BANNAN SEIZES THE CHANCE TO SILENCE CRITICS AFTER MAKING HIS RETURN TO CENTRE STAGE
THERE was much sighing from the Tartan Army at Gordon Strachan’s pre-match eulogy of Barry Bannan. Those sighs turned to groans as the team news filtered through to the cars, buses and trains en route to Hampden on Thursday.
The decision to start the Sheffield Wednesday midfielder against Slovakia wasn’t popular but, as the national coach is so fond of insinuating, that’s why he is employed to make the big calls.
Bannan had not started for Scotland since featuring in a woeful performance against the Slovaks last October. By his own admission, he deserved to be dropped following the 3-0 defeat.
After that humbling night in Trnava, scarce were those who expected Scotland to reach tonight’s final Group F clash in Slovenia within touching distance of a play-off place. Fewer still would have banked on Bannan re-emerging as a key protagonist on a memorable and dramatic night against a team which seemed streets ahead.
‘I played in the first three games and results didn’t go to plan, so there were going to be changes,’ reflected Bannan (right). ‘The boys have done really well and we’ve had great results, so you’ve got to wait your turn.
‘To start again in such a big game was brilliant but with what I’ve been doing in training, how I react to not playing, how I keep working hard and showing him what I’m all about, I probably deserved to play.’
Loyalty has always counted for plenty with Strachan.
Early last week, the manager talked up Bannan in response to an ever-loudening swell of support for the inclusions of John McGinn and Callum McGregor. The two had traded goals in a Premiership match between Celtic and Hibs last weekend but Strachan went with what he knew.
Scott Brown and Stuart Armstrong had been dynamic in the previous three qualifying victories but Strachan resisted the clamour to unleash the two energetic contenders and instead sent for Bannan, adding Darren Fletcher and James Morrison to form an experienced trio as the World Cup campaign reached its point of reckoning.
While Morrison struggled to find his rhythm and Fletcher eventually ran out of gas after a decent hour of fetching and carrying, it was Bannan who emerged as the key player from midfield. He may have elicited grumbles from the stands when he gave the ball away early on, but the 27-year-old grew in stature and was a pivotal figure after half-time as Scotland probed for the opening that eventually transpired in the form of Martin Skrtel’s 89th-minute own goal. ‘You never know when you’ll be needed,’ he continued. ‘Players got injured, which was unfortunate for them, but fortunate for me. ‘The manager has been brilliant since I’ve been with Scotland. His coaching is unbelievable. We’ve got a club feel here now and that’s playing a big part in our success.’ Strachan has said that the likes of Bannan get a raw deal from both fans and the media alike due to the fact he performs largely out of sight in the English Championship.
A trusted proving ground of Strachan and his assistant Mark McGhee, English football’s second tier can be a physically gruelling environment but Bannan is lauded by the Wednesday fans who sing affectionately of their ‘little Scottish man’.
‘After losing in Slovakia, we knew we had a mountain to climb but we also knew there were a lot of games to put it right,’ he added.
‘As much as we were down at that moment in time, we’ve got characters in that changing room and a brilliant team spirit.
‘We knew it was a win-or-bust game, that it was finished if we didn’t win, so it was a big relief at the end to get the goal and take it into Sunday.
‘We were written off at the start of the campaign, people were talking about a crisis. But as a team, and coaching staff, we all stuck together.
‘We knew that if we worked hard and kept going, we could turn this around. We’re confident in our own ability, and I think that has shown in the last two or three international windows.
‘If we were to qualify, it would be the best achievement of my career.’