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Press and Journal
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Press and Journal
STARTING XI: Peterhead co-manager Ryan Strachan on his toughest opponent and favourite away ground
It has been quite the week for Peterhead after they were crowned League Two champions so we felt it only right we speak to co-manager Ryan Strachan who helped lead the club to the title for this week's Starting XI. The Blue Toon player co-manager took time out from the celebrations which no doubt will continue after their final game of the season at Clyde on Saturday, to look back on the big moments from his career in our Q&A feature. It was for Peterhead in July 2009 in a Challenge Cup tie. We were playing Cowdenbeath who won 2-1 at Balmoor and I remember starting the game but little else. That's maybe because it was very fast, physical and I struggled to catch a breath. I wondered what the hell was going on basically. It was a far cry from what I was used to in youth and reserve football. Well, I've got to put one as a manager haven't I? Winning League Two last weekend with Peterhead was amazing. I know it's fresh for in my mind, but it is different from being a player. It was an incredible feeling. I'm lucky to have some great memories from playing. I've got a few at Peterhead too but the one that really stands out is winning promotion from the Highland League with Cove Rangers in 2019. It's special for me because I feel like I was one of the first players to come out from the league to help them go up. It felt like I had a massive sway in pushing them getting into the leagues and attracting better players. This is difficult because people are so different. Some are quick, some are good defenders, some are technically good, and others score goals, but I think the most accomplished player I've played with is Fraser Fyvie. He pretty much has everything. He is strong, good on the ball, his awareness is excellent, he can score, can defend and is fit. But I feel as if I have to give an honourable mention here for Rory McAllister. I remember when I was a younger player at Peterhead that I never liked starting a game if Rory wasn't playing. If he wasn't on the pitch, it felt like it had an impact on the team. I remember some really tough days as a young player coming up against Dado Prso. Rory was really tough too when I was really young. Jon Daly was another really tough customer. But in the lower leagues I would have to say David Goodwillie. His movement is really good. He was a handful for any defender to play against. We had good success against his teams because he was never always in the best team, but as an individual, he was very good. It has to be the new kids on the block, the next generation lads like Kieran Shanks and Blessing Oluyemi. All the guys in their early 20s seem to go for the skater punk look. I would like to think I have good leadership qualities, and I'm professional. I've got an intense side but at the same time I can be immature too, so it's a mixed bag. I'm quite hard to get to know. I take a long time to work people out but once I do and they work me out they are in my circle and that's it. It's self-explanatory but spot on. The best players do the simple things well all the time and consistently. I try to apply it in my own game and in the football team. I've got two again. I've played at Ibrox so many times and had success there. The pitch, the atmosphere, the environment, it's been brilliant every time I've been there. But in terms of the lower league, probably East End Park, home of Dunfermline. It's a good grass pitch and a good atmosphere. I felt like I always had a good time going there. I don't really have one of my own. I've scored quite a few belters in my time but I'm not going to pick one of my own because I can't think of a significant one. Maybe my goals came in games which didn't mean much. That's why I'm picking Peter Pawlett's goal which won us the championship against East Fife on Saturday. Being on the other side of things as a manager, the overriding feeling of relief and the significance of the whole thing is hard to put into words. It was the first time we've ever won the league as a management team so I'll never forget that. I'm taking two again – my pals Rory and Jason Brown for sure. I can't split them because we're just too alike. We think the same, we laugh at the same stuff, we're really immature. It wouldn't be dull that's for sure. It's definitely a round of golf. Getting that time away from yourself and not think about things is what I enjoy doing. But I enjoy family walks and enjoy seeing my kids happy. That certainly helps relieve any stress in my mind.
Scottish Sun
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
SPFL side brutally troll rival cult hero manager after promotion with ‘impossible to succeed' callback
AN SPFL side have launched a jibe at a rival manager following promotion success. The competition was fierce but the team that came out on top wasted no time in letting the cult hero know about it. 3 An SPFL title-winning side's social media account has taken aim at their promotion rivals' manager Credit: SNS 3 Peterhead won League Two under player-managers Ryan Strachan and Jordon Brown Credit: SNS 3 Peterhead's social media brutally trolled East Fife boss Dick Campbell Credit: SNS Dick Campbell's East Fife side spent much of the League Two season looking well placed to claim the league title and move up to the third tier. But Peterhead weren't to be beaten, as their win over the Bayview side this weekend handed them the trophy and consigned the opponents to only the playoff for promotion. The Blue Toon fought to glory under co-player/managers Ryan Strachan and Jordon Brown, who are both just 32 years old and have been in the role for over two years. After the victory over their nearest competitors confirmed their status as champions, the club posted a photo of the pair holding the trophy. The caption said: "Some of the appointments to young people from a dressing room to a management role, it's impossible for them to succeed," followed by several shushing emojis. This quote comes from East Fife gaffer Campbell himself, as said on an episode of Open Goal alongside his brother and assistant Ian. Posted just over a month ago, the veteran of lower league dugouts continued: "I could name two or three now - but I wouldn't - who we all know are going to struggle. "How can you take a boy out of a dressing room and put him in charge of a team? "I learned my trade. "There's far too many appointments... you have to go through a CV and marry a CV up with a job and the job description and the rest. Legendary Scottish football manager Dick Campbell opens up on his fascinating 40-year dugout career "How can we give some of these young managers jobs?" The man who was something of a legend in his more than seven years at Arbroath has come under some criticism from fans at East Fife after failing to win the league despite a strong start and a squad overhaul. 71-year-old Campbell's managerial CV boasts eight different clubs including the aforementioned two, Ross County, and Partick Thistle. The Peterhead bosses were appointed to what remains their first and only job in management after just one month as caretakers. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Press and Journal
27-04-2025
- Sport
- Press and Journal
Paul Third: Patience pays off for League Two champions Peterhead
What a difference a year makes for Peterhead. A year ago the Blue Toon were left to ponder what might have been after a season which had promised so much turned out to be a fruitless endeavour for the club. A whirlwind start saw them surge clear at the top of League Two, only to finish runners-up to Stenhousemuir before exiting in meek fashion in the play-offs at the hands of Spartans following a 5-1 shellacking in the semi-final second leg at Balmoor. The contrast of the scenes of devastation among the Blue Toon management, players and supporters in May 2024 with the spectacle of unbridled joy at Balmoor on Saturday was impossible to ignore. Almost 2,000 fans packed out the place to watch Jordon Brown and Ryan Strachan guide their team to the championship with a 1-0 win against Dick Campbell's East Fife with a game to spare. While it was dejection a year ago, this time it was sheer euphoria, and one which had been hard-earned by all concerned at the club. Chairman Rodger Morrison and his board took a risk when they put the fate of the club in the hands of two untested rookie managers in 2023. But not only did they hand the reins to the duo, they also backed them in reshaping the club. Perhaps most important of all, the duo were given the chance to show what they had learned after coming up short in their first full season in charge last year. That patience was rewarded on Saturday as the two youngsters held off the challenge of the wily old foxes of East Fife, Dick and Ian Campbell. The champagne flowed all weekend and no doubt there will be a few sore heads among those attached to the club this week. But the celebrations will soon be replaced by forward planning for the new challenges which lie ahead. This season has shown they are everywhere you look. The part-time game in Scotland is becoming an ultra-competitive, unforgiving playing field for clubs – and it's only getting tougher. The days of clubs surviving by virtue of being in the senior leagues is no more. Those who can't keep up are being replaced by hungrier and stronger sides with fierce ambition. Cove Rangers are fighting to get back to the Championship while Kelty Hearts will live to fight another day after securing their place in League One this season. Peterhead are saying goodbye to League Two but Edinburgh City are in the play-off mix as they look to go back up to League One at the first attempt. Elgin City have held off the late surge of Spartans to secure a play-off berth. At the bottom of the table Bonnyrigg Rose have taken their fight for survival to the final day of the season as they try to catch Forfar and avoid a play-off. Lowland League champions East Kilbride are the favourites to reach the final after beating Highland League counterparts Brora Rangers 4-1 in the first leg of Saturday's semi-final. Getting into the SPFL is no mean feat and Cove remain the only Highland League champion to win a play-off final. Add in the fact no club which has dropped out of League Two has made it back yet tells you how competitive it has become. That's why days like Saturday at Balmoor should be celebrated by Peterhead. They are hard-earned and richly deserved – just don't bask in the glow of success too long.
