Departing Bath Rugby stalwart Bob Calleja talks to Tom Bradshaw after more than a decade of service at The Rec

Long before Bob Calleja took a job at Bath Rugby, he was an English teacher. He still gives off a slight aura of the genial schoolmaster. And at times over the course of his 11 years at The Rec, he must have felt like he was dealing with the odd errant sixth-former or two.

But while he may have overseen a few more disciplinary processes than he would have liked, the chief operating officer – who for four years was the club's chief executive – says it's in the changing room rather than the office where he's had the best times.

"I made a point of going to every game, home and away, and I always went into the changing room after the game, win or lose," he says. "And the highlight has to be the camaraderie of the players.

"It's hard to express but what is so special is the team spirit of these players who are covered in bruises, who have bits of bone sticking out and who have blood seeping out of them.

"And yet there's a smile on their faces – especially if they've won – and an incredible spirit. They play for each other."

Already there's a tinge of nostalgia to what the 63-year-old says. He officially finishes his job on August 31, but his work at Bath is effectively done.

Drafted in 11 years ago as a consultant when the club was haemorrhaging money during the early years of professional rugby, Calleja has – at times – presided over a club where the off-field resources were cut to the bone.

Does he not feel a twinge of envy, I wonder, that he leaves the club just as it prepares to move to a palatial new country headquarters, courtesy of the largesse of an ambitious and exceedingly wealthy new owner?

Of course, he doesn't. This, after all, is Uncle Bob, whose patient, avuncular manner has endeared him to countless fans and enabled him to endure endless council meetings picking over the minutiae of grandstand extensions.

Calleja openly disagrees with some of the views of new club owner Bruce Craig. He remains a staunch supporter of the salary cap, for example, believing it prevents the Premiership from turning into a contest between just three or four cash-rich sides.

By contrast, Craig, in his own words, "doesn't believe in bringing things down to the lowest common denominator".

Calleja is in many respects the final embodiment of the ancien regime at Bath. He was the trusted lieutenant of Andrew Brownsword and once the former owner had sold up to Craig last April, Calleja already had an exit strategy in place.

While Brownsword was in some respects the rugby equivalent of the Victorian patrician – hovering in the background, a stickler for rules – Craig is a more modern, up-and-at-'em owner – thirsty to discuss strategy in his open-necked shirt and hungry to build Bath into a global brand.

Some of the commercial plans that are in the pipeline for Bath clearly don't sit easily with Calleja but he concedes that a new broom is a good thing.

"We kept the club quite traditional and didn't go in for the razzmatazz but perhaps it's time for change," he admits.

Calleja masterminded Craig's arrival at the club and admits now that Brownsword received four other serious bids.

"Bruce phoned me two-and-a-half years ago and I could tell straightaway that he was committed and very keen," recalls Calleja.

"I remember phoning Andrew and saying 'I think we've found him. This is different to the others. He's stand-alone, passionate about the game, passionate about Bath Rugby – and, Andrew, he's extremely rich!'.

"Andrew on the phone normally lasts 30 seconds. He was on the phone with Bruce for over two hours.

"As a measure of good faith Bruce brought in Nick Blofeld as his chief executive a year early. Bruce always wanted Nick to be part of it. When that happened we knew 100 per cent that this was going to happen because the commitment was there.

"The new broom is good because they're looking at the problems afresh, while I've been bashing away for the last ten years.

"There is a tremendous opportunity for the club and the supporters – and the supporters deserve the best. They stayed loyal even when we had a couple of bad seasons and they have had to put up with pretty poor facilities."

Calleja admits that Craig brings to Bath a passion and investment that Brownsword couldn't match.

"Andrew's passion lies elsewhere – his family, his other businesses – but the club owes a debt of gratitude to Andrew for remaining loyal," he says.

"Bruce has the resources and he is focused, and there are already good signs.

"Bruce is far more involved in a hands-on, day-by-day basis. He's asking questions, he's probing, he's talking tactics, he's talking players. This has to be good for the club."

But hang on a minute. Isn't the chairman wading into the boot room to hold forth on what moves the backs ought to be running a recipe for friction?

Aren't head coach Steve Meehan's toes likely to get bruised, especially given that he now has Sir Ian McGeechan alongside him?

"Steve has been given some reassurances as to the roles but things will be different," says Calleja. "Steve realises that.

"Andrew as chairman was very supportive but he didn't get involved or interfere in any way. As chief executive, I gave full support to the head coach. Steve had total authority when it came to tactics, strategy, selection, new players and so on.

"How the new arrangement will affect Steve only time will tell."

Calleja's fondness for Meehan is obvious, his affection having an almost fatherly warmth. The head coach, he says, is a "fine young man". The ructions from last summer's drugs scandal at the club seem to have forged a tight bond.

"I've been very impressed by the integrity of the man," he reflects. "We've had some difficult times together and yet we stood firm on principle.

"That was a painful experience but it's a mark of the strength of the head coach that at no time did he want to defend those players and he supported us in the policy we took.

"The squad sat down after the event and said 'This must never happen again'. A lot of the work they did influenced the RFU illicit drugs policy that came through, so hopefully something positive has come out of it."

Calleja has waged many battles during his time at the club, not least the campaign to keep Bath at The Rec. And it was during those battles that he made many of his closest friends at the club.

Foremost among them is former Bath and England captain Phil de Glanville, who could yet take on a senior role at the club.

"Phil is an unsung hero of Bath," says Calleja, turning up the volume a little. "He helped behind the scenes with the campaigns to keep Bath at The Rec.

"I had earmarked Phil as either director of rugby or operations director at Bath on two occasions. We were very close to securing him when, incredibly, the head coach changed on both occasions and they wanted to bring in their own man. I had the unfortunate task of telling Phil that it wasn't going to happen.

"All credit to Phil. He took it extremely well but he would have been a really good asset for the club with his knowledge and sporting background. And why not in the future? There are some past players who can offer a terrific amount back to the game and we should encourage that."

But what does the future hold for Calleja personally? Well, he'll be a Bath season ticket-holder and he's on the look-out for a part-time role that will "keep the grey matter stirred".

But then he and his wife plan a simpler life.

"We'll head deeper into the West Country and live off clotted cream by the seaside," he smiles.

Sounds good. And with a bit of luck, Bob, unlike the East Stand at The Rec, you won't need to apply for an annual lease.