calderon was he arrived with a Masters in Sports Psychology and a Masters in Sports Science. Not your average footballer, seemingly.

Those qualifications and his very obvious intelligence have served Calderon well in his managerial career so far. They will help him understand and get the best out of his Under 18s squad, both physically and mentally.

Sticking with the mental side of football, Calderon’s journey to the Albion and the experiences he picked up along the way can provide plenty of lessons for any young player on the importance of hard work and perseverance.

Before Poyet You Know Who swooped, Calderon had gone on trial at and been rejected by Gillingham, Norwich City and Swansea City.

He had to put in more effort than most and display a never-give-up attitude to earn a chance in English football. If his Under 18s develop similar traits, they will stand a good chance of enjoying a long and fruitful career, even if it is not with the Albion.

That attitude was never more on display than at Sheffield Wednesday in the first leg of the Championship playoff semi final in 2016.

Four game-ending injuries in the space of 20 minutes had shattered Brighton’s hopes of taking anything back to Sussex.

The 10 men were now just desperately holding on for the final half hour, trying not to slip too far out of sight. And there was Calderon, running up and down the touchline to warm up vigorously.

Chris Hughton had made all three of his subs out of necessity but Calderon was still jogging and stretching as he was permitted to do so, taking the opportunity to run backwards and forwards, encouraging his weary teammates and passing on tactical advice.

It was a sight almost as iconic as Liam Rosenior’s ‘chin up’ gesture at the full time whistle. You could see with their actions at Hillsborough that both Rosenior and Calderon had the attributes needed to become successful managers.

The form of Bruno meant Calderon had not played for three months when the Albion went to Wednesday. Yet he remained the ultimate team player, an attitude also born out in the way he fulfilled any role required.

Right back. Left back. Centre back on occasions. Calderon even found himself playing as a right winger in the second half of the 2014-15 campaign when Hughton liked to use two full backs on one flank in his defensive 4-4-2 formation.

Calderon’s determination meant that he still managed to score four times despite those stifling tactics. One of those was memorably notched with his face in a 2-0 home win over The Leeds United.

He ended the season being voted as Albion Player of the Season. He was typically humble when presented with the award, his first comments on stage being, “I thought it would be Dunky.”

And it is that humbleness and the general personality of Inigo Calderon which is the biggest reason he is ideal as Brighton Under 18s head coach.

Google Inigo Calderon Brighton and the majority of the search results focus on the good he did off the pitch in and around the city more than what he did on it.

“Brighton defender Inigo Calderon has raised over £2,500 for Chestnut Tree House after taking part in the Triatlon Aritzaleku in his native Spain.”

“Brighton defender Inigo Calderon is the winner of the Sky Bet Football League Unsung Hero of the Month award. Calderon is a regular visitor to hospices in Sussex and he helps with the education of young professionals in Brighton’s academy.”

“Inigo Calderon gave Albion In The Community apprentices and Want To Work participants a lecture on sports psychology at the American Express Community Stadium yesterday.”

“Brighton & Hove Albion’s Inigo Calderon has been named PFA Player in the Community at the Football League Awards 2013. During 2012, Calderon designed and delivered his own educational workshops for the club’s beneficiaries.”

“Brighton and Hove Albion player Inigo Calderon helped over 60 Seaford students with designing a smart phone app that would enhance the experience of visitors to the Amex Stadium. Calderon was on hand in a session at the stadium to offer advice and encouragement.”

You get the picture. Calderon was more than a player during his time at Brighton; he wanted to do as much good as possible as he could for the community, which is why Albion fans took him to their hearts in a way few others have ever managed.

If young players coming through Brighton Under 18s become half the man that Inigo Calderon is, the Albion will be producing good people as well as as good footballers.

Another Spanish right back who played for the Albion once said: “Once a Seagull, always a Seagull.” Those words can no longer be applied to Bruno, but they very much belong to Calderon.

His passion and love for Brighton and the city itself is there for all to see. Inigo Calderon can now inspire a new generation of Brighton Under 18s to connect with the Albion in the same way. The perfect appointment.