' Callum Paterson '
Sun Nov 12, 2017 8:26 am
Interview: Callum Paterson on Cardiff and his debt to Hearts
Callum Paterson: “Every footballer in the world wants to play in the Premier League. If they say they’re not then they are lying." "Cardiff have that desire"
The Scotsman
Sunday 12th November 2017
There was a twist on the footballer heading to the wrong dressing room on a first return to his former club for Callum Paterson this week.
Scotland duty brought the 23-year-old defender back to the Oriam training centre used by Hearts for the first time since he left the Tynecastle club and moved to Cardiff City in the summer. The fact he made that switch while six months into a ten-month rehabilitation from a cruciate ligament injury meant instinctively the treatment rooms at Oriam called to him on walking through the doors of the complex.
“I know where to go, eh? The lads had to pull me back,” said Paterson with a grin. It might be considered that this impish individual hasn’t had much to cheer since he snapped his cruciate against Kilmarnock last December but that is not how he frames his existence.
Paterson can point to being included in the Scotland squad for Thursday’s friendly against the Dutch – he did not feature in the 1-0 loss – despite having made only one full senior appearance for Cardiff, which came last weekend in a defeat to Bristol City. His career is firmly back on track but he concedes there were times across the past ten months he had fears for where it was going.
He sustained the injury when his departure from Hearts was a given after his refusal to sign a new contract. Indeed, it was expected he would move on in a seven-figure deal when the transfer window opened the following month. Then, when it was known he would be out for so long, it was considered he could have a rethink and sign an extension. That way he would not have to find a new club during rehab, and Hearts could receive a proper fee for him, instead of the £400,000 compensation figure they are believed to have collected.
Paterson, who had a sell-on fee for Hearts inserted in his contract, does not feel any guilt about the Tynecastle club requiring to provide his medical attention without then receiving any recompense. He does though feel gratitude.
“They’re a massive club and they were great with me,” he said.
“Even though they knew I was going, they kept me going through my rehab, the physios kept me going. But my head was a bit of a mess because I didn’t know what was happening. Everything got sorted out in the end though but they were still good enough to keep me on.
“But I’ve sacrificed a lot in the past for them so they obviously thought it was right for me to stay. It felt horrible [before Cardiff came in, in June]. I was obviously out of contract at Hearts, nothing was happening on that front, and I was kind of stagnating.”
Patterson says that “maybe at the start” of his time out attention from other clubs did start to drift, with a number of English Championship sides having expressed interest in the summer of 2016.
“It’s a mental injury as well as a physical one so you don’t want to start dwelling on the ‘what could have beens’ and ‘what ifs’. It’s more to do with what happens from there on and clearly at that moment it wasn’t my time to go anywhere. Thankfully Cardiff showed some faith in me.
“My job was just to get fit and get playing and that’s what I concentrated on – my agent looked after the rest of it. I’m quite a happy guy in general, I’m a big believer in what’s for you won’t go by you, so you have to maintain positive thoughts. Smile that you’re alive and healthy and worry about getting fit again.”
Even an irrepressibly upbeat character such as Paterson could not escape the worries over whether he would return to the all-action, adaptable performer who was such an integral player for the Tynecastle side, and who earned five caps for his country through being so.
“Of course, 100 per cent,” he said of fretting over whether he would be restored to the same player following the ACL, as he calls the anterior cruciate ligament injury he suffered. “When I did my meniscus before, I went to a surgeon in Leeds, Dr Bolan. You always go back to people you trust. I will always be thankful to him as he has rescued my career. The operation was massive and you are pretty doped up.
“It might be a long-term injury, 90 per cent, or maybe more of that, is in the mind. You need to keep your brain healthy and get the negative thoughts out. It’s not easy to do, especially when you’re stuck in a room for nine months but thankfully I’ve come through on the other side. I’m maybe lacking in sharpness but fitness is there and I want to kick on.
“I’ve had a lot of positive people around me in the rehab room. There was another guy who had an ACL, Rhys Healey, and we’ve become good friends and it’s easy to get on with it if you got somebody who is positive. My family are positive and I had my girlfriend with me the whole way through it.”
As Paterson began to take to the pitch again – his comeback including a hat-trick for the club’s under-23 side – the six footer realised that the bustle to his game that made him such a domineering figure in Scottish games wouldn’t survive his resettling in England’s second tier. It might be something to do with genetics…
“It’s physical, a lot more physical than I thought it would be,” Paterson said. “Everyone is bigger, faster and stronger. I’m fitting in so far and hopefully I can kick on. When you’re lining up at corners it’s a bit different as well, people are taller than me and better than me in the air. It’s a bit different but it’s good to welcome a new challenge.”
Neil Warnock’s Cardiff lie third in the Championship. Paterson feels good working for “a casual, calm and assertive” Scotophile manager who is “exactly what I need”.
For the defender a “massive “ draw in going to Wales was the club’s desire to be among the elite again. “Every footballer in the world wants to play in the Premier League. If they say they’re not then they are lying.” "Cardiff have that desire."
Paterson is not a man to take anything lying down.
Callum Paterson: “Every footballer in the world wants to play in the Premier League. If they say they’re not then they are lying." "Cardiff have that desire"
The Scotsman
Sunday 12th November 2017
There was a twist on the footballer heading to the wrong dressing room on a first return to his former club for Callum Paterson this week.
Scotland duty brought the 23-year-old defender back to the Oriam training centre used by Hearts for the first time since he left the Tynecastle club and moved to Cardiff City in the summer. The fact he made that switch while six months into a ten-month rehabilitation from a cruciate ligament injury meant instinctively the treatment rooms at Oriam called to him on walking through the doors of the complex.
“I know where to go, eh? The lads had to pull me back,” said Paterson with a grin. It might be considered that this impish individual hasn’t had much to cheer since he snapped his cruciate against Kilmarnock last December but that is not how he frames his existence.
Paterson can point to being included in the Scotland squad for Thursday’s friendly against the Dutch – he did not feature in the 1-0 loss – despite having made only one full senior appearance for Cardiff, which came last weekend in a defeat to Bristol City. His career is firmly back on track but he concedes there were times across the past ten months he had fears for where it was going.
He sustained the injury when his departure from Hearts was a given after his refusal to sign a new contract. Indeed, it was expected he would move on in a seven-figure deal when the transfer window opened the following month. Then, when it was known he would be out for so long, it was considered he could have a rethink and sign an extension. That way he would not have to find a new club during rehab, and Hearts could receive a proper fee for him, instead of the £400,000 compensation figure they are believed to have collected.
Paterson, who had a sell-on fee for Hearts inserted in his contract, does not feel any guilt about the Tynecastle club requiring to provide his medical attention without then receiving any recompense. He does though feel gratitude.
“They’re a massive club and they were great with me,” he said.
“Even though they knew I was going, they kept me going through my rehab, the physios kept me going. But my head was a bit of a mess because I didn’t know what was happening. Everything got sorted out in the end though but they were still good enough to keep me on.
“But I’ve sacrificed a lot in the past for them so they obviously thought it was right for me to stay. It felt horrible [before Cardiff came in, in June]. I was obviously out of contract at Hearts, nothing was happening on that front, and I was kind of stagnating.”
Patterson says that “maybe at the start” of his time out attention from other clubs did start to drift, with a number of English Championship sides having expressed interest in the summer of 2016.
“It’s a mental injury as well as a physical one so you don’t want to start dwelling on the ‘what could have beens’ and ‘what ifs’. It’s more to do with what happens from there on and clearly at that moment it wasn’t my time to go anywhere. Thankfully Cardiff showed some faith in me.
“My job was just to get fit and get playing and that’s what I concentrated on – my agent looked after the rest of it. I’m quite a happy guy in general, I’m a big believer in what’s for you won’t go by you, so you have to maintain positive thoughts. Smile that you’re alive and healthy and worry about getting fit again.”
Even an irrepressibly upbeat character such as Paterson could not escape the worries over whether he would return to the all-action, adaptable performer who was such an integral player for the Tynecastle side, and who earned five caps for his country through being so.
“Of course, 100 per cent,” he said of fretting over whether he would be restored to the same player following the ACL, as he calls the anterior cruciate ligament injury he suffered. “When I did my meniscus before, I went to a surgeon in Leeds, Dr Bolan. You always go back to people you trust. I will always be thankful to him as he has rescued my career. The operation was massive and you are pretty doped up.
“It might be a long-term injury, 90 per cent, or maybe more of that, is in the mind. You need to keep your brain healthy and get the negative thoughts out. It’s not easy to do, especially when you’re stuck in a room for nine months but thankfully I’ve come through on the other side. I’m maybe lacking in sharpness but fitness is there and I want to kick on.
“I’ve had a lot of positive people around me in the rehab room. There was another guy who had an ACL, Rhys Healey, and we’ve become good friends and it’s easy to get on with it if you got somebody who is positive. My family are positive and I had my girlfriend with me the whole way through it.”
As Paterson began to take to the pitch again – his comeback including a hat-trick for the club’s under-23 side – the six footer realised that the bustle to his game that made him such a domineering figure in Scottish games wouldn’t survive his resettling in England’s second tier. It might be something to do with genetics…
“It’s physical, a lot more physical than I thought it would be,” Paterson said. “Everyone is bigger, faster and stronger. I’m fitting in so far and hopefully I can kick on. When you’re lining up at corners it’s a bit different as well, people are taller than me and better than me in the air. It’s a bit different but it’s good to welcome a new challenge.”
Neil Warnock’s Cardiff lie third in the Championship. Paterson feels good working for “a casual, calm and assertive” Scotophile manager who is “exactly what I need”.
For the defender a “massive “ draw in going to Wales was the club’s desire to be among the elite again. “Every footballer in the world wants to play in the Premier League. If they say they’re not then they are lying.” "Cardiff have that desire."
Paterson is not a man to take anything lying down.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Re: ' Callum Paterson '
Sun Nov 12, 2017 5:24 pm
Callum Paterson reveals how a young Cardiff City teammate helped inspire him to pull through his agonising injury hell -
By Tom Coleman
Sunday 12th December 2017
Callum Paterson admits he feared his latest long-term injury would prevent him from ever getting back to his best, but says he pulled through thanks to the "positive people" surrounding him, including a young Cardiff City teammate.
Paterson was one of 10 signings brought in by boss Neil Warnock over the summer, but didn't make his full debut until the 3-1 win over Ipswich at the end of October, having arrived at the Cardiff City Stadium with a cruciate ligament injury.
Warnock's willingness to take a chance on the Scot is testament to how highly he rates his ability, and despite only making two full first team appearances this season, Paterson is beginning to repay some of the faith shown in him, with recent performances even earning him a place in the latest Scotland squad.
But Paterson has emerged from his struggles in the treatment room with more than just credit.
Callum Paterson of Cardiff City plays the ball past Joe Bryan of Bristol City (Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency)
Indeed, the time spent trying to get his career back on track saw him forge a friendship with 22-year-old striker Rhys Healey, who also happened to be working his way back from a cruciate injury around the same time.
Healey, who spent a chunk of last season out on loan at Newport County, recently signed a new deal with the Bluebirds, suggesting that Warnock has placed a similar amount of faith in his ability.
The similarities between the two have seemingly helped to form a strong friendship between the two players, who could both have a big role to play in Cardiff's future.
He told The Scotsman : "I've had a lot of positive people around me in the rehab room. There was another guy who had an ACL, Rhys Healey, and we’ve become good friends and it’s easy to get on with it if you got somebody who is positive.
"My family are positive and I had my girlfriend with me the whole way through it."
It all marks a significant turnaround for the 23-year-old, who admits that his latest setback sparked fears over where his career was heading.
"It's a mental injury as well as a physical one so you don’t want to start dwelling on the 'what could have beens' and 'what ifs'. It’s more to do with what happens from there on and clearly at that moment it wasn't my time to go anywhere. Thankfully Cardiff showed some faith in me.
"My job was just to get fit and get playing and that’s what I concentrated on – my agent looked after the rest of it. I’m quite a happy guy in general, I’m a big believer in what’s for you won’t go by you, so you have to maintain positive thoughts. Smile that you’re alive and healthy and worry about getting fit again."
However, now that he's back playing regular first team football again, fresh challenges are beginning to arise, most notably that of adjusting to the rigours Championship football.
"It’s physical, a lot more physical than I thought it would be,” Paterson said. “Everyone is bigger, faster and stronger. I’m fitting in so far and hopefully I can kick on. When you’re lining up at corners it’s a bit different as well, people are taller than me and better than me in the air. It’s a bit different but it’s good to welcome a new challenge."
By Tom Coleman
Sunday 12th December 2017
Callum Paterson admits he feared his latest long-term injury would prevent him from ever getting back to his best, but says he pulled through thanks to the "positive people" surrounding him, including a young Cardiff City teammate.
Paterson was one of 10 signings brought in by boss Neil Warnock over the summer, but didn't make his full debut until the 3-1 win over Ipswich at the end of October, having arrived at the Cardiff City Stadium with a cruciate ligament injury.
Warnock's willingness to take a chance on the Scot is testament to how highly he rates his ability, and despite only making two full first team appearances this season, Paterson is beginning to repay some of the faith shown in him, with recent performances even earning him a place in the latest Scotland squad.
But Paterson has emerged from his struggles in the treatment room with more than just credit.
Callum Paterson of Cardiff City plays the ball past Joe Bryan of Bristol City (Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency)
Indeed, the time spent trying to get his career back on track saw him forge a friendship with 22-year-old striker Rhys Healey, who also happened to be working his way back from a cruciate injury around the same time.
Healey, who spent a chunk of last season out on loan at Newport County, recently signed a new deal with the Bluebirds, suggesting that Warnock has placed a similar amount of faith in his ability.
The similarities between the two have seemingly helped to form a strong friendship between the two players, who could both have a big role to play in Cardiff's future.
He told The Scotsman : "I've had a lot of positive people around me in the rehab room. There was another guy who had an ACL, Rhys Healey, and we’ve become good friends and it’s easy to get on with it if you got somebody who is positive.
"My family are positive and I had my girlfriend with me the whole way through it."
It all marks a significant turnaround for the 23-year-old, who admits that his latest setback sparked fears over where his career was heading.
"It's a mental injury as well as a physical one so you don’t want to start dwelling on the 'what could have beens' and 'what ifs'. It’s more to do with what happens from there on and clearly at that moment it wasn't my time to go anywhere. Thankfully Cardiff showed some faith in me.
"My job was just to get fit and get playing and that’s what I concentrated on – my agent looked after the rest of it. I’m quite a happy guy in general, I’m a big believer in what’s for you won’t go by you, so you have to maintain positive thoughts. Smile that you’re alive and healthy and worry about getting fit again."
However, now that he's back playing regular first team football again, fresh challenges are beginning to arise, most notably that of adjusting to the rigours Championship football.
"It’s physical, a lot more physical than I thought it would be,” Paterson said. “Everyone is bigger, faster and stronger. I’m fitting in so far and hopefully I can kick on. When you’re lining up at corners it’s a bit different as well, people are taller than me and better than me in the air. It’s a bit different but it’s good to welcome a new challenge."
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Re: ' Callum Paterson '
Sun Nov 12, 2017 5:25 pm
Callum Paterson:
" The Championship, it’s physical, a lot more physical than I thought it would be,” Paterson said. “Everyone is bigger, faster and stronger. I’m fitting in so far and hopefully I can kick on. When you’re lining up at corners it’s a bit different as well, people are taller than me and better than me in the air. It’s a bit different but it’s good to welcome a new challenge."
" The Championship, it’s physical, a lot more physical than I thought it would be,” Paterson said. “Everyone is bigger, faster and stronger. I’m fitting in so far and hopefully I can kick on. When you’re lining up at corners it’s a bit different as well, people are taller than me and better than me in the air. It’s a bit different but it’s good to welcome a new challenge."
Re: ' Callum Paterson '
Sun Nov 12, 2017 7:56 pm
He's the future Cardiff captain, it will take him time to get up to speed but when he does you watch him go. 