Any time, anywhere, McCall’s there for Steven
Steven Hammell credits Stuart McCall, his former boss at Motherwell, with being the biggest influence on his coaching career.
Now assistant manager to Paul Heckingbotham at Sheffield United, McCall has helped mastermind the Blades’ climb to the top of the English Championship.
And as he prepares his own side for the visit of Hearts this afternoon, Hammell revealed the extent to which his own approach to management has been shaped by the 58-year-old’s endless enthusiasm for the game.
“It’s no surprise to see him doing well again. He is positive in everything he does,” said the new Fir Park boss.
“I played under a few managers, but Stuart McCall is the one I always go back to. I liked working under him.
“He is an excellent coach, but first and foremost he was a good man-manager. He made you feel important, and I always felt I played a vital role in his teams.
“I made a point of looking at the little things he did when nobody was there, and nobody was watching.”
A recent example of that was McCall calling Hammell before he made the transition from caretaker boss at Motherwell to manager on a permanent basis.
“He got in touch, and we spoke briefly,” said Hammell. “It was something about him I always admired. He would do things when he didn’t need to, and we would talk just in general about life, football and other stuff.
“It’s good to have someone like that you can call and rely on. I would pick the phone up to him, for sure, even just to have a chat about a load of nonsense really!
“Stuart is a guy that you just wish the best for.”
Hammell hopes his players will come to view him in a similar light.
“I like to be as positive as I can, and encourage the players to have that mindset as well,” he said.
“We always look at what we can do better. We have a video straight after games and training sessions of what we can do better.
“But mostly it’s what we do and how positive we can be, and how we create the right atmosphere and environment in here every day.
“It is not going to be perfect. We have lost a couple of games this season that I don’t think we should have.
“But learning quickly from that, and learning from the wins as well before moving on keeps the good energy about the place.”
Meanwhile, Paul McGinn has warned his team-mates to keep an eye on Barrie McKay today.
The Well full-back said: “It feels like I’ve been playing against Barrie for years, but he’s definitely different now.
“He used to be a speed demon, who would knock the ball by you and try to run you. But now he has changed his game, and developed himself into this really good passer of the ball.
“Give him time and let him lift his head, and he will cut teams open. We have seen it time and time again, and he’ s one of the best in the Premiership at it.
“My hamstrings are probably happy about that because wingers getting at you all the time is harder work for a full-back!
“At the same time, Barrie is so clever that I couldn’t say it is enjoyable to play against him.
“With the ability to thread a pass he possesses, you are always aware of the need to be alive to the danger.”