'I'm not daft': Scotland veteran opens up on Steve Clarke support and addresses international future

Scotland stalwart Grant Hanley knows a thing or two about resilience. A veteran of 61-international caps, the Dumfries born defender has been around the block a bit. In his own words - “he’s not daft”.

There are few in Steve Clarke’s squad that can claim to have shown as much courage in the face of adversity as Hanley in the last 12 months. Starved of regular first-team football at Norwich City, he battled his way into Scotland’s starting XI at Euro 2024, starting every game at the tournament.

Four months later, he would blunt five time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo as Scotland battled to a deserved 0-0 draw against Portugal at Hampden Park, before going on to play a pivotal role during back-to-back wins over Croatia and Poland, despite only playing a total of 76 minutes of club football.

Craig Gordon and Grant Hanley are the elder statesmen in Scotland's squad. | SNS Group

Moving to Birmingham City on loan in January, his lack of game time has continued in the Midlands, yet he remained colossal in Scotland’s 1-0 first leg win against Greece last week, making more clearances than he’s played had minutes on the pitch in the last month. As his long-time friend and international teammate Kenny McLean told me in October, Hanley possesses “big nuts”.

His ability - and longevity - was brought into question again as Clarke’s side fell to a dismal 3-0 second leg loss in Glasgow on Sunday, and it was hard not to feel sorry for the big defender as he fronted up in the bowels of Hampden in the aftermath of the defeat.

“Over the last few years I’ve been here, there’s been some real good moments, but some real bad moments as well,” conceded Hanley. “But when we’ve had setbacks, one thing that squad has shown is character and belief to bounce back. We’ll pick the bones of this, learn our lessons and react to it. I’m sure we’ll be back.”

His manager’s decision-making called into question by some across social media following the final whistle, Hanley’s belief in the 61-year-old remains steadfast, citing the teams consistent ability to bounce back from disappointment since his appointment in 2019 as a reason to stay calm.

“Football has a funny way of doing that to you,” said Hanley. “It doesn’t take long to slap you in the face. We’ve had a good result on Thursday night, and then been slapped in the face a few days later. For whatever reason tonight wasn’t our night. We didn’t perform to anywhere where we wanted to.

Scotland head coach Steve Clarke (R) and Grant Hanley. | SNS Group

“ It’s a big disappointment, it’s still raw. Nobody suffers fools in this squad, everybody is honest with each other. I’m sure everyone will have a right good look in the mirror and look where the could have done better, where it went wrong, and draw on that experience from the past where we’ve had setbacks and bounced back from it.

“Fans are always entitled to their opinion. That’s the way football is. We feel the same, we want to be better, we want to feel better, we want to get better results. We understand all that, and I think in football you learn as you go on that you can only control what you can control.

“Playing for my country is a privilege, and I’ll do everything I can to do that for as long as I can. It’s your dream as a wee boy. I’m super grateful to the trust he [Clarke] has shown in me, really. When I look at myself, I’m always very honest. I’m not daft, maybe a wee bit overcritical sometimes, I know what I can offer, but I’m always looking to do better as well.”