He was considered to be too small in stature to make a professional,[2] and seemed destined to remain a junior player until he was signed by Motherwell at the late age of 27 in 1905.
After the war, Colman resumed his Aberdeen career, and was still playing regularly during his final season at the club in 1920, after which he moved to Dumbarton as player-coach.
[2] While player-coach at Dumbarton, Colman regularly travelled to Norway in the summer months to coach football at SK Brann of Bergen.
Colman's second spell at Aberdeen was as notable as his first - he was an innovative and influential coach, spending much time and effort on players' footwork and working on ideas such as possession football and using space.
The idea quickly spread through the game in Britain and further afield, and examples of dugouts at football grounds can still be seen to this day.