Jim Lauchlan
Defender Jim Lauchlan is an established player in football. Spending most of his career in Scotland, Jim made his debut for Kilmarnock at the age of just 16, and had to come up against giants of the SPL such as Celtic and Rangers, all at such a young age. He spent six years at Killie before joining Dundee United in 2000, playing there for 3 years before dropping down a league to play for Ross County, Queen of the South and Dundee, where he was named club Player of the Year before joining Sligo Rovers in the summer of 2010. Jim quickly became a firm favourite amongst the fans with his no nonsense defending and solid tackles and headers and forming a strong defensive partnership with Gavin Peers at the back. Lauchlan helped the club to their Cup double triumph, before moving back to Scotland a couple of weeks ago to play for promotion contenders Ayr United, who are currently 2nd in division 2.
Jim Lauchlan
Photo courtesy of Kevin Finn
Who were your inspirations in football when you were younger ?
"Being a big Celtic fan and going to as many games as I could I looked up to Paul McStay, he was the captain of celtic at the time and lead by example in the way that he played the game. As a youngster at Kilmarnock I was invited to train with the Scottish national team for experience and managed to get Paul McStay's top after the San Marino game at Hampden, where Scotland won 5-0."
Why did you opt to join Sligo Rovers rather than stay in Scotland ?
"I saw joining Sligo Rovers as a fresh challange, having played in Scotland for 16yrs since the age of 16 and having played for many clubs. No one in Ireland had heard of or knew Jim Lauchlan so the challange for me was to prove myself all over again. The chairman and the manager took the time to call me and i liked what they had to say about the club. They wanted to make Europe and possibly win a cup."
When joining, did you think you would end the season with two Cup Winners' medals to your name ?
"When i came to Ireland i had one winners medal to my name, so to win two medals in Ireland in such a short space of time was fantastic not just for me but for the people of Sligo. In Scotland I got to many semi finals and came up against very strong old firm teams who had world class players like Larrsson, Sutton, Hartson, Gascoigne, McCoist to name a few. Although we ran them closse we never managed to defeat them."
What was it like for you personally to play in front of 36,000 people at the Aviva Stadium where you played a key role in the teams victory ?
"Best experience of my career so far. As mentioned above ive played in alot of big games and in alot of big stadiums but to play at the Aviva and leave a winner was awesome. As a team we went into the game in good form feeling really confident and although we won on penalties i felt we were the better team throughout."
You made your debut for Kilmarnock when you were just 16. Did you feel there was alot of pressure on you to do well early on ?
"The only pressure to do well was the pressure I put on myself. Tommy Burns always said "if your good enough your old enough" and he obviously felt I was good enough to bring me into the first team at such a young age. This is something i'm very proud of as there is only a handful of players in the SPL who have played so young in the first team. Tommy Burns and his assistant Billy Stark had big influences on my career. "
Who was the hardest player for you to defend against in the League of Ireland ?
"I wouldnt single anyone out as every opponent has different qualities and sometimes players who you dont feel are the best can give you a hard time and the players you rate highly you can get the better of. We only lost 2 games in my time at Sligo, we were on a fantastic run so in games we were always on the front foot and there wasnt really anybody that stood out as a threat. Gavin Peers and myself had a really good partnership."
You put in many top class performances for Sligo Rovers. Which one was your personal favourite ?
"Beating Bohs in Dalymount was the closest youll come to the perfect performance. We had a fantastic support up from Sligo and it was live on TV. The Manager just wanted us to go out and express ourselves and I think we did that. Its not often you would see Bohs fans clapping the opposition off at home. To this day Gav and I disagree on who scored the goal ............ but I can assure you it was my goal............if you slow it down on sky plus youll see for yourself...........sorry Gav lol!"
You scored your first goal for your new club last Saturday. How did it feel to score on your debut for Ayr United ?
It was pleasing as we were down to 10 men and the score was 1-1 so it was an important goal to make it 2-1.
Kevin Finn asks:
Many players credit you as a role model and look to you for advice and the fans note you for your superior conditioning. What do you put that down to and could you share with us a few nutritional and lifestyle tips that have helped you ?
"I married my wife but she can't cook lol........only joking, sorry Susan!!! In all seriousness i've spent the last 16 years being the best professional I can be and being a good influence around others. I always say to myself and other players if you can look at yourself in the mirror when you leave a club and say you gave 100% day in day out then youll have no regrets.
Your physique is 70% diet and 30% work. Everything that goes in my mouth goes in my wee book ...... the Sligo boys laughed and nicknamed it the Bible, needless to say quite a few Sligo boys ended up with a food 'bible' .
I drink plenty of water and eat small portions and more often keeping it as protein rich as possible with plenty veg and little carbs. I've always used "Maximuscle" products and swear by 'promax diet'
I liked a pint of 'the black stuff' myself but to achieve your goals that needs to be kept to a minimum and for you Irish lads that will be hard."
You’ve delved into the world of refereeing. Can you tell us a bit about why you chose to do so and what you hope to aspire to as an official ?
"When my playing career ends I want to stay in the game. I see refereeing as an opportunity to do this. I don't understand why more football players don't follow this career path because if you can reach the top there is a good salary to be earned while keeping yourself fit, which I enjoy. Although i'm now qualified i'm not saying i'll definitely be a referee but i'll give it a go and hopefully I enjoy it. I also hold my B licence coaching badge and I would love to be a coach or a Manager. However priority for me is to remain a Player for as long as possible."
Finally Jim, in your short spell at Sligo Rovers you made a big impression and will be missed by the fans who wish you well at your new club and have no doubt ye will get promoted. Is there anything in particular about playing for Sligo rovers that you will have fond memories of ?
"On behalf of myself and my famiily id like to thank the people of Sligo and the supporters for making me feel so welcome. I enjoyed living in Sligo it was certainly different from Glasgow but an enjoyable and very successful experience. I'm disappointed that i'm not returning for the new season as we couldn't agree terms on a new contract but i leave behind a great Manager and a fantastic bunch of boys who I will be keeping in touch with. There is no reason why the boys can't go and win the league with a wee bit of luck which you need in football."
Hopefully we will see a league title for rovers and promotion for Ayr United in 2011! What does the near future have in store for Jim Lauchlan?
"My son Marcus turns one on the 15th of Feb and a second addition to our family is due on 23rd of March so no doubt that will keep me busy in the meantime along with my football in Scotland and you never know come the end of the season in Scotland you may see the Lauchlans taking in a game in the Showgrounds. Best a luck cmon the Rovers .... :-)"
Thanks for taking the time to do this interview Jim, and best wishes to you and your family.
