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Grieve is head coach at Finnish side SJK SeinäjokiCredit: Facebook/SJK Seinäjoki
Stevie Grieve, originally from Perth in Scotland, has guided the team to the Europa Conference League play-offs in his first season in charge at the club.
Indeed, it’s the 37-year-old’s first management job of any kind.
Grieve started out in coaching at 16 and has travelled extensively to further his knowledge of the game, going as far as India and the USA.
He spent time in Canada as the academy manager for Burlington SC immediately before returning to Scotland in 2019 whereupon he switched career lanes and was hired as an analyst by Dundee United.
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Grieve had other roles in scouting and recruitment at St Johnstone and Forest Green before deciding he wanted to give coaching another crack.
He was offered the job with SJK B team’s in 2023 and he came within a whisker of the unprecedented there, almost leading them to promotion to the top flight. His side made such an impact that the Finnish FA altered their league rules to stop B team from gaining promotion to the Veikkausliiga.
At that time the first team were managed by former Brighton, Luton and Stoke coach Joaquin Gomez but when he left for a job in Saudi Arabia, Grieve put his name in the hat for the vacacy.
That was in November 2023 and a year on, the decision has been vindicated.
They’ve already matched their league finish from last season and eclipsed their play-off run (last year they were knocked out at the first hurdle).
Recalling his first year in management ahead of this weekend’s play-off final second leg against FC Haka, Grieve told BBC Radio Scotland: “Yeah, it’s been a nice path in Finland since last April.
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“When I came back to Scotland from Canada, Robbie Nielsen hired me as his first team analyst for Dundee United when we were in the Championship in the Covid season.
“So my background has always been coaching, but then when you add in the scouting analysis and recruitment, the performance side, it gives you quite a well-rounded skill set to become a head coach in the future.”
Grieve also reckons there’s a few things Scottish football could learn from the Finnish game, or more broadly, Scandinavian football.
He highlighted the early success of Swedish native Jimmy Thelin at Aberdeen as a case in point.
He said: “[In Finland] it’s way more tactical, way more technical. I think in Scottish football it’s very direct and vertical.
“The way Aberdeen play is probably more stylistically similar to how a lot of Finnish teams would play.
“It’s a bit more organised possession, more counter-attacks and counter-pressing from the block, that sort of thing. Whereas in Scotland it’s a little bit more vertical and risk-averse.
“So it is very different.
“Most Scandinavian football is more organised, they play the ball through the back, play the ball through the lines. There’s less emphasis on trying to avoid risk or avoid losing the ball.
“It’s a different type of game, to be honest.
“I think in Scotland we probably are too afraid of taking risks. If our midfielder loses the ball 40 yards from goal, nobody’s having a panic attack about it.
“Whereas in Scotland if you do that, you’ve got 15,000 fans going nuts.
“I think that goes from the stands up onto the park and then obviously affects the manager’s coaching process.
“I think it’s something that we do need to look at in Scotland, the style of play. It’s very different.
“In Scotland there’s more contact and more aggression and more physicality. In Finland it’s more technical, more tactical.”
Grieve and SJK put an emphasis on youth and there isn’t a single player over the age of 30 in his squad (striker Jaime Moreno is the oldest at 29).
He’s also brought over former Morton star Lewis Strapp to add another Scottish touch to his team.
Saturday’s game going their way would not only bring kudos to Grieve himself but huge financial rewards for the club.
SJK were only formed in 2007 and have played a grand total of ten matches in European competition.
Stevie Grieve career timeline
2014–2016 Garhwal FC
2016–2019 Burlington SC (academy manager)
2019–2021 Dundee United (opponent analyst)
2021–2022 St Johnstone (head of scouting)
2022–2023 Forest Green (head of scouting)
2023 SJK Akatemia
2024 SJK (assistant)
2024– SJK
After finishing as runners-up in the league in 2014 the were knocked out in the first round of qualifying for the Europa League by Icelandic side FH.
The following year, after winning the league, they entered the Champions League at the second qualifying round stage but were eliminated by Bate Borisov.
Since then they’ve exited the Europa League and Conference League before the group stages.
A positive result on Saturday (having won the first leg 2-1) will see SJK return to the Conference League in 2025.
Grieve explained: “In Finland, if you finish in the top three, normally you go direct to Europe. Then fourth place goes into the play-offs.
“But [league champions] KuPS beat us in the semi-final of the Finnish Cup and then they won the Cup. So fourth place goes to the Europa play-off final.
“Basically, if we win on Saturday or we draw on Saturday, we qualify for the European place.
“Financially, it’s massive to the club. We are one of the lowest budgets in the league. I think probably bottom four in budgets.
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“We’re the youngest team in the league. So, for the way the club wants to be developed and self-sustainable, we need to develop and sell young players.
“European qualification, obviously the money that comes in from that is massive for the club.”
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Publish date : 2024-11-01 17:06:00
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