Ryan Jack on Wednesday night become only the 73 Aberdeen player to have reached 200 appearances. Sadly injury means he could be stuck on the 200 mark for a number of weeks. Before the game he spoke exclusively to RedMatchday:
 
To have reached 200 at the age of just 23 is a yet more remarkable achievement, leaving the record books wide open to a little bit of rewriting by the skipper over the next few seasons.

It’s a hefty milestone, but just how many of those games does he really remember?

“Sometimes I remember certain things and certain situations from particular games, but when you are running about in the heat of the battle, you don’t really have time to stand and take it all in! Maybe if you are a goalkeeper and have the game played out in front of you, it is easier to remember matches but as a midfielder, it is difficult.

“I do remember my debut, 22nd September 2010. It was a midweek League Cup game against Raith Rovers at Pittodrie. We won 3-2. Then the following Saturday I played here against Rangers. We lost that game 3-2 and I came off the bench.

“I’d been on the bench for about 25 games prior to making my debut. That must be some kind of club record! I remember my friend, Nicky Low, was on the bench about twice and he got his debut before me! We were 3-0 up at Tynecastle, the game was won, so the manager threw Nicky on. I was not happy!

“They were frustrating times. When you are young, you think differently about things and the only thing I was concerned about was getting on and thinking about myself, my own game.

You don’t see the bigger picture. The only thing that should have mattered that night was that we won the game. I’ve learnt that lesson since!

“The hard thing was that every Saturday I was having to mentally prepare myself for the big moment. By the time I did eventually make my debut, I was thinking, “If I get on, I get on! Just take it as it comes”.

“I think it maybe made me more determined to go and prove myself when I did get the chance. Eventually Mark
McGhee gave me that chance, and as I said in my Motherwell programmes notes recently, it is something in which I will always be grateful to him for.

“As well as Nicky there were a lot of good young players coming through at that time. Fraser Fyvie, Peter Pawlett, myself and Nicky were all the in U19 side and all in midfield”. One game must inevitably stick out above the rest as a favourite. No prizes for guessing which one it is…

“If I had to pick a favourite game, it would have to be the League Cup final. That probably goes without saying. Being able to lift the cup, in front of that many Aberdeen fans, it was a great moment, especially as for a long time it looked like I would miss the game because of injury.

“Another game which is special to me was a midweek match against Inverness in January 2011. We won the game that night 2-0 and I scored my first ever senior goal. It was not a bad goal either! I won the AFC Goal of the Season award that year with that strike.

“There are a few other games that stick in my head for various reasons and not always good ones. One game I remember was when I scored at Parkhead against Celtic in October 2011. Ten minutes later, I was sitting in the changing room after having picked up two yellow cards! I actually scored to bring the game level. It was such a high and I was celebrating with all my team-mates, going nuts and was booked for over-celebrating and for running to the Aberdeen fans. Then the next tackle, I was still on a high and tackled Gary Hooper and before I knew it, I was walking down the tunnel after receiving a red card.

“Back then I was obviously a lot younger. I lost my concentration, I was still buzzing and went flying into a challenge. As I said when you are young, you sometimes don’t think about the situation. When you are sitting in the dressing room all alone, you very quickly learn from your mistakes”.

With age comes maturity, but also responsibility, on and off the pitch. Going home and moping about the football is not an option for a young dad after all.

“I think there is a fine line as to how much you can analyse games, especially now that obviously I have got my daughter and family to go home to. You cannot be taking your problems from work home all the time. If you have a bad game or bad result, you have to try and let it go when you leave the ground. Saying that, if you have not won a game, you do find yourself going home and being in a bad mood all Saturday night and it ruins your weekend basically.

“Regardless of being captain or not, I have always been like that if we lose a game. That is maybe the side of football that people don’t see. Maybe people think that if you lose, it is just another game and you go home and are able to forget about it. There is a lot more to it if you don’t get the result you want. You feel that you have let a lot of people down and it is a big pressure, but it is one that you have to deal with being a footballer. On the flip side if you do win then you can enjoy it.

“For myself now I try and not to get too down. I go home now after a game and look forward to seeing my daughter. The disappointment does not go away, but over recent times I have got better at hiding my emotions. Then again there is also a simple solution – make sure we keep winning!”

After Russell Anderson’s retirement, it fell to Ryan to take on the captain’s armband at the start of the season.

How has he taken to the new job?

“To start with, it is different. There is a lot more to do before and after a game as the captain. As well as making sure I’m ready, I have to make sure everyone else in the dressing room is also ready and they have got everything they need during the week in the run up to the game. That is the most important part for me, making sure we are all ready and focused before a game.

“Leading the team out is still a very special thing. Every time I do it still feels just as special. Getting ready for the game and walking out with the team is the most important part of it all. The rest is just bit and bobs that you have to do in and around the club.

“I believe the best way to lead the team is not by running about shouting and bawling. I know some people think that is what you should be like. I believe being a captain is about doing the right things on the park, doing the right things on the ball, keeping the ball, in my case leading the team from the middle of the park and leading by example.

“I think it is a role I am starting to grow into. I am getting more used to it. You want to make sure the players respect you and everyone is together. That is the main thing, making sure everyone is in it together. We win together and we lose together. My role in the changing room or on the pitch is not about digging boys out and screaming at them. It is about speaking to people the right way and making sure they understand their jobs.

“When you are on a bad run, you have to be able to pick players up. When we were on the bad run then obviously there are players who are struggling a bit with their form. It is my job to try and keep the mood upbeat and try and help get the confidence back. It was important that during that run that I made sure everyone did not get too down about it. I had to stay focused.

“I feel I have matured as a person. I think it has also helped that I have become a dad as well. You have a lot of responsibility, you suddenly have someone that needs you. That does mature you very quickly. On top of that the captaincy has helped me grow up on the pitch as well. If I was asked what is harder, being a captain or being a dad I would definitely say being a dad! Seriously though both sides of it have been great and I think it has helped me a lot.

“Whilst 2015 has been a good year for me personally it has also been a good year for the team, which is more important. The club is back where it should be. In 2016, there is a lot more to come from me and from the whole team. There is a lot to look forward to. Let’s just keep working hard and see what happens”.