John Ryan

John Gilbert Ryan Date of Birth: Jul 20, 1947

After failing to make the grade at both Arsenal and Fulham, John probably thought it was the end of the line when he joined Division Three (now League One) side Luton on a free transfer in 1969.

Full-back John soon became a crowd favourite at Kenilworth Road though, with his swashbuckling runs down the wing and fierce shooting and it was a sad day when he left for Norwich in 1976 for £60,000.

At Carrow Road he was moved to midfield and became a consistent goalscorer before spells with Seattle Sounders, Sheffield United and Manchester City. Player/coach roles at Stockport and Chester then followed before John was appointed player/manager of a very poor Cambridge United side in 1984. John showed his frustrations by being sent off three times in his five League outings at the Abbey!

After managing several non-League sides, John worked for the PFA before becoming Director of Youth Development for the Thailand Football Association in Bangkok.