It’s said that football is a funny old game – and that is literally the case when Dick Campbell and twin brother Ian are involved, according to Arbroath ace Joel Nouble.
Four months into his loan spell at Gayfield, the Livingston forward has opened up on life working under the duo and revealed he’s left in stitches every time they deliver a team talk.
Dick and Ian, known by his nickname ‘Pink’, turned 68 on Monday and are enjoying success at Arbroath, where they’ve held the reigns since 2016.
Nouble was quick to wish them a happy birthday, tweeting two goats, symbolising the ‘greatest of all time’.
— Joel Nouble (@OfficialNoubz) November 22, 2021
‘Unbelievable’ team talks
The English forward gave an insight into the Lichties dressing room on a recent episode of the Arbroath fans’ Smokies & Wine podcast, where he discussed his career to date and how he’s finding life at Gayfield.
The 25-year-old said: “Down south, I’ve been on loan to many teams and in lots of different changing rooms. On the first session, all the boys made me feel welcome.
“Dick, what can I say about Dick? What a character.
“I like a bit of banter so he made me feel welcome from the start.
“I’ve never been in a changing room when I’m laughing during the team talk. You’re meant to be coming on the pitch raring to go, like punching walls, but I come out on the pitch laughing.
“[Dick] and Pink, I don’t think I’ll come across two managers like them.
“The relationship they have is crazy. The team talks they have are unbelievable.”
‘I’m in the tunnel just laughing’
Arbroath are flying high in the Championship and it’s no surprise that the management duo’s methods of motivating their players has translated onto performances on the pitch.
“We played against Dunfermline away and we won 3-0.
“Before the game, he likes going through player by player, your roles and responsibilities.
“He was going through the whole team and he was in midfield, he was like: ‘Boys, you need to get stuck in, stuck in’ and he was using Pink as a player, so he was pushing Pink and he was looking at him like ‘what do you mean get stuck in?’
“Then Dick puts his hands up to box, and they’re going at each other like that for 30 seconds. I’m laughing and he’s looking at me and goes: ‘Nouble, do you want some as well?’
“He does that right before the pitch and I’m in the tunnel just laughing. He does that every game and I laugh at least once in every team talk.”
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