You have been the manager of Montrose since 2016 which is remarkable amount of time given the turnover of managers in modern football across all levels.
How proud are you of that longevity and what you’ve achieved at the club so far?
“I certainly feel extremely fortunate and lucky to have worked with, and to continue working with, the Board of Directors, the Chairman, and the staff, who make my job easy, if I am being honest. We are also fortunate to have an unbelievable group of players who give everything, not only on a Saturday, but on a Tuesday and a Thursday as well.
“So the job is pretty easy in that regard, and I still feel that I have got a lot of exciting times ahead, hopefully.”
When you are a manager who has been at one club for a long period of time, how do you go about continually rebuilding squads and even just motivating yourself?
“Self-motivation is easy because I still love the job and the club, so it is easy to look forward to getting into training on a Tuesday and a Thursday, and then all of a sudden, it is match day. So that side of things is easy. We do try to vary it. We have an unbelievable support group of coaching staff.
“We have an assistant in Ross Campbell, who does a tremendous job alongside coaches Seán Dillon and Iain Campbell. Then, we have Chris Simpson, who is our head of strength and conditioning, plus the medical staff. We are all chipping in, and we are all part of one big team, which again helps me and makes my job easier. There is no doubt about that.”
You won League Two in 2017/18 and since then, the club has been competing for promotion to the Championship with consistently strong finishes in League One.
Given the budget that you have, especially compared to others within the league over recent years, how pleasing has that been for you?
“Oh, there is no question that with our budget that we have defied expectations. We have been competing against full time teams with big budgets over the years, you can take Dunfermline the year before last who were well on their way to the league title early on, as were Falkirk last year.
“This year, there is not a club of the stature of Dunfermline or Falkirk, but the full-time clubs are still going to have a massive say in who is or is not going to win the league anyway.
“Certainly, in years gone by, having Dunfermline, Falkirk, and Hamilton in there made the job even harder to get into the top four. There is no doubt about that. I think after about six games last season, certainly by the end of the first quarter, every team in the league was saying, “Right, it’s going to be Hamilton and Falkirk who will win the league at that stage.”
“Falkirk obviously went on an unbelievable run under John and Paul, and rightly so, won the league and went through the season unbeaten, which was just incredible.
“But this year, it looks a bit closer at the start, where at least the games are remarkably close. So, yes, ultimately, my job simply is to keep the club in place. I think it is important for the League One to start, but that is the goal, and that goal never changes. And then, once you secure your League One status, everything else is a bonus on top of that, Callum.
“We will continue to adopt that strategy, because once you start thinking you have arrived, there is a big chance you will get a slap in the face. Then all of a sudden, you are fighting to stay in the division. So, we are aware that it is a tough task to stay in that division year on year. To be in the top half, top four, and get in the playoffs is always a bonus, there is no doubt about that. Yes, everybody hopes for that. That is why you play football, and you hope to be successful. But it is certainly not an easy journey trying to get in that top four, that is for sure.”
Finally, Stewart, you are someone that is regularly linked with vacancies at other clubs but you have just signed a new contract to stay at Montrose until 2027.
How flattering is it to be linked with other clubs even though you clearly enjoy your work at Montrose and have committed to continue for the future?
“Yes, it is flattering to be linked with any job. But ultimately, that means the club is doing well, not just the manager.
“That comes from the board of directors and how they run the club, down to the coaching staff and the players. Everybody plays their part in that.
“So yes, it is flattering to be linked with jobs, but as I say, I love it here. It was an easy decision for me to sign an extension, and I am still as motivated as I was the day I walked in the door, Callum.
“Until that changes, I will be looking forward to going to training next week and getting the team prepared for our next game. The motivation is there. We know we have set ourselves goals and we have reached these targets. So, we will continue to strive and see if we can achieve that over the next few seasons.
“Hopefully, there are some exciting times ahead for the club.”
Featured image: Montrose FC
Callum McFadden 