Welcome MATT
Despite tough introduction to Scots career, experience has me riding high, insists Ritchie
Bournemouth star Ritchie hopes to bring top-flight form to Scotland set-up
WALKING the corridors of Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium, it quickly becomes apparent that Matt Ritchie is something of a club talisman. Images depicting the club’s rise to the Premier League abound and Ritchie’s grin — typically formed in the act of a goal celebration — beams out from many of them.
By contrast and indeed his own admission, the player admits he has not made quite the same impression during a less than dazzling start to his international career.
Substituted at half-time on his competitive debut against Gibraltar, Ritchie suffered the same fate on his next start as Gordon Strachan sought a route back into the June qualifier against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin.
Even the occasion of his first international goal — a drilled first-time 20-yarder against Qatar at Easter Road — was completely overshadowed by the controversy surrounding the SFA’s decision to play host to the Gulf State in the first place.
Just don’t try to tell the 26-year-old that he is in some way cursed. Now a top-flight performer following the Cherries’ promotion, Ritchie’s stock has never been higher.
If you need proof, just take a look at his chest-and-volley strike against Sunderland from last month, a moment of such devastating technique and beauty that it was immediately hailed as a likely goal-ofthe-season winner.
Ritchie insists his promotion to international football has been key in heightening his confidence and that even those apparently sobering experiences in a Scotland shirt have been a source of encouragement.
‘I agree that I haven’t lit the world up at international level and nor has it been a fairytale,’ said Ritchie. ‘Yes, there is more to offer but I feel I have gained from being there.
‘I would like to have made more of an impact in the games I have played. The first one where I was taken off, the manager needed to make a decision and reshuffle, and it’s only natural he’d choose a wide player or front man.
‘I have no problem with that. There was a lot going on around the Qatar game, too.
‘But I’ve always given my best and I’ve always come back having taken something from it.
‘Even the Ireland game, coming off at half-time when the manager made a good substitution and we drew the game. That was a good result.
‘I came away from that with a positive outlook — the manager had faith to start me in a massive game. No player wants to come off at half-time but, at the same time, what a great experience.
‘I feel a lot more confident having been involved in those games and that is, hopefully, going to help me in the long run.’
This evening, Ritchie will head to his local airport and take advantage of the direct flight that links Bournemouth with Glasgow, where he will meet up with the rest of the Scotland squad for what could be a momentous week.
His route north may be simple but his journey to international recognition has been markedly less so.
Born in Gosport to his Scottish father Alex, Ritchie’s club career has largely been spent on the south coast. A graduate of Portsmouth’s youth academy, he was fast-tracked to Premier League football during the club’s financial meltdown before being farmed out on loan and eventually joining Swindon Town.
He signed for Bournemouth in January 2013 in a £400,000 deal which then Swindon boss Paolo di Canio said was done behind his back, and quickly established himself as a key player under Eddie Howe.
Promotion to the Championship was secured that summer and Ritchie emerged as one of the stars of last season’s title-winning campaign, scoring a career-best 15 goals and claiming 18 assists.
Such form led Strachan’s Brightonbased assistant Mark McGhee to head along the coast to the Vitality Stadium and soon a phone call was placed to test if Ritchie had the commitment to match his bloodline. The response rang true and the first of five caps were awarded in a March friendly against Northern Ireland, in which he crossed for Christophe Berra to score the winning goal.
‘I remember the call and the manager has said he wanted to find out if I felt Scottish and had the passion to want to win,’ recalled Ritchie. ‘I certainly have all that.
‘My granddad was in the navy and that’s what brought my dad down to the south coast from Edinburgh. I was very close with my grandparents and, although they are not with us now, they would be very proud to see me playing for Scotland.
‘My dad has been to the games and it has been great for him to go up to see relatives. He’s my biggest critic but he’s told me how proud he is.’
It is safe to say Alex would have taken extra delight in his son’s wonder goal at the Vitality Stadium, his first in the Premier League and one destined to be replayed over and over as the season progresses.
‘I was delighted to get off the
mark,’ he reflected. ‘I have always managed to chip in with eight, nine 10 goals a season. That was one of my better ones. This is the biggest league in the world and to be part of it at Bournemouth is an amazing story.
‘I made two Premier League appearances at Portsmouth but that was due to the club being in a bad state. Now, both me personally and the club, we have earned the right to be where we are.
‘My first loan spell was at Dagenham and Redbridge and I stayed in a pub round the corner from the stadium. I wouldn’t change that for anything.’
A left-footed attacker who plays off the right flank, Ritchie is just the sort of player Strachan favours for an advanced midfield role.
Although it would be a surprise to see him start against Poland this Thursday night, the national coach is not averse to throwing a curve-ball with his team selections and Ritchie’s ability to produce a spectacular finish might again make him a candidate for selection.
He readily acknowledges the step up in class from his club squad to the international pool and also acknowledges that Strachan has to be ruthless in his quest to qualify for Euro 2016.
‘International managers get only two or three days to prepare for a massive game,’ he said. ‘There are fewer games, too, 10 in qualifying as opposed to 40 in the league. Decisions have to be made — like me coming off at half-time.
‘The manager spoke to me about that after the Ireland match and I was happy to accept he believed in me by picking me for such a big game. ‘It was a bit scrappy in the end and that maybe suited a different style to how we prepared.
‘He put me on against Germany last month and I felt I did well. I have enjoyed the whole experience with Scotland — I have learned a lot.’
I would like to have made more of an impact but I’ve learned a lot