With Chris Cleaver, Wayne Brown and yourself at the club, have you introduced many British traditions with the rest of the SJK family?
When I arrived
at SJK in 2012, I was pretty shy and overwhelmed by moving into this small, very
Finnish city. Chris was a massive character in the dressing room and really
helped me fit into the team. By that point he had introduced a few traditions
already with the fine system and the initiations for new signings. We added
some more difficult tasks after I had done mine!! I think also the jokes and
making fun of each other is mostly a British idea. Once the Finnish players
learned it was all friendly and fun, they joined in too. Chris and I were fairly
easy targets with my big ears and his big nose! Wayne is a bit sneaky and I
always seem to get blamed for his mischievous behaviour. We had a home-made full
English breakfast a few weeks back.
What do you
miss most about Wales?
The family. I
get home once per year over the Christmas break and it is always hard saying
goodbye and leaving again in January.
A young Richie during his Airbus UK days
You were on
the books of Blackburn Rovers as a youngster, was there anyone you saw who
stood out?
I signed when I
was 11 and in that team there was Joe Garner and Frank Fielding who both played
from that age up to the reserves. Garner now plays with Preston in League 1 and
he always had such a desire to win, even when we played together. Frank is now with
Bristol City, also in League 1, a top goalkeeper. Anthony Pilkington came in
during my time although he didn’t stay as long as the others. He played with
Norwich in the Premier League and is now with Cardiff.
SJK surprised
everyone in 2014 by finishing second and qualifying for Europe – do you think
you can be a serious contender for the Veikkausliiga next season?
Of course HJK
have a great squad with some very talented players and coming off the Europa
League group stage they will be playing even better this season. We will keep
working hard everyday, doing the small things and help build this club in the
direction the owners and fans want. Lets see at the end of the season and
hopefully we can surprise a few more people.
Photograph via SJK's Facebook page
My degree is in
Business Administration with a concentration in accounting. The football side was
really professional, we trained every morning and then went to the classes in
the afternoon. The facilities we had were amazing and the best I have had at a
training ground. It was very different than playing at home or out here in
Finland, but playing there gave me the desire to come back home to keep playing
and also the belief that I was good enough to do it.
‘No niin.’
Translates to something similar to ‘next,’ ‘lets go’ or ‘moving on.’ It’s quite
funny to use it after people say something stupid in a slightly sarcastic way.
But I’m not sure that is the correct use!
Richie and teammates enjoy Finnish life in 2013
One of the
criticisms aimed at young British players is that they are less likely to move
abroad – would you recommend making the move?
I probably would
not be playing professionally had I not left Wales. Moving to Finland really
helped my career so if any young British player had the chance to go and play
abroad, I would highly recommend it. At least view the option with an open mind.
The culture of other countries might be different but football is always
football.
Which
player(s) do you watch closest to try and improve?
Growing up it
was always Steven Gerrard. Now that I’m playing full back I watch Azpilicueta of
Chelsea a lot. He is arguably the best 1v1 defender in the Premier League and
in possession keeps it simple.
No!
Do you have
any plans to play in other countries?
I love playing
in Finland with SJK, we have a good group of lads and coaching staff so at the
moment I have no plans on leaving Finland. Eventually at some point it would be
great to play closer to my family so they could get to see me play more often.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Many thanks to Richie for his candid answers. If you want to buy an SJK jersey with Dorman on the back, you can get one here.
I'm looking to continue the series with other players and personalities - if you have any suggestions, drop me a line!
