Ruud Kaiser

Kaiser started his career as a teenager at Go Ahead Eagles and in 1978 Holland’s top club Ajax Amsterdam snapped him up. He signed for the Sky Blues in 1981, having left Ajax for Royal Antwerp a year earlier, in a straight swap for Van Gool who was only too happy to return to his home country.

Dave Sexton signed him and gave him a debut as a substitute in the second game of the season and ten days later having displaced Peter Bodak he scored on his home debut against Leeds. Although he preferred to play on the left wing, the form of Steve Hunt was so good that he had to be content on the right. His speed and enthusiasm plus an ability to take on his full-back established him as a firm favourite with the City fans. After two poor performances however, Rudi was dropped in favour of loan signing David Bradford. A few substitute appearances and some reserve games were all Rudi would get over the next two months.

His City first team career ended in an FA Cup Third round tie against Sheffield Wednesday. Just after half time he skidded into the Highfield Road advertising hoardings and injured his shoulder. He was out of action for a month but once fit he couldn’t make sufficient impact in the reserve side to win a recall to the first team.

In the summer of 1982 he joined Olympique Nice in the South of France. By 1984 he was back in Holland and a regular with top division club FC Den Bosch. Playing over 150 games and scoring 30 goals in a five-year career with the club.

He spent four years on the coaching staff of the Dutch football association, KNVB, and was responsible for the national under-17 side. Now known as Ruud, he joined Chelsea as youth team coach in 2006 but after less than a year left to return to Holland.