Erik Ring’s debut season at Lincoln City has been a learning curve—for the player, the coaching staff, and the recruitment team.
I’ve been championing Ring for a while now – there are parallels with Jeff Hughes, who came over from Larne and took a season to develop before hitting his peak at Sincil Bank. Hughes looked weak in his first season, and while Ring hasn’t looked out of place, Jez George believes there’s a lot more to come.
In a revealing interview with BBC Radio Lincolnshire, Director of Football Jez reflected on the challenges of adapting to English football and why the club remains excited about Ring’s potential.
“English football won’t adapt to Erik – Erik has to adapt to English football”
Ring arrived from AIK last summer with pace, power and technical quality, but George admitted that the club underestimated the physical demands of League One and how different it is to the Scandinavian game.
“We probably underestimated that in terms of the physical duels that happen in a much more pattern-based way of playing in Scandinavia, compared to what League One looks like on occasions.”
That difference was stark for Ring, particularly when thrown into a direct style of play early on and asked to operate as a wing-back. The club had originally believed that he would be perfect for that role, but our shift has revealed a better position for the 23-year-old.
“The circumstances also where Erik came in, and probably the style was a little bit direct. We asked him to play wing-back. We thought with his attributes he could. But in hindsight, that hasn’t been a good fit.”
“A formation that helped him” – Tactical Tweaks Bear Fruit
It wasn’t until the final third of the campaign that Ring began to find his feet in a Lincoln shirt. The shift from a 3-5-2 to a more conventional 4-2-3-1, as well as subtle changes to the game model, allowed him to showcase his attacking strengths.
“(It’s) brilliant that in the last eight or ten games we probably played a formation that helped him, a system of play that helped him. And the way the team evolved in terms of playing style and the game model definitely helped him.”
A superb strike away at Stockport stood out as a key moment, but it was more than just a highlight reel moment—it was a glimpse into what Ring can offer next season.
“The goal he scored against Stockport—he left people for dead. And that is really, really hard to find with the finances that we have.”
“He’s miles better for this 12 months”
The winger has had to adapt on and off the pitch, and George praised both his character and the support structure around him at the club.
“He’s also had to understand that if you have ambitions of being successful in this country… you have to accept that the Championship is no different to League One except better, faster, quicker. So there’s duels, there’s aerial duels, there’s ground duels—and that is something he has to adapt to.”
“He comes back in June, I think miles better for this 12 months. Again, bumps in the road and some really difficult moments and tough times for him—supported by everybody at the club: ownership, board, supporters, staff, and fellow players.”
“He’s got pace and power” – Harnessing Potential
For all the challenges, the club remains committed to helping Ring fulfil his potential—and views him as a weapon that could make a serious impact in 2024/25.
“He’s got pace and power. He can run away from people… So our job is to harness that in our team. Erik’s job is to definitely relish some of the parts to the game that he doesn’t enjoy so much, and adapt to English football.”
And on a personal note, George credited Ring for how he’s handled a demanding transition.
“Brilliant credit to Erik. He’s a really articulate, intelligent young man, and he’s handled himself really well in difficult moments.”
Stacey West Favourite
If this has been a difficult 12 months for Erik, it’s the sort of difficulty we can live with. In 24 League One outings, Ring has five goal involvements, but only nine of those games have been as a starter. Remember, he also bagged against Crawley in the FA Cup, and has shown plenty of end product during what has been termed a difficult spell.
With a shift further up the field, and free of defensive responsibilities that can shackle creative wide players, we could see the best of Erik Ring this season. Given Jez’s comments and the experience of the last 12 months, I believe we’re going to see a big season from the wide man.
Be prepared to see some more of that unique celebration.
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