It seems an age since Ryan was elevated to the role last summer, but he’s handled the job with aplomb, even when injuries have taken their toll as we’ve seen a few times this term. The black armband seems to have found a good home.

“Some people have asked me whether it’s harder being a captain or being dad to a baby daughter. With some of the boys in that dressing room, I would say it’s harder being captain!

“Seriously though, I have loved being captain. I am learning things all the time. It is my job to make sure everything is ok in the changing room, dealing with any problems that come up, making sure everything is right for matchdays, dealing with tickets and whatnot. Then around the club I have to help out the various departments, whether it be the girls on the commercial side or Mal and Lisa with PR stuff.

“I said when I was made captain, in the changing room we have a lot of leaders. We have the likes of Willo, Barry, Mark, Graeme, players who are experienced and who are captaincy material. Any successful team needs more than one captain. You need players who can help each other out.

“You have to do the job as you see it. I have had people saying that I need to be running about the pitch shouting and screaming at people. For me, that is not showing you are a leader. Everyone reacts in different ways depending on how you speak to them. You want to be respected and you want to make sure you are speaking to the players in the right way so that you can get the best out of each other. I don’t think going about the pitch shouting into people’s faces is what a captain is, it isn’t that simple.

“We are all professional players. We all know when we’ve got something wrong. In the St Johnstone game when I gave away the penalty I knew that although I got the ball, I should not have gone in for the tackle. You do not then need someone in your face screaming and shouting at you to let you know. As a player, you know yourself.

“I feel it is more important to pick players up. For example after the Motherwell game, everyone was gutted but the three points were lost. There’s nothing we could do about it after the final whistle. As captain, I have to make sure there is still a good atmosphere in the changing room when we are in training and get everyone focussed on preparing for this next match”.

Certainly it’s crucial that the Dons bounce back this afternoon after the reverse at Motherwell, and speaking to Ryan, you can sense the quiet determination to put things right that exists in the camp.

“We have had some time to reflect on the result against Motherwell due to the international break. We were very disappointed, there is no denying that. We want to win every game of course, but we knew the importance of the Motherwell match. We wanted to go on an unbeaten run until the end of the season so we could get some real momentum going but we did not manage it.

“It is part and parcel of football. We understand how frustrated the fans were but it is important that they know how much it means to us as well. A result like that really gets us down as well, but then you have to respond, and you can’t do that if your chin is on the floor.

“I said after the game to the press that during the match, we felt comfortable. We did not feel like we were struggling or under any real pressure. They did not really have many chances whilst at the other end we were still creating opportunities. It felt like we were going to score again and we very nearly did when Simon hit the bar. Then all of a sudden we had a five minute spell of madness when we lost our way and landed up conceding the goals and Barry got sent off.

“We will not give up though. There are still seven games to go and I still think there are a few twists and turns to come. We just need to worry about ourselves, keep working hard and see what happens.

“We have a big game at home today against Hamilton before a tough match on Friday in Edinburgh before the league split, though I still don’t really know why we do the league split. I believe all the fixtures should be announced at the start of the season as what happens in any other league. But that is just my personal opinion!”
Nobody at Pittodrie can hide from the fact that the pressure is on as we hit the home straight, but it’s a pressure Ryan revels in, an opportunity to prove a few people wrong perhaps.

“I have seen some stuff during the season where people have said Aberdeen can’t handle this and can’t handle that, the players are not together. That is so far from the truth. Everyone is together. We have a great team spirit. The boys are amongst each other every day and we love coming into work. We have to keep showing that togetherness on the pitch. We have won a lot of close games this season and we have also done well in big games too. Ahead of both the Celtic home games, there was a lot pressure put on us but we delivered.

“I have played here when we were in the bottom six, even in trouble at the bottom end of the table, playing in front of low crowds with no atmosphere, basically playing for nothing. Maybe in previous seasons the boys have been starting to think about where they are going on their holidays and counting down the days until the summer.

“Now it is completely different. We are in Europe already, we are in the top six, we are going into almost every game with people expecting us to win. Even when we play Celtic, we feel that we can get a result. It just shows how far we have come. I promise you, I would much rather have the pressure now of fighting at the top end of the table and the pressure of being expected to win every week.

“We don’t have the huge squad that Celtic can afford to run, but we have a really good, tight squad and everyone is together. That makes up for not having a bigger squad.

“We also have the freshness of the youth players. I have been there myself, trying to force my way into the first team. We have Danny Rogers, Scott McKenna, Daniel Harvie, Frank Ross Scott Wright, Cammy Smith, Craig Storie and Michael Rose all trying to do that. Having that freshness is very important.

“It is important for them to know that if they are good enough they will get a chance. Because we don’t have a big squad these players are more likely to get an opportunity. Coming back next season with all these boys pushing for a first team place will benefit the side, but it already is anyway with the likes of Craig playing a big part recently.

“The manager has been really clever in the way he’s brought those boys through but also how he takes the pressure off us and lets us just concentrate on playing. He is a great man manager. He is always in amongst the boys. He makes sure we have the best of everything. He makes sure we have the best of training facilities that are available that day, the best food for when are finished our training, the most suitable hotel for our overnight stay. The manager and Tony want us to be comfortable so all our focus is on every training session and every game and that there are no distractions.

“The training ground issues have been well documented but the players do not complain about it. You do not want to start your day on a downer so we don’t worry about where we have to train or if we have to travel on the mini buses to somewhere in the city in the snow or the rain. The boys have a great attitude and wherever we train, they make the best of it and everyone gives 100%. That shows when it comes to the games.

“I have spoken before about the attention to detail. For example on a Friday, we will walk through set-pieces, regardless of how bad the weather is. It is to make sure everyone knows their job. The work they do with us on a Friday and Saturday morning is great preparation for a game and really gets you focussed. The fact we are able to get over the line most weeks show that we are together and shows how hard we work in training”.

One piece of good news that almost slipped under the radar in recent weeks is the fact that the Dons have already qualified for Europe once again, a major achievement given the hectic schedule that we have had to handle over the last three seasons, playing virtually without a break.

Next term, of course, the fixture calendar is changing to bring in an earlier League Cup format for those not in Europe, as well as accommodating a winter break. How does Ryan see those changes affecting things?

“It has been physically and mentality demanding over the last few seasons. Physically, week in week out, day in day out, we are training and then mentally, you are going home and thinking about your training and then your whole mind is thinking about the game at the weekend, so during the whole week you are thinking about and preparing yourself for how you want to play in the game, what you want the team to do. You don’t get chance to switch off.

“So it is nice over the summer to spend time with your family, with my daughter, and to be away on holiday and be able to relax. But then we have only got a few weeks off before we are straight back into European games. So even when I am on holiday, I’m still thinking about football and still need to do work to make sure I am ready for going into such big games.

“For clubs likes ourselves who are coming back early and having to put a big shift in during the pre-season weeks trying to get the club further in Europe, the winter break will be welcome.

“Going out of Europe this season was a blow as we wanted to get through to the group stages. But we went on a very good winning run before the dip in October. We picked up again and have only been beaten twice in 18 matches. That shows you how strong we have been. If we had managed to turn a couple of the draws we have had into wins we would be in an even better position but there is still a lot to play for.

“The players all really enjoy being in Europe. This season, all the matches were tough against very good opposition. The performance in Rijeka will be one I remember for a very long time. The Kairat result here was the one disappointment from the campaign. That was a frustrating night.

“Maybe looking back, if we had played them at Pittodrie first we might have done better. The conditions out there were tough, it was very hot and humid, and they came out all guns blazing. I think we maybe gave them more respect than we should have. We gave it a good go at Pittodrie, but did not quite manage to get there”.

While there have been plenty of highs for the new skipper this term, injuries have disrupted his season, something that has clearly frustrated him.

“It has probably been my worst season to date for injuries. When I was coming back from my ankle injury, it still did not feel right but I spoke to the physios and we decided the best thing was to get it strapped up and to get back on the field. I did that, but then my hamstring went and I was back to square one. Once again, I had to do all the rehab and all the gym work.

“It has been frustrating but the way I see it, it is part of football. You just have to attack every bit of work that is given to you, whether it is in the gym, running, trying to get fit or out on the training field. When you are injured, there are long hours to put in but this is what we are paid to do and you want to get back fit as soon as possible.

“Regardless of whether I am the captain or not, I have always found it hard watching games from the sidelines. It is tough on a matchday when you go into the changing room and you see everyone with their boots on, you hear the music blaring, everyone is speaking about the game and getting ready to go, that is when you really wish you were fit. That is the worst part.

“We have had a few big players who have been out during the season but we have that strength in depth that if someone does get injured, we have got good quality to step in.

“I suppose the only possible positive of having been out for quite a while this season, I am feeling quite fresh! The legs are less tired than they are normally at this stage of a long campaign. Hopefully that will show with my performances in the seven games and we can still do something special.

“There is a lot to play for and between us, players, staff and supporters, we need to give it everything we have until the last minute of the season and see where that leaves us”.

The winning numbers for 06/04/16