Snodgrass still picking up positions in twilight years
Hearts playmaker happy to chip in wherever after drop back to midfield
YOU don’t rack up over 600 career appearances without adding a few strings to your bow. Even at 35, Robert Snodgrass is still learning and adapting. The Hearts playmaker made his name as a winger and attacking midfielder of Premier League calibre throughout the years, with a sharp eye for goal.
But when that cross – his words, not mine – landed in the back of St Mirren’s net at the weekend, it had been over two years since Snodgrass last found the back of the net. He’s a different player these days, though.
Building on a transition that began at Luton Town and West Brom, Robbie Neilson has deployed the former Scotland international at the base of his midfield, allowing him to set the tempo from deep. Snodgrass was a cut above the rest in the derby win over Hibs and he believes, at his age, if your mind still moves that bit quicker than everyone else, it doesn’t matter if the legs aren’t what they used to be.
“I’ll play anywhere,” he insisted. “At Luton they played me as a No. 6, at West Brom they played me as a No. 6. I don’t know where it came from. I was always a No. 10 or a winger, it just came out of the blue. West Brom was different, I never really got much of the ball.
“Luton was slightly different, it was half in between. [ Nathan Jones] played me as a No. 10 in the play- offs [ second leg v Huddersfield Town] and he said ‘ that was the best game you’ve played’.
“Because I’m a No. 10, that’s where I’ve always played. I’ve never relied on pace. I’ve never had any pace. The lads laugh every day, ‘ how have you played [ top level], you cannae run’.
“Your mind moves quicker. You do have to adapt. Those lads will get it all the way through their career as well. There will be certain times, certain circumstances, different clubs, you do need to adapt. I think that’s the biggest word in football. You do need to adapt. I’ve probably had to do that a lot throughout my career.”
In his new role, Snodgrass constantly demands the ball from his team- mates. Although relatively new to it, he’s already picked up that key number six trait of firing a disapproving look, or even a sharp word, at a team- mate who dares not give him the ball when he asks.
But it’s also about building trust, instilling a confidence in your teammates that you can keep possession in almost any situation.
“First and foremost, the lads need to trust you to deal with it in there,” Snodgrass explained. “You can keep it for us, you can make things happen, you can find the next phase, you can get through the lines. I’ve always tried to have that having come from the streets – give me the
ball, I’ll try and make something happen or give it into the danger zones for the attacking lads to go and do it.
“Hopefully they can trust me now. It just takes time. People speak about bravery and courage, I want to give them an option as much as I can to try and help. That’s what football is made up of – options, angles, bravery, composure, taking the ball in tight areas. That’s what the top players do at every single level and that’s how they get out of tight spaces, how they create overloads, 4v2s, 4v3s.
“Try and get into that rhythm to trust yourselves in those pockets, in those zones. Once we get in there go and express yourself.”
Snodgrass may have been among Hearts’ most experienced campaigners at the weekend, but in Craig Gordon’s absence, the captain’s armband has passed to Lawrence Shankland. It has a clear show of faith in the forward from Neilson, one that Snodgrass is certain he will handle with ease.
“Shanky’s a terrific lad,” he said. “He can deal with that no problem at all. He’s one of the top scorers in the league – a winner, a leader. The lads respect him. You need to look to your No. 9 for passion, desire, somebody who will put their body on the line for the team and that’s exactly what Lawrence does. He’s done a great job.”