Jack can handle the flak from the terraces
SAYS ALEX McLEISH
NOBODY said it was going to be easy — but Jack Hendry probably didn’t believe it was going to be this difficult to gain the acceptance of the wider Celtic support either.
A £1.5million signing from Dundee in January, the 23-year-old’s hope that a full pre-season with Brendan Rodgers’ squad would pave the way for a smooth start to this campaign has proved wishful thinking.
Given the wider defensive issues at his club, though, it’s hard not to have a degree of sympathy for a young Scot who seems destined to be blamed for everything from the concession of cheap goals to Brexit right now.
Jozo Simunovic, once viewed as Celtic’s most complete defender, has contributed some truly lamentable displays. Dedryck Boyata has turned into a one-man soap opera while Kristoffer Ajer’s promise was offset with a critical error and costly booking at home to AEK Athens.
Amid all this, it should come as no surprise that Hendry has also had his fair share of undistinguished moments.
He didn’t impress in the defeat at Tynecastle and was the fall guy for the loss in Greece after failing to win a routine header.
In one sense, the unscheduled break which has come as a result of a minor injury arrived at an opportune moment.
Not for a second, however, did Alex McLeish consider extending the player’s period of rest into the forthcoming international break.
As good a central defender as this country has produced, the Scotland boss handed Hendry all the assurance he needs by staying true to him for the forthcoming games with Belgium and Albania.
No matter how underwhelmed a rump of the Celtic support may be by Hendry’s contribution to date, McLeish still likes what he sees.
‘The tiniest mistake at Rangers and Celtic can hurt players and make them lose their confidence but I think Jack has the bottle,’ said McLeish.
‘It happened to me in my career as well. I played 13 in a row for Scotland and had an injury and then found it difficult to find my form again.
‘Jack has played very well for us and he played well on the South American trip.
‘I understand he didn’t travel (to Lithuania) last week because of an injury so maybe he’s been playing with that for a few weeks. Who knows? We’ll find out when he joins us.’
What Hendry would give to deliver the complete defensive display against Rangers on Sunday.
If there’s simply no hiding from the keyboard warriors after their minds have been made up, there is no currency in Glasgow quite like impressing in a side which wins the biggest game of all.
‘We know football and football fans — you make a mistake and they get on your back,’ said McLeish.
‘That’s the nature of the game. You need to be strong and get that experience. It’s going to happen at some time and it’s now down to how he reacts to that.
‘When you play with Celtic and Rangers, you need a strong mentality and it’s hard when you make a mistake and the fans have a go at you.
‘The irony is he got criticised for losing a goal in Europe — but we then had a fantastic report on him from the (Partick) Thistle game.
‘I know he went on a mazy run which I hear was on YouTube but, by and large, he had a really solid game.’
John Souttar will join the senior international fold without the need for such reassurance. Handed the captain’s armband at Hearts in Christophe Berra’s absence, the 21-year-old has been a driving force as his club have taken the Premiership by storm in these early weeks.
Oddly, he was first named in Scot Gemmill’s Under-21s squad only to be called into the main party after Tynecastle boss Craig Levein suggested the player might yet exercise his right to represent Australia by dint of his maternal ancestry.
‘He is not going to play for the Under-21s,’ McLeish confirmed. ‘I had John in mind for a wee while and I had a chat with Scot, who still had to pick his squad.
‘I continued to watch John over the last couple of weeks. He started the season very strong. He had a mature performance against Dunfermline last week and so he’s in this squad.’
With a back-three of Hendry, Charlie Mulgrew and Kieran Tierney likely to start against Belgium, Souttar may have to wait until Albania to win his first full cap. Five years after making his debut for Dundee United, though, there’s no question his potential is now being realised.
‘In terms of the ball-playing centre-half stuff, that’s brilliant, that’s a bonus,’ McLeish said.
‘We need people who can defend. John is a young boy still learning his trade and we look to him to rise again to international status. It is a great challenge ahead for him.’
Tierney’s inclusion in a three would solve the conundrum created by having two excellent left-backs in the Celtic star and Andy Robertson.
‘We have to maximise the strengths of the players,’ McLeish said. ‘Tierney is a left-sided player, Robertson is a left-sided player — so they will play on the left side. We’ll find a system that suits the players’ strengths.’