with Gregg Wylde
WYLDE THING
Some careers are nice and serene, following a seemingly well manicured path from one event to another, no great alarms or excursions to ruin them or cause consternation. It’s all very straightforward.
That is not how it’s been for Gregg Wylde.
He might still be just 22, but he has already packed more than enough into his career to fill a couple of autobiographies and still have a few chapters to spare. Capped at U21 level by his country, he has won a cup and league title, played for both halves of the Old Firm, been through the uncertainty of administration, liquidation, had problems getting clearance simply to play and ply his trade from FIFA as well suffering injuries. It’s been a packed programme, too packed for some, but Gregg has managed to take it all in his stride, a remarkably phlegmatic approach from such a young man.
“I think everything I have been through has made me grow up quicker and I have been able to move on from it all. I am a confidence player and my confidence has been dented over the past couple of seasons but the manager has brought it back to my game, just the way he speaks to you and the way he handles you. He is very positive and I am really enjoying being at this club, enjoying my football again. It’s the ideal environment for me.
“I have enjoyed every minute of it since I’ve come in. The manager has been great, the players are a great bunch to work with and I enjoy coming into training every day. The staff are also very nice and helpful and the people in the city have made me really welcome – I am still trying to get used to the Aberdeen accent though! I have not seen a city like it. The build up to the first game of the season against Kilmarnock was incredible. If we can get some success it will be some place to be, because the support at this club is fantastic”.
Like so many, Gregg has taken a lengthy journey from the west of Scotland to pitch up here at Pittodrie, another product of Scotland’s central belt, and one from good footballing stock.
“I grew up in Kirkintilloch which is a little town outside Glasgow. My dad Gordon was a major influence on my career as he was a professional footballer as well. He started his career down in England and was at Sheffield United and then played for Kilmarnock for a number of seasons in the late ’80s. He was at Queen of the South for a season before joining Clyde. He has also had a few spells in coaching and management since he finished playing.
“I was too young to remember his playing career but he has shown me pictures and videos of him in action. Unfortunately he suffered a bad cruciate injury that affected his career. I do remember going to watch Clyde when he was part of the management team there. He is still doing some coaching with youth players, I think he enjoys that more now.
“He has given me a lot of tips during my career especially when I was younger. He tries to come and watch every game I play and rarely misses one. I think the biggest advice he has given me is the need to always keep working hard at my game. He is also very helpful in telling me how I need to live my life off the pitch, which nowadays is just as important. He can be critical and if I have not played well he will be the first to tell me. He does not lie. He is very honest and I take on board what he has to say. If people aren’t critical then you can’t improve as a player. He always tells me that even if I do not play well with the ball, it doesn’t mean I can’t still work hard and help the team.
“I started my career with Bridgend Boy Club in Glasgow and then signed for Queens Park. Then Celtic came along and showed interest in me. I was there from a very young age until I was 14. I was in their youth system for about six years and played in the same side as James Forrest but then I suffered a bad injury and broke my ankle. When I came back, I had about two years of my contract left but then Rangers came in for me and I was with them for about six years too. I don’t think there are too many young players who have been with both of the Old Firm sides! The problem is that at both of them, it is hard for young payers to get in the first team, though that has obviously changed a bit at Rangers now”.
In spite of the tough competition at Ibrox, Gregg managed to get into the side in August 2009, making his debut as a sub, one of two such appearances that season, upping his contribution in 2010/11. Even so, it was a tough schooling.
“There is pressure as a young player at Rangers coming through but there would be pressure at any club. I was nervous at first ,especially during my first full European game. It was against PSV at home in the Europa League. I remember every minute of it. I came into Murray Park in the morning and we did some work on our shape and at that point the manager told me I was playing. It was a long day until the game but I did ok and then played on the Sunday against Celtic in the League Cup final. I then became a regular in the side and over time, the nerves go. There is still pressure on you to perform, especially when you are criticised in the media but all you can do is go out and do your best. Being thrown in in a big game like the one against PSV Eindhoven was probably the best thing that could have happened to me. Who knows what would have happened had I not played that night?
“That season, we won the league cup and also won the league. That was a good learning curve for me as we were under real pressure and the title went right down to the wire”.
Those heady days for Rangers were, of course, followed by the most painful fall ever to envelop any club in Scotland. Following the old club’s liquidation, Gregg decided to leave Ibrox and had a number of suitors down south before opting to join Premier League Bolton Wanderers.
Initially, all in the garden looked rosy, Gregg signing a three year deal subject to clearance from FIFA. A full year later, that still had not arrived, meaning Gregg could only watch as his new club got relegated. Finally, the authorisation came through, whereupon Owen Coyle promptly sent him out on loan. By the time he’d returned, Coyle had had the boot and Dougie Freedman was building a new Bolton. Character building ain’t the half of it.
“At first you think this is going to be brilliant but it became a nightmare. It was very hard waiting for the clearance to come through and then when it did, I was in the squad and travelling with the team but not getting on the bench. That meant my fitness levels were going down and all the while this was happening, the team were getting bad results and manager Owen Coyle was under pressure. He then got sacked and a new manager came in who wanted to also bring in his own players.
“I had been there a year and a half and was getting very frustrated so I decided I had to move on. I went and spoke to the Chairman who agreed that I could leave. I just wanted to get back up the road to restart my career and get on with my life. I moved down when I was still very young and it was very hard at the time but I feel I am stronger for the experience and still have a lot of years ahead of me in my career.
“I had options over the summer, including St Etienne in France, but I was very keen to come to Aberdeen when I heard they were interested. The manager phoned me when I was on holiday and then I came and spoke to him when I got back. He sold AFC to me when he told me about the club and the fans. I am here for three years and during that time, I want to have some success.
“I spoke to my family and everyone was very excited about the move. It is very obvious from my time in Aberdeen that this is a big club and there is massive potential. I have settled in well to the area and I move into my new house in a couple of week’s time, so I feel settled again.
“Derek McInnes is a very good manager. He tried to take me to Bristol City before I signed for Bolton. He is a great man to talk to off the park. As a coach he has very high standards and is quite demanding, so as a player, I am enjoying to that. He has also made some very good signings this summer.
“I think the start to the season was maybe not as bad as was made out in some quarters. We have had a difficult set of fixtures and there are a lot of new players, so it will take time for the team to settle and get used to playing with each other. We played really well in spells in the Kilmarnock, Motherwell and St Johnstone games and even against Celtic with ten men we did ok. The Hearts away game was the one that was disappointing as we battered them in the second half but just could not get a goal, then they went and scored late on. We still have a lot of games ahead of us and there is a lot of football to be played. We were creating a lot of chances and we always knew once we started to turn these chances into goals we will be fine.
“I think you saw that when we won convincingly down at Partick and at Falkirk. They were good results, as was the win over Invenress a big result for us, but after people were talking us down during the break, now they’re saying we can finish second! I think the best thing for us is just to keep taking it one game at a time and see where that leads us”.
As to where Gregg will fit into the jigsaw as the season unfolds, his versatility gives him plenty of options.
“I used to be a left-back and that’s still a position I would like to play. When I broke into the Rangers side, I was a left sided midfielder but I still think I could play full-back or wing-back. I think it is easier to play there from an attacking point of view. You have the whole pitch in front of you so it is easier to time your runs and come onto the ball. Passing is easier as you have more time and you are able to see the whole pitch in front of you. The manager always encourages me to get the ball and have a go at players.
“My pace is a major part of my game. I have always had good speed and used to do a lot of athletics when I was younger. I have actually got quicker during my career. Although it is an attribute you are born with, it’s still something you can improve and work on like all the other parts of your game.
“The manager is very attack minded and at any one time we can have four fliers on the park. Jonny, Niall, Peter, Josh are all in the quick category. There is a lot of energy and pace in the side.”
Gregg’s game is not just about his speed. The quality of his crossing has been very evident and is very unfortunate not to have a number of assists to his name.
“I know if I keep putting balls into the box, the goals will come. There are other areas of my game that I need to work on, my right foot, my heading. I recognise that I am still young and have still have a lot to learn.
“The manager said he is happy with the way I am progressing and feels I am doing ok considering I have not played much in the past season. I never really kicked a ball for a year and that is a long time for a professional footballer not to be involved. I know it will take me a bit of time for me to get back to my top form”.
Considering the quality of what we’ve seen from Gregg Wylde already, having him in full flow really should be a sight to see.
