Richie Ryan determined to make most of second chance at Dundee United
Richie Ryan is loving every minute of his time at Dundee United, despite having not yet broken into the first team.
- By Eric Nicolson
- Published in the Courier : 03.02.12
- Published online : 03.02.12 @ 11.29am
The Irishman will never take life as a full-time professional for granted, as he nearly dropped out of the game altogether during his last spell in the UK.
The former Sligo Rovers midfielder, snapped up by Peter Houston a couple of months ago, is determined there will be no repeat.
He said: ''This is probably my second chance to make my mark in Britain. Although I was in England for six years, I fell down the levels before going back home to make a name for myself again.
''When I was in England I was a young lad. I left home at 16 and didn't have anyone to look after me. I didn't have my family with me so it was easy to get led down the wrong path. I probably made decisions I wouldn't have if I had my family beside me.
''I wasn't enjoying my football in the end, and when I was at Boston I just couldn't get a game. The manager signed me but didn't play me. I had a two-year contract but only lasted for half of that because the club went into administration.
''That was the lowest ebb — the manager had taken me there, told me he wanted to build the team around me and it just didn't happen. We didn't have a fall out, he just didn't fancy me after he signed me for whatever reason so I sat in the stand for a whole year.
''Then the club got money trouble and I just wanted to go back home.''
It was then Ryan found a new perspective on football.
He said: ''I had started thinking about what I would do and, looking at it, I probably would have ended up driving taxis for my dad. But I got a chance to go to Belgium and that was really good for me.
''I was pretty sick of football after Boston but going to Belgium gave me my hunger back. The training was brilliant and it was good to experience another culture. And when I went back to Sligo Rovers, Paul Cook was superb with me.
''We had a really good team and he just let me play football. We had some good players, like Joseph Ndo, who is a Cameroon international and has played in two World Cups.
''You learn a lot from playing alongside guys like that, and Cookie is a brilliant man-manager — he just knows how to get his players going and everything was great fun again.
''It was just great to play regularly again and enjoy my football.''
The 27-year-old has only had a couple of substitute appearances since arriving at Tannadice a few weeks ago, but he's quite relaxed about the situation.
He said: ''I am not panicking about not getting into the team because the boys are doing okay, so I always knew it would be tough to get in. I have to be patient.''
He continued: ''It is up to the gaffer who is playing in the team. I'm here for two-and-a-half years, so it's nothing to worry about.
''The Scottish game is not too different from the League of Ireland back home, and I think the top three or four teams there would do okay in the SPL.
''The styles are pretty similar — it's physical and you don't get much time on the ball, so it hasn't taken me long to settle in.''
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