midfielder looks ahead to the Euro adventure

Before heading off on his summer break, Ryan Jack spoke to RedMatchday.

It’s the time of year when we tend to take a look back at the events of the past campaign and try to put them into context. Despite the disappointment of missing out on second spot in the SPFL Premiership and losing the Scottish Cup Semi Final, for Ryan, it was a year he reviews with some pleasure.

“As soon as the manager arrived at the club, he took me aside and had a meeting with me on my own. He said he saw me as a midfield player. He said that although I had played in the defence over the past couple of years, he felt I should be a midfielder. It gave me a great boost and a lot of confidence at the start of the season. It showed that he believed in me.

“Like everyone in the team I have strict instructions and duties when the team are defending. I am the one who drops a bit deeper and if a team is playing one off the front, something many teams do now, it is my responsibility to keep an eye on them. I also have to make sure all the boys in front of me keep working hard. But every week, he tells me just to go out and play my own game and express myself. He tells me to get my full range of passing going. I feel this season I have played more consistently. Hopefully I can continue that form into next season as well.

“Barry and Willo have been good to play with because they have so much experience to pass on. I have learnt a lot from them. Sometimes Barry will play out on the right but he will still come inside and get on the ball. Even although he has not been playing right in the centre, we still have that connection on the pitch so we know where we all are.

Willo is one of those players who is always there. He is always wanting on the ball. He will sometimes even try and come and take it off my feet if I have the ball! He just wants to get involved that much. You need players like that, players who are always looking to make things happen. He has added a lot to the team this season.

“Obviously the highlight was winning the League Cup – it seems a long time ago now! Every time you see pictures or the footage or even just walk down the corridor in the ground, you get a reminder. It is something that will live with me forever and I will never forget the day.

“I have to give a special mention to all the medical staff and especially the physios who did an unbelievable job to get me fit and ready for the game after my injury. John Sharp worked me really hard but we had a goal in sight, to make the final, and all the hard work paid off. It was hard having to sit out all the big games in February although obviously I was delighted with the results. Looking back, it was a great month for the club and very important in the context of the season.

“To play in the final was a great moment for my family as well. They have been right with me throughout my career, they supported me as young boy, they were the ones who took me to training all those years. It was nice they were able to enjoy the occasion as well. I was just so pleased I did not have to take a penalty!

“Whilst the League Cup win was a massive high, the Scottish Cup semi-final defeat was a huge disappointment. There was a lot of expectation after we won the League Cup, people talking about us doing the double but the players all knew it was going to be a very tough match. St Johnstone are a good side and they had a point to prove. What made it extra disappointing was that we took the lead. Although we did not play as well as we can do, we were in control and had chances to put the game beyond St Johnstone. All the lads were gutted because we wanted to make it to another cup final. We went from one extreme high to a real low. But that is football. That is life.

“On a personal level, in terms of my footballing development, I am getting there, but there is still a lot for me to learn. I don’t think you ever stop learning. There are always little things in training that the manager and Doc will tell me, tips on what they want me to do, what they want me to try. There is still plenty of room to improve my all round game”.

Talk of Europe has energised the city once more and Ryan like the rest of us is exciting about what lies ahead.

“I have never played in Europe before. In 2008 when we went on that great run in the Europa League, I was only a young lad, 16 at the time and in my first season at the club. I remember watching all the games as the young boys had to come and sit in the stands and then do their jobs after the game like cleaning the dressing rooms. The thing I remember most was the unbelievable atmosphere and thinking how good it would be to play in front of a crowd like that. In 2009 when we played Sigma Olomouc, I was not in the first team – it was later that season when I first made my debut.

“Playing in Europe is something that excites all the boys in the dressing room. It is great to think next season, we could be travelling away to play big European sides but there is still a job to do today before we start worrying about that.

“I’m fortunate that whilst I played for the Scotland U21s I got to play against a lot of different teams and travel to lots of different countries. I remember when we went to Holland it was really good, we got put up in a really nice hotel in a nice area. On the other side, I remember going to Bulgaria and we stayed in a really run down area. That is just part of European football. Every country is different. Sometimes the facilities are a lot different to what we are used to but to be honest, as players you just focus on the game, which is the only thing you are concerned about. Hopefully my experiences of playing with Scotland will stand me in good stead when we come up against European opposition”.

“As well as the European matches I think there is a lot to look forward to next season. At the moment, I don’t know anything about who is going and who is coming in but most of the squad are going to be staying. That is very important. We now know how each other plays and we all get on really well together and that is a big boost for us ahead of the new season”.

“As well as the European matches I think there is a lot to look forward to next season. At the moment, I don’t know anything about who is going and who is coming in but most of the squad are going to be staying. That is very important. We now know how each other plays and we all get on really well together and that is a big boost for us ahead of the new season”.