Managerless Canaries could make a swoop for Calderwood

ABERDEEN manager Jimmy Calderwood has been targeted by both Norwich City and Utrecht to take over their clubs.

Former Dons goalkeeper Bryan Gunn has been put in charge of the English Championship strugglers following the dismissal of Glenn Roeder earlier this week. The man who was on the bench when Aberdeen lifted the European Cup Winners' Cup in Gothenburg will take control for today's visit of Barnsley.

But Carrow Road chief executive Neil Doncaster hopes to have the new man in position for the home game against Southampton in ten days' time.

And Calderwood is high on that wanted list after the Canaries failed in a bid to get Northern Ireland manager Nigel Worthington. In fact bookmakers Victor Chandler last night slashed the odds on the move from 25/1 down to 6/1 after a large bet was placed on the Aberdeen manager moving to East Anglia.

However, Norwich face competition from Dutch Eredivisie club Utrecht, who recently fired their manager Wim van Hanegem. The man who starred in the Holland team who lost to West Germany in the 1974 World Cup final was axed with the side stuck in ninth place.

They have put a caretaker in charge as their season resumes after the winter break with a trip to play NAC Breda tonight. But former Holland international goalkeeper Hans Van Breukelen is poised to take over as director of football at his home town team. And it is believed that the man who was part of the Dutch team that won the 1988 European Championship wants to put Calderwood in charge.

The Dons manager started his coaching career in Holland and is still remembered for the good job he did at both Willem II and NEC Nijmegen.

While Calderwood would certainly consider a new challenge, his immediate priority is to get his first home win against Celtic in nine attempts as Aberdeen manager. Ebbe Skovdahl was the last Dons manager to achieve that eight years ago and Calderwood is sick of hearing about that negative statistic.

He believes it would be the ideal time to end that dismal run with Aberdeen up to fourth place in the SPL and the visit of Rangers to come next Saturday lunchtime. He said: "We've beaten them the hard way by winning at Celtic Park in the league and Scottish Cup so it would be great to set the record straight and do that here.

"If we were to do that then all I would have left to do is win against Rangers in Govan and win a trophy and then maybe I would retire.

"But we realise how difficult it will be because Celtic are not champions for nothing. They keep going for 95 minutes if need be and like every top team can get a result when called upon.

"Normally, games between us are open and entertaining because they are attack-minded just like ourselves.

"But you don't get too many chances to beat the Old Firm in successive weeks and it would transform our season if we managed to do that. "It's a big ask but you can always dream. We have won five on the spin at home and that has taken a lot of character after our start to the campaign. With the squad almost at full strength, this is probably the best time for us to be facing Celtic who know it will be a hard game for them."

There will be one new face in that squad after Calderwood yesterday completed the loan signing of Javan Vidal from Manchester City. The 19-year-old right-back arrives at Pittodrie to replace Jared Hosgkiss, who returned to West Brom earlier in the week. "I'm an attacking full-back, I like to get forward and create chances for strikers and midfielders," said Vidal. "I can defend as well so it will be quite exciting for the fans."