The Scotland star whose big summer move was sealed by 'miserable' ex-teammate
Defender took references from all over on Easter Road switch - but one stood out
As Grant Hanley was being love bombed by friends and former team-mates telling him how much fun he’d have as a Hibs player, the veteran Scotland international decided to balance out the words of high praise by touching base with an old pal he mischievously refers to as “miserable.” Surely this reliable agent of doom and gloom would give him the straight dope.
So, when even Dwight Gayle started enthusing about the glorious Easter Road swansong he enjoyed in his final year as a professional footballer? That pretty much clinched it for former Newcastle and Norwich centre-half Hanley.
Lured in by the chance to experience European football for the first time in a career that includes captaining a team in the Premier League, Hanley admits to being massively impressed by the atmosphere as he attended the Midtjylland game – a heart-breaking 2-1 extra time loss in the Europa League – as a guest of former Scotland team-mate David Marshall, now right-hand man to Hibs sporting director Malky Mackay. Between that and the personal references, the 33-year-old didn’t take much convincing to sign a two-year deal for David Gray’s men.
“Obviously the lads I'd played with,” Hanley said, when asked who he’d contacted for advice before agreeing to a first taste of senior football in Scotland, the Dumfries-born defender adding: “Big Marsh, played with Marsh in Scotland for a number of years.
“Dwight as well. Kept in touch with Dwight since we played together at Newcastle. Those were the lads I'd spoken to There were more as well, lads that had played down south and then come back up the road. Just to get a feel for what their experience was like and how they felt.
“Dwight's a great lad, a top, top lad. Like I said, somebody that I've kept in touch with. It was quite good actually to get his opinion because everybody I spoke to was like, it's amazing you've got to do it, it's a no-brainer, go for it. Dwight's actually quite miserable so I thought he'd balance it out. But again, he was the same. Amazing. If Dwight says it's good, then it's normally good.
You can see how close this Hibs group is
“The club speaks for itself, I knew exactly what the club was all about. The size of the club, the stadium, the fans, the atmosphere.
“An opportunity to play some European football and I think the direction the club is going speaks for itself. Coming up and meeting everybody, meeting the manager, meeting the staff, meeting Malky, meeting big Marsh and Ian Gordon to get a real feel of how good the people are in and around the club was massive for me. As soon as I did that, the decision was made.
“It was good to see the atmosphere of the stadium on a European night. There's not an awful lot I can say on that; it was impressive. As soon as you spend five minutes in the dressing room, you can see how close this group is. I've known lads that have played here over the last year or two so I reached out to them when I knew this could be an option.
“From their point of view, having this opportunity was a no-brainer. You want to be part of teams and groups of lads that are going in that direction. And I've never played in Europe. So the opportunity to play in Europe was one of the major factors in the decision making.”
An unused sub in Belgrade as Hibs ran out surprise 2-0 winners over Partizan, Hanley was given just shy of an hour in Sunday’s 2-2 home draw with Kilmarnock. He’s hoping to get more game time on Thursday night, as the Serbs look to overturn that first-leg deficit in the UEFA Conference League third qualifying round.
Hanley, who has played all over Europe with Scotland in amassing 62 caps, would obviously love to bag a debut in UEFA club competition, pointing out: “It is obviously different but it's good to have that wee bit of experience there. I’ve played all over Europe and in tournaments to get a wee bit of insight into what it's going to be like and what to expect.
The lure of Europe
“One of the big factors in making that decision to come here was because of Europe. Another experience, another challenge that I'm really looking forward to.
“I think as your career is going on you never really look too far ahead because you don't know what can happen. Football can change for better or for worse really quickly. You're probably just looking at the next training session, next game rather than where you want to go and play next.
“Obviously, I'm really grateful to have the opportunities that I've had and the experience I've had in England. Playing in the Premier League, as a boy playing football that's your dream, that's what you want to play.
“So I've had the opportunity to play in the Premier League, captain a team in the Premier League. Things that I'll be forever grateful for.”
Still short of match fitness, by his own admission, Hanley is aware that manager Gray wanted him for his leadership skills as much as his footballing ability. Gayle has been mentioned more than once as an example to follow.
Explaining how he would be filling that role, Hanley said: “I wouldn't say I'm screaming and shouting. I've learnt as my career's gone, the more you can stay level when things are going good or bad is normally the best way to play it.
Hanley ‘happy to be thrown in’ at Hibs
“Probably just a bit of consistency in how I go about my work every day and how I apply myself and my attitude towards training and games. I would say along those lines, bits of experience that I can pass on here and there can always help I suppose. I'm 33 and I've played a reasonable number of games so I'm guessing that was part of the thinking.
“I think throughout my career I've always felt when I've had a period not playing, it maybe takes three, four or five games to really get up to speed. It's a tricky situation because I'm coming in not having a real pre-season.
“The way the fixtures are at the minute and how busy we’re going to be, there's not any real big proper training sessions or training weeks where you can really get some work in. I'm happy to be thrown in. The sports science team, the physios and the coaching staff know everything I've done.
“But there's a difference between being fit and being match fit. Even just silly things like your distances, your angles, your timing and other things like that. That's something that comes back over time. So we'll see how it goes and hopefully the more I can integrate into training and find my feet amongst the group and get some more minutes on the pitch, hopefully that will all help.”
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