CALLUM BIDS TO REEL IN RIVALS!
CALLUM Paterson describes himself as an avid angler and even has a YouTube channel devoted to the art of fishing.
“It helps me massively,” says Sheffield Wednesday’s roving utility man. “Peace and quiet. The smell of fresh air. That’s how I clear my head.”
Not that the punishing schedule of Owls boss Danny Rohl leaves much time for loitering on the banks of the Don.
Since replacing Xisco Munoz in October, the German has transformed a shot-shy shambles into an aggressive pressing unit that now stands a fighting chance of staying in the Championship.
“He came in on the first day, put his foot down and said ‘This is what I want’,” recalls Paterson, who has just returned to action after suffering a knee injury against Coventry on Boxing Day that eventually required surgery.
“It was ‘I want A,B,C, I want X,Y, Z’ and there were no blurred lines. No going off the path. He knows what he wants and he’s got all of us believing in it. His coaches are on exactly the same page.
“It’s a lot more tactical than under the previous manager. A lot longer training sessions and certainly a lot more information on the video and things like that. Less time off !
“Wednesday gone was the first day off we’ve had in a long time, but nobody’s complaining. We should be in. That’s what we’re paid for. We’re all working hard to retain our spot in this division and we’re absolutely confident that we can.”
Wednesday’s resurgence is made all the more impressive by the fact that Rohl, right, is only 34 and had not held a managerial role before his arrival at Hillsborough.
He had, however, coached under Ralph Hasenhuttl at Southampton and worked as an assistant to Hansi Flick with Bayern Munich and the German national side.
“People talk about his age but we’re talking about someone who has worked with some of the best managers in the world,” says Scotland international Paterson, who started his career with Hearts before joining Cardiff in 2017 and winning promotion to the Premier League under Neil Warnock in his first season.
Ideas
“He’s brought ideas from different people, things he’s learned from world-class players and he’s putting that all across in his own way.
Why wouldn’t you listen to someone like that?
“I think there’s this tendency to categorise managers as old school or new school, long-ball or possession, all that stuff. “I’ve had one of the oldest and most experienced managers in the world in Neil, and I’ve worked under a couple of young ones as well. Ian Cathro was 30 when I was at Hearts and I probably played some of my best football under him. At the end of the day, it’s whatever gets the players on board, isn’t it?” Paterson’s injury could not have come at a worse time from a personal standpoint, with results improving in his absence and the likes of Ian Poveda, Anthony Musaba and Ike Ugbo all impressing in the attacking roles he previously occupied.
“Ah, I’m not bothered about that,” insists the 29-year-old. “If someone comes into my position, my attitude is ‘Well they’d better do better than me, or else’. And if they do, I’ll hold my hands up and say fair play to them.
“Thankfully that’s what’s happened. You look at someone like Ike. He’s come in and scored seven goals in his first six games and you couldn’t have asked for any more than that. He’s helped us massively.
“Some of the other young lads have stepped up as well, and you won’t find me complaining about that. That’s what will keep us up.”
Something that Paterson says he always believed was possible, even in those dark days under Xisco.
“Listen, I’ve had some terrible starts to some terrible seasons,” he says. “But I’ve generally ended up coming through, so I always had faith, right from minute one.”