Being accepted and feeling comfortable there is a big part of then being able to express yourself on the field. It’s was easy to see that goalkeeper Danny Ward was very much at home in the Pittodrie dressing room, so we asked him to give us the lowdown on the men he shared his working week with before his departure south last week.

The following article appeared in RedMatchday Magazine Issue 15;

“Normally, coming into a new dressing room is a difficult experience. When I came up to Aberdeen, I only knew Ash but he told me it was a good dressing room and spoke very highly about all the staff, but until you actually come into a club you never really know. Ash was spot on though. It is a great dressing room and a great club. I have absolutely no complaints whatsoever.

“And it is not just in the dressing room. Everyone in the club has been brilliant with me. There is a really good atmosphere around the place. Everyone gets on. The changing room is a good place to be and it is a good place to come and work during the week. The team spirit we have shows on a Saturday during a game. As to my team-mates, we’ll go through them one by one…

“Shay Logan: Wears brutal gear. Wears the same hat every single day. I don’t know what his hair looks like apart from on a Saturday when he is not allowed to wear it. On the field though he is a very solid right-back. In attack and defence. I was not surprised to hear he was named in the SPFL team of the year last season.

“Graeme Shinnie: He is such a nice lad. A very good player who has done well to get in the Scotland squad and I hope he carries on doing as well as he has been. But he needs to do something about that nose.

“Andrew Considine: He’s a dark horse. A serious dark horse. He is like a sponge, he sits in the dressing room at the back and takes everything in. A top guy. I would also call him Mr Consistency. He is a very consistent performer.

“Ashton Taylor: I can’t slag Ash off as he is my mate! I can’t say too much bad about him otherwise I will get a bit of stick from him and he is bigger than me! He is my boy, my comrade from down south. He has done really well since coming to Aberdeen. He is very solid. I have known Ash for years and he has always been a good player, but since I have been up here and seen him play, his all round game has improved. He seems to have a real presence about him now, all over the pitch and in both boxes. His ability in the other box is something we have benefitted from this year.

“Mark Reynolds: I call him the grenade launcher purely because he is the type of guy who will open up a can of worms and will then just sit in the middle of a changing room and let everyone go at each other, arms folded without a care in the world, laughing his head off. He is a great lad to have in the changing room, winds everyone up. He has always got a comeback for everything. They tell me he is a very bright lad. He was telling me about some very intelligent exam the other day he was doing. I was surprised, as he comes across as a dafty!

“Kenny McLean: If Mark is the brains in the dressing room, then Kenny would be at the opposite end of the scale! He lacks a bit of common sense at times. It’s a good job they sit next to each other in the changing room! He is a very funny guy and has some good one liners, which I do enjoy. Technically, he is an unbelievably good footballer. Left foot, right foot, he is a real talent.

“Willo Flood: The biggest moaner I have ever heard! Literally, he will moan about anything. A great lad and a brilliant professional. He is maybe not the biggest but what an engine he has got. The way he runs around the pitch is incredible. He would be a nightmare to play against, so I am so glad he is lining up for us on a Saturday.

“Adam Rooney: Bright lad, although I can’t understand a word he says. A bit like Reynolds, he can get his rocket launcher out from time to time and will drop a few bombs in the changing room and everyone will take the bait. Before you know it, you have World War 3. A good lad, very witty. And what a striker. If anything falls to him in the box, then it always seems to hit the back of the net. His predatory instincts are first class. He works hard at his game as well. The penalty against Hearts is a great example. Last couple of minutes of the game, real pressure on him, but he made it look easy. That does not happen by chance. He practices that day in day out.

“Niall McGinn: Technically he is a maverick on the ball. He must be a nightmare to play against as he can go both ways. He also has that half yard of pace which people don’t give him credit for. In the modern game, that is very important. He is a lot quicker than he looks. He just glides along the surface. He has also got a brilliant footballing brain. Again, he is a good lad to have about the dressing room. Another one who has a language barrier though, I struggle with him at times!

“Jonny Hayes: The worst accent I have ever heard! When I say I can’t understand Adam Rooney or I struggle a bit with Niall, when Jonny is speaking I switch off because I have no idea. On the pitch, especially over the last month or so, he has been electrifying. On his day, you cannot get near him because he is rapid. He knocks the ball past players and leaves them for dead.

“Cammy Smith: Cheeky lad, a bit of a cheeky chappie. Despite his age, he’s not scared to get involved in the dressing room banter. A very promising player, very good technician on the ball, really exciting. Also holds the ball up well. Although he maybe does not look it, he is a very strong lad, legs like tree trunks. I know he is young but has played 60 or 70 odd games for the first team. To have that at 20 shows that he is a very good player.

“Barry Robson: The admiral in the changing room. Footballing wise he has played at the highest level. He has done brilliant things in Scottish and European football, as well as for the national team. And he is not scared to tell you what he has achieved in the game! I believe he once played against Barcelona…

“I have never met anyone like him. He has an answer for everything. He calls himself the Highlander. He is so funny. I start laughing as soon as he walks in a room. After a few minutes, I will be crying on the floor. When it comes to banter, he can destroy people.

“Peter Pawlett: One of the nicest lads I have ever met in football. He can be quite quiet in the changing room but he is like Jonny in the sense that on his day, no one can really stop him as he can go both sides and he has electrifying pace. He is starting to find his form now. I know he has been working very hard at his game on the training pitch and I think he could be a big player for us in the months ahead.

“David Goodwillie: In the nicest possible way, David is different! He sits next but one to me in the changing room and I love him. Another one who has me in stiches, he’s a brilliant guy to have around the place. He is very popular with all the boys. You never know what he is going to come out with. A very good striker, as he has proved in some of the big games this season. He played very well in Europe especially.

“Paul Quinn: Similar to Barry and Willo, he is not scared to speak his mind. I would say if Barry is the admiral then Paul is the general. Willo is then the enforcer who goes around and gives everyone stick and Paul then backs them both up. Has always got an answer for everything. A great guy and a great character to have around the dressing room. Has done a great job when he has come into the side this season. A good talker on the pitch.

“Scott Brown: I cannot speak highly enough about Scott. A top, top guy. We get on very well. Being a goalkeeper and not playing week in week out can be difficult. I have been in that situation as well. His professionalism is outstanding. He is not only a top guy off the pitch, but on the training pitch he pushes me every day. The support he gives me, as well as the rest of the team, is brilliant. I really appreciate everything he has done for me.

“Ryan Jack: The skipper thinks he is the Roger Federer of the AFC table tennis world! I should explain we have a table tennis table in the middle of the dressing room and Jacko thinks he is the best player. Another top guy. He is a very good captain. He has an air of authority about him. He does not speak all the time, but when he does, the boys listen. That is why he has got the armband. He is experienced for his age as he came into the team quite young.

He can control a game from the middle of the park. He is brilliant on the ball, very rarely gives it away. He has a good range of passing and keeps us ticking along. To be a captain at a big club at such a young age speaks volumes about him. He leads by example on the pitch. It is a big responsibility to have but he deals with the pressures that come with the role extremely well. He is someone who will go a long way in the game”.