You took charge of Bonnyrigg Rose in 2023/24 midway through a challenging season for the club. Reflecting on your time in charge so far, how would you evaluate the progress you have made and the impact you have had on the team?
“I think we have come a long way. We took over with six games to go. We were level on points at the bottom of the league, and obviously, everybody knows how difficult it is when you are in that situation. There was a lot of pressure at that time, but we managed to stay up quite comfortably.
“Our record was good. We started this season well in terms of the points we collected, and then it was disappointing to have those points deducted. So, aye, it puts us in a different position than we would have been because we would be in the top four.
“But no, we have come a long way. We have young players there that are developing. It’s difficult to compete with a lot of the teams in the league financially in terms of what they can offer, but what we can give boys that are hungry and wanting an opportunity to learn and develop is a platform to go in and show that they can play at this level.”
Given your success in Scotland’s lower divisions and your experience winning promotions, has that sharpened your ability to spot players with potential to step up to the SPFL?
“Definitely. There are players that have not had the same kind of pathway as other boys in the professional game. Sometimes, when you have been in and around it, you get contacts, and people make you aware of players that you would not have been aware of if you had not been on the kind of journey that you have been on.
“So, it has been a good learning curve for me because it has allowed me to make mistakes and grow from them without being severely punished. I’ve managed for seven, eight years now, and you want to get better with every job that you do.
“This has definitely been the most difficult one, in terms of some of the off-the-pitch situations we have been in over the last two or three months. We have a break now over Christmas, which I think everybody at the club needed, and we have just got to make sure we come back stronger and finish the season well.”
As a young manager with considerable experience from a top-level playing career in Scottish football, did you have any reservations about starting your managerial journey at clubs like Edinburgh United and Tynecastle, or did you view it as an exciting opportunity to develop your skills?
“It was more like an apprenticeship where you want to learn. I did not really get that when I played. When I played, I made my debut when I was 16, so I did not get the opportunity to learn as a player. You are just thrust into the first team, and it is either sink or swim.
“I wanted to go down a different path in terms of managing and coaching and work with different types of players that I would not have had the opportunity to do if I had kept on playing until I was 35 or 36. But I have loved every minute of it. I enjoy coaching, I enjoy managing. Bonnyrigg is a great club, so I am fortunate to be in this situation.
“I feel like I have earned the right to be here. Since I came in, our record has been good. In the 20 games we have played since I took over, we have picked up 36 points, which is strong. So, you know, we want to keep getting better every month and year that goes by.”
In your current role of managing within the SPFL setup at Bonnyrigg, how valuable has your experience, both as a player and as a manager outwith the SPFL, been in helping you deal with the challenges and opportunities at this level?
“Yeah, it is really, difficult to get into the SPFL if you are not already in it. That is something I would say because it does seem like a slightly closed shop.
“At Elgin, Allan Hale has done an excellent job—he came in from the Highland League—but apart from the two of us, I do not think there is really anyone else who has been given the opportunity from the Lowland League or below.
“There are a lot of good managers plying their trade there, and in the SPFL, of course. Sometimes you have just got to be fortunate, in the right place at the right time, and ready. That is something I always believe I am, regardless of what the opportunity is.”
Looking ahead with Bonnyrigg, is your medium-term focus on continual progression?
“Yeah, it is about trying to be the best team we can be and approaching games slightly differently. We go into games trying to win every game, which has not always been the case. It is about trying to change that mindset and realising that sometimes you are going to lose games of football.
“In this league, you are as well going for three points rather than settling for a draw because it is the wins that count. It is about trying to build momentum. Even if you go on three or four good runs in a season, that is going to be enough to certainly keep you in the league.
“How well you do on those runs defines where you end up in the league. It is a strong league; every team can beat each other. We are hoping we can try to strengthen in January because we have a small squad. We are down to about 13 players because two or three of our loan players have gone back, so we do need to actively look to improve our squad.”
Reflecting on your playing career, you mentioned earlier the remarkable achievement of breaking into the first-team environment at Hearts at just 16 years old—a club recognised as one of the most prestigious in the country.
Can you share your standout memories from your time at Hearts, including your experiences in the first team and the impact of your loan spells on your development as a player?
“It seems like a lifetime ago, to be honest with you. But you just take things—especially when you are younger—you take things for granted. You always think that it is always going to be like that. And I think, probably, I wasn’t really ready, in terms of mentally, to go and play. But obviously, technically, I was.
“It is just the different side of the game that nobody tells you about. I think that is something that sometimes people can struggle with, and I did to an extent. It was not until I was slightly older and more confident that I could have done that. By that time, the ball was gone—two or three knee injuries.
“But no, Hearts is a great club. I was fortunate enough to play in a dressing room of proper men, and the standards that they set every day in training were through the roof. I was really fortunate to play with some top players as well.”
Post Hearts, you made the decision to move to Lithuania by joining Žalgiris Vilnius – an intriguing step in your journey.
How did you adapt to the cultural and professional challenges of playing there, and how would you assess the standard of football compared to what you were accustomed to?
“For the first three or four months, I loved it. But I had not been home, and then I came home. I think in the first 15 games I had scored something like 15 goals. But when I went back—it sounds terrible to say this, because I was like 24 at the time—but I really missed home. I missed being around my family, my friends, and my dog. I really, really struggled.
“Admira-Zalgiris Elliot 01” by Man77 is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
“But I got through the season. It was a brilliant experience. I would definitely encourage anybody who gets the opportunity to go and experience it. But it is difficult to do it when you are by yourself, and obviously, the language barrier sometimes did not help.
“In terms of opening your eyes—working with different coaches and playing in a different culture—it was different, but it was good. The standard was probably bottom end of the SPL, but it made me stronger as a person, which was the most important thing from that experience.”
During your time in Lithuania, you also achieved the remarkable feat of winning the Lithuanian Cup.
What did that victory mean to you, both personally and professionally, and how significant was it in the context of your experience abroad?
“It was a good day because my family came over. So, no, it was a really good day. We were playing a team called FK Ekranas and it finished 0-0 after extra time but we won on penalties. It was a great day and a good occasion for the supporters and the club.
“I think I am right in saying as well that it was the first time the club had won the cup in almost a decade. So, it was a really good experience.”
Finally, Calum, throughout your playing career, you experienced a wide range of opportunities, from competing in the top flight of Scottish football to gaining experience playing abroad, as well as representing Scotland at various youth levels, including the Under-21s.
Given the challenges and accomplishments associated with reaching those levels, how do you draw upon those experiences when mentoring young players?
“Yeah, no, I think the most important thing is having standards. Especially when you are working at part-time level, what we are doing on a Tuesday and Thursday is not enough. To get there, they must be doing extra by themselves. They must be physically developing and tactically developing.
“We will always do analysis, and we will give the players every opportunity to improve as players, but we cannot do it for them. There must be something within them that drives them to push themselves to get to the next level.
“But first and foremost, they have to be performing at the level they’re actually at, because unless they are doing that, they are not going to get these opportunities. That is the challenge for them. They are here for a reason, and it is about reminding them of that. It is also about telling them that they can get there. But how they get there, and how fast they get there, is down to themselves and the sacrifices they make as players.
“It is not easy—because if it was easy, everybody would be playing at that level. The players at the highest level make huge sacrifices. Technically, there is not a lot of difference between players in the Scottish Premiership and the lower leagues, but their game IQ is certainly stronger.
“It is about making sure that when boys are watching football, they are watching players playing in their position. Rather than just watching the game as a fan in the crowd, they need to be taking things in. That is something we are quite big on.
“If players want to get better, they will get better. If they do not, like anything else, they will just kind of fall by the wayside, unfortunately.”
Featured image: Bonnyrigg Rose Football Club
Callum McFadden 