Danny Cadamarteri was sold the Dundee United dream.
Splitting the Old Firm; strutting his stuff in European football; lifting silverware for the Tangerines – in attempting to tempt him north from Huddersfield Town, Craig Levein gave the former Everton prodigy the hard sell.
Although upsetting Glasgow’s top-flight duopoly proved beyond the Terrors, two out of three ain’t bad.
Cadamarteri’s 18 months at Tannadice didn’t go entirely to plan and was not aided by the man who signed him departing to manage Scotland less than six months after his arrival.
Nevertheless, he can reflect on a period that herald a Scottish Cup win (although an unused substitute, even making the bench for the final was an achievement for Cadamateri, as we will find) and a European outing against AEK.
His son, Caelan, was born in Cupar and now represents Scotland at U/16 level, further adding to his lingering affinity with the country.
And yet none of it may have happened if not for a failed approach by former Hibernian boss Tony Mowbray.
Full circle
“I passed up a chance to go to Hibs about four years earlier,” Cadamateri told Courier Sport. “Although I turned that down, but it got me watching a few SPL games on Setanta.
“I saw the rivalries, the crowds and felt that I’d maybe missed out on a good opportunity. After bouncing around a couple of clubs, things came full circle.
“I was in contract talks with Huddersfield Town and Craig Levein came down to watch a game – and he caught me at the perfect time, in terms of my mindset. I’d been offered a new deal but was a bit disappointed with it.
“They wanted me to stay but loaded up the contract with a lot of incentives around being fit and available. I thought that was disappointing because I’d given a lot to the club.”
Charm offensive
Given that encouragement, Levein left Cadamarteri in no doubt about the potential within the United ranks – and what the ex-Bradford, Leicester and Sheffield United forward could add to the group.
“Craig came over to my house and had a chat with me and my wife,” he continued. “He sold us a dream, if I’m honest.
“Craig spoke about the huge faith he had in the Dundee United squad and said, “I only need to add a couple more – and you are one of them.” He believed United could split the Old Firm, win a cup, get to Europe; it was exactly what I wanted to hear.
“He was so passionate about what United could do.”
Doing his due diligence, Cadamarteri flew to Scotland to take in a 1-1 draw against Aberdeen at Tannadice and United’s narrow defeat at Celtic Park at the tail end of the 2008/09 campaign.
He was soon sold on the switch and would link up with a squad that would write its name in United’s Scottish Cup folklore.
Andy Webster, “a hothead but outstanding”. Prince Buaben, “like Terminator in midfield”. Craig Conway, the “absolute rough diamond”. The list goes on.
And Cadamarteri initially seemed destined to be a pivotal cog in that tangerine machine. A fine pre-season; a delightful left-footed strike in a Tannadice friendly against Wigan; two goals in the televised league opener against Hearts – a terrific start.
He was even named SPL player of the month for August 2009.
Levein exit
However, Cadamarteri’s momentum would be derailed by three months out with a calf strain from January 2010, a couple of weeks after Levein had departed to take the reins of the Scotland national side.
“My wife was disappointed when he went to manage Scotland,” he smiled.
“I remember her saying, “he’s brought us up here, sold us the dream and now he’s left us!” It was light-hearted because we all know how football works, and you’ve got to follow your career.
“But I felt like I wasn’t Housty’s man. I wasn’t his signing. When a new manager gets a role, he wants to start doing things his own way. He had his own style, which I understood.
“He wanted to give chances to the young players coming through and I did feel a little pushed out.
“The younger boys did great and several of them forged good careers off the back of those chances under Housty so, from that perspective, it was the right decision from him. There’s no bad blood at all.”
After battling back to full fitness, Cadamarteri endured a further injury setback when he sustained a brutal dislocated shoulder against Rangers in May 2010. As far as he was concerned, his Scottish Cup final dream was in tatters.
“I went over the top of (Steven) Naismith and landed awkwardly, dislocating my shoulder – a full separation,” he added. “The moment I did it – lying on the ground – I had written off the Scottish Cup final and the rest of the season; that’s me done.”
Cadamarteri: Celebrations were ‘unbelievable’
It is testament to Cadamarteri’s grit and determination that he managed to resume training in the days before the May 15 showpiece against Ross County, before expressing a willingness to risk serious injury by taking his place on the bench.
“I was wearing a shoulder brace and was warned that if I got a yank on it, then it could be a big problem and require surgery,” he said. “There was an element of risk, but I wanted to be involved.
“I came to Scotland for those sorts of experiences, and I wanted to support the younger players, in particular. So, I was grateful for Housty to include me. I was disappointed not to get on, but I’ve got a winners’ medal and was part of a historic day.
“That’s special, and something no-one can take away.”
The same can be said for the wild celebrations that followed.
“What do I remember? Fat Sam’s will definitely come into it,” laughed Cadamarteri. “We didn’t just party with the staff and families, but we went out in Dundee and got the chance to see what it meant to the fans.
“The open-top bus parade and all the fans back at Tannadice the next day – it was just unbelievable, really. I’ll never forget those moments.”
A wonderful place to play football
At that point, Cadamarteri could have walked away.
“I’d received phone calls from other clubs over the summer but told them, “I didn’t come up to just play one season – I’ve got unfinished business”.
“I wanted to see if I could get a good run in the team, my little boy had just been born, and I wanted to play in Europe. It was one of the main reasons I came to Scotland and something else to tick off.”
It was a fleeting continental adventure as the Terrors exited 2-1 on aggregate against AEK. Cadamarteri’s recollections are largely of a bizarre behind closed doors second leg in Greece; humidity, silence and going up against the late Papa Bouba Diop.
“I was driving over the Tay Bridge after that tie and I got a call from Lee Clark (then Huddersfield manager), and he said, “right, you’ve played in the Europa League, so are you ready to come home?””
He was. Cadamarteri would rejoin his hometown Terriers in January 2011.
He added: “I’ve played my whole career in England, bar my time at United, and been at some top clubs with great fanbases. But Dundee United’s fanbase was right up there, in terms of the passion and how they packed out Tannadice.
“It’s a wonderful place to play your football – especially when the team in doing well – and does leave a mark on you.”
Cadamarteri was speaking ahead of Dundee United’s 2025 Gala Dinner on March 21, celebrating the Scottish Cup winners of 2010. Tickets are available from the Dundee United website.
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