Liam Craig
Liam Craig is a Scottish former professional footballer. He is an attack-minded creative midfield player who operates on the left side of midfield or in a central position. He has played for Falkirk, St Johnstone and Hibernian during a sixteen-year career. Upon retiring at the end of the 2020–21 season, he became a coach with St Johnstone, Queen's Park and Hibernian.
Club career
Youth career
Born in Chirnside, Scotland, Craig began his football career at Berwick Rangers Juniors, which was seven miles from his hometown. He moved to Ipswich Town at sixteen years old, a week after leaving school and progressed through the academy.In the 2003–04 season pre–season friendly tour, Craig was the top–scorer in the Doetinchem tournament and helped the Ipswich Town's academy win a silverware. The 2004–05 season saw Craig skippered the youth side all the way to the 2005 FA Youth Cup final. After beating Tottenham Hotspur's academy in the semifinals, he said about reaching the final: "This is absolutely brilliant. We knew Tottenham would play very well here and we showed great character to come from a goal down to win it." Craig captained the Ipswich Town's academy in the FA Youth Cup final in both legs against Southampton's academy and helped the youth side win 3–2 on aggregate.
However, he found it difficult to break into the first team at Ipswich Town. On 9 January 2006, Craig was among three players to be released by the club.
Falkirk
On 17 January 2006, Craig joined Scottish Premier League side Falkirk, where he started out his professional football career. Upon joining the Bairns, Craig said: "I'm delighted to be here. I was told a couple of weeks ago I did not have a future at Ipswich and although that was hard to take I was soon in contact with Falkirk and the move was done in a couple of days. It was a bit of a shock to be let go after captaining the FA Youth Cup-winning side but when I did not get offered a deal at the end of last season I began to have doubts. Ipswich was a great place to gain experience and to learn the game, but Falkirk have a lot of ambition and I've come here with a point to prove and I intend to do that."He made his debut for the Bairns, coming on as a 62nd-minute substitute, in a 4–1 loss against Inverness Caledonian Thistle on 21 January 2006. Craig became a first team regular for Falkirk for the rest of the 2005–06 season. For his performance, Craig signed a one–year contract with the Bairns. At the end of the 2005–06 season, he made nineteen appearances in all competitions.
In the opening game of the 2006–07 season, Craig scored the winning goal, in a 2–1 win against Dundee United. He then scored his second goal of the season, in a 5–0 win against Cowdenbeath in the second round of the Scottish League Cup. On 20 September 2006, Craig signed a contract with Falkirk, keeping him until 2008. During a match against Hibernian on 23 September 2006 as an unused substitute, he received a red card in the 16th minute for having an altercation with Hibs supporters. After the match, Craig's action was criticised by manager John Hughes, stating he should have known better. Despite this, the Bairns was unsuccessful to appeal Craig's red card and served a one match suspension. His second season at Falkirk saw him remain involved in the first team. On 16 December 2006, he gained his revenge on Hibernian by scoring in a 2–1 win against Hibernian. At the end of the 2006–07 season, Craig went on to make twenty–five appearances and scoring three times in all competitions.
In the 2007–08 season, Craig's first team place at Falkirk was under threat, as he found himself placed on the substitute bench. Despite this, Craig scored his only goal of the season for the Bairns, in a 1–1 draw against Aberdeen on 29 October 2007. After leaving Falkirk, he made seven appearances and scoring once in all competitions. Following his loan spell at St Johnstone ended, the Bairns offered him a new contract.
St Johnstone
Craig moved to St Johnstone on a month's loan in December 2007. His performance at the Saints saw him extend his stay until the end of the season and then signed on a permanent basis in July 2008. A transfer tribunal ruled that Saints would pay Falkirk £25,000 for his services, with a further £12,000 if the club was promoted to the SPL during his time at McDiarmid Park and also 25% of any future transfer received by Saints from another club.Playing in the First Division
He made his debut for St Johnstone, starting the whole game, in a 1–0 loss against Hamilton Academical on 15 December 2007. In a follow–up match, Craig scored on his home debut against Livingston, as the Saints won 5–2. Since joining the club, he quickly became a first team regular, playing in the midfield position. Craig scored two goals in two matches between 12 February 2008 and 16 February 2008 against Ross County and Hamilton Academical. On 8 March 2008, he returned to the first team from the sidelines against St Mirren in the quarter–finals of the Scottish Cup and scored from a penalty, in a 1–1 draw to earn a replay. In the replay match, Craig helped St Johnstone win 3–1 to reach the semi–finals of the Scottish Cup. In the semi–finals of the Scottish Cup against Rangers, he played the whole game all the way to the penalty shootout, in a 1–1 draw and successfully converted his kick in the shootout, as the Saints lost 4–3 in a shootout. At the end of the 2007–08 season, Craig went on to make twenty–four appearances and scoring four times in all competitions.In the opening game of the 2008–09 season, Craig, however, received a straight red card for a foul on Leigh Griffiths, as St Johnstone went on to win 2–0 win against Livingston. After serving a one match suspension, he returned to the starting line–up, in a 1–0 loss against Dunfermline Athletic on 27 August 2008. Craig scored his first goal of the season, in a 3–1 loss against Livingston. Since joining the Saints on a permanent basis, he became a first team regular, mostly playing in the left midfield position. At one point, Craig played in the left–back position as the season progressed. He then scored four more goals for the club by the end of the year, coming against Partick Thistle, Dunfermline Athletic, Clyde and Airdrieonians. It was not until on 11 April 2009 when Craig scored his sixth goal of the season, in a 3–1 win against Dunfermline Athletic. He was part of St Johnstone's promotion squad when the Saints secured promotion to the Scottish Premier League after beating Greenock Morton to end their seven-year stint in the First Division. At the end of the 2008–09 season, Craig went on to make thirty–seven appearances and scoring six times in all competitions.
Playing in the Scottish Premiership
In the opening game of the 2009–10 season, Craig played in his first match in top–flight Scottish football for over a year against Motherwell and set up a goal for Murray Davidson, in a 2–2 draw. After missing three matches due to injuries, he made his return to the first team, starting a match, in a 3–0 loss against Hibernian on 19 September 2009. Following this, Craig continued to his first team place, playing in the left midfield position. He then scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–1 loss against Aberdeen on 7 November 2009. Craig scored four goals in three matches between 17 January 2010 and 27 January 2010, including a brace against Forfar Athletic in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup. He scored three goals in two matches against Hibernian between 17 February 2010 and 27 February 2010. Two weeks later against his former club, Falkirk, on 13 March 2010, Craig scored a penalty before setting up a winning goal for Kenny Deuchar. On 30 March 2010, he scored St Johnstone's third goal of the game, in a 4–1 win against Rangers. In a follow–up match against Dundee United, Craig missed a penalty that saw the Saints lose 1–0. After the match, manager Derek McInnes said that he doesn't blame the players for missing the penalty. After missing one match due to being one booking away from suspension, he scored on his return, in a 3–2 loss against Hamilton Academical. At the end of the 2009–10 season, Craig made thirty–six appearances and scoring two times in all competitions.Ahead of the 2010–11 season, Craig were among several St Johnstone players to undergo a summer-long fitness regime to keep them in top condition. In a match against Aberdeen on 21 August 2010, he suffered an injury and was substituted in the 35th minute, as the Saints loss 1–0. After missing three matches, Craig made his return to the starting line–up, in a 2–1 win against St Mirren on 18 September 2010. Two weeks later on 2 October 2010, he scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–0 win against Hibernian. Following this, Craig remained in the first team, playing either the left–midfield and defensive midfield position. However, in a match against Hearts on 13 November 2010, Craig suffered a calf injury and was substituted at half–time, in a 2–0 loss. On 27 November 2010, he made his return from injury, coming on as a 60th-minute substitute, in a 0–0 draw against Hibernian. In a follow–up match against St Mirren, Craig scored the winning goal in the last minute of the game, as the club won 2–1. He then scored the only goal of the game, in a 1–0 win against Motherwell on 26 January 2011. Two weeks later, on 9 February 2011, Craig scored his fourth goal of the season, in a 2–0 win against Partick Thistle. A month later on 29 March 2011, he signed a contract extension with St Johnstone, keeping him until 2013. After serving a one match suspension for accumulating five yellow cards in early–April, Craig made his return to the starting line–up, in a 1–0 loss against Celtic on 9 April 2011. Two weeks later, on 30 April 2011, he scored his fifth goal of the season, in a 2–1 win against Hibernian. In a match against Hamilton Academical on 10 May 2011, Craig scored the only goal of the game to ensure the Saints' victory. At the end of the 2010–11 season, he went on to make forty–six appearances and scoring six times in all competitions.
In the opening game of the 2011–12 season against Aberdeen, Craig started the match and played 45 minutes before being substituted at half–time, as St Johnstone drew 0–0. After missing one match, he returned to the starting line–up against Dunfermline Athletic, only for him to miss the penalty, as the Saints lost 1–0. After the match, manager McInnes removed Craig from taking penalties and gave it to Francisco Sandaza. In a follow–up match against Celtic, he set up a goal for Dave Mackay to score the only goal of the game, which saw the club earn their first win at Celtic Park since 1998. In the next match against Dundee United on 27 August 2011, Craig scored from a long distance free kick, in a 3–3 draw. The following month saw him score two more goals for St Johnstone against Motherwell and Hibernian. December saw him add two more goals for the Saints, coming against Hearts and Dunfermline Athletic. In a match against Hibernian on 21 January 2012, he scored and then set up the winning goal for Sandaza, in a 3–2 win. After missing one match through suspension for accumulating five yellow cards, Craig scored from a penalty spot, in a 5–1 loss against Motherwell on 28 April 2012. Following his return from suspension, the club qualified for a place in Europe despite finishing sixth place. Having continued to remain in the first team throughout the 2011–12 season, he went on to make forty–one appearances and scoring seven times in all competitions.