TAKING NOTHING for GRANTED
Kazakhstan wounds still run deep for Grant as he warns of threat posed by Israel and reflects on a career punching above his weight
THERE may be an alternative universe i n which Peter Grant is helping this weekend to prepare Scotland for a tilt at qualifying for a major championship. In reality, though, he is adhering to his routine: in the gym for 6.30am, behind the desk at his office in Alloa by nine, and an afternoon trying to watch matches, the last being a challenge in Covid times.
There are three major reasons for this change in circumstance. They are called Yuriy Pertsukh, Yan Vorogovskiy and Baktiyar Zaynutdinov. These gentlemen each smacked a goal past Scotland for Kazakhstan on a desperate night in Nursultan in March 2019.
The achievement of Alex McLeish and his staff, with Grant as his assistant (below), in reaching the European Championship play-off rounds was thus swept away by the sort of result that ends a manager’s tenure.
McLeish was dismissed the next month and Grant was also rendered surplus to requirements, before being appointed manager of Alloa Athletic in the summer.
The former Celtic midfielder could surely be forgiven for feeling a range of emotions as Scotland, under Steve Clarke, prepare to face Israel next week, just two wins away from qualifying for a major finals for the first time this century.
‘Bitter? Absolutely not. The biggest emotion is gratitude,’ says Grant. ‘It was an honour to be part of the coaching team for Scotland. It didn’t work out. That’s life. We won’t be the first, we won’t be the last to be in that position. Do I wish I was still part of it? Of course I do.’
If this seems uncannily mature, it is also persuasively convincing. Grant talks openly about the demands of the Scotland job and how it came to an end. There is room in that conversation about regret, the need for respect and the difficulties of coaching a national team.
‘First, to be part of a staff that took Scotland to a major finals would have been fantastic,’ he explains. ‘It just wasn’t to be for us but that doesn’t stop you supporting the team and hoping and praying that we can get the results to go through. But it’s going to be tough.’
Israel and then Norway or Serbia stand as substantial obstacles.
‘The one wee regret I have is simple. I don’t think the press gave the respect to Israel when we played them. They are a strong side,’ he insists, pointing out that they have players making a living in the top leagues of Russia, Holland, Germany and, yes, Scotland.
‘ I would always say to anyone talking down a side: “Have you checked the background? Have you done your due diligence?”
‘It was the same with Kazakhstan. It was a terrible result, I get that. But there are reasons for that, not excuses.’
He points out there has to be respect for other nations. ‘It’s not about the name of the place, it’s about the players you are facing,’ he says.
He adds, too, there are factors that make international football more difficult for managers.
‘Clubs dictate now,’ he says. ‘They will state how many minutes a player is expected to play, how they train, how much recovery time they should have before taking part in training. It is very difficult to prepare a national team, harder than it has ever been.
‘In the old days, the players would turn up on a Sunday and there would be a session on the Monday with the full group.
‘Now it could be a Wednesday before the full complement of players is allowed to train together. The sport science is laid down by the clubs.’
Clubs will provide precise information on the recovery time expected of each player. Of course, this can be ignored but that action comes with a hefty price.
‘Remember, if they are injured on international duty, you pay the bill. There are not many of them on 50 quid a week, too. ‘Clubs are more powerful than the national team. That’s a
fact. I feel for Stevie (Clarke) in that respect because he will have found that out.’
Grant also defends McLeish’s decision to take on f riendly matches away against Mexico and Peru and against top- quality European opposition in Portugal and Belgium.
These were not fixtures to inflate a win record for the manager, particularly when the matches in Central and South America took place in the close season of 2018, with a consequent impact on the make-up of the squad.
Players such as Jack Hendry, Dylan McGeouch, Lewis Morgan and Lewis Stevenson featured in t hese matches and have subsequently disappeared from contention as international players. But Ryan Christie, John McGinn, Kenny McLean and Stephen O’ Donnell , a mong others, prospered in adversity and are now staples of a Scotland squad.
‘We felt that was the way to go. We thought it was important to play quality opposition,’ insists Grant. ‘And if you asked me to do that again, I’d say: “No problem”.
‘If you get into finals, you will play good teams and friendlies are there to show the level that is expected.’ The defeats against Portugal and Belgium are thus accepted philosophically.
Kazakhstan is explained bluntly. ‘I could make excuses. The five at the back (Scott Bain, Liam Palmer, David Bates, Scott McKenna and Graeme Shinnie) were all inexperienced at international level. We only trained together for the first time the night before the match, too. But, yes, it was a
Kazakhstan was a terrible result, I get that. But there were reasons for it, not excuses
horrible result.’ So how does he move from the drama and mayhem of the international arena to the more mundane surroundings of the Indodrill Stadium at Alloa?
‘It’s honestly all the same to me,’ he says. ‘I would be the same whether it was Real Madrid or Barca. It’s all football to me. It doesn’t matter how many people you represent as a player or a manager. It could be a 100,000 people or one man and his dog, it remains equally important.’
He admits he is ‘humbled’ by the attitude of his part-time players, adding of midfielder Jon Robertson. ‘He asked me once if he could drive to a game in Inverness because he was working. I learned later that he had finished at 4.30am that morning, driven to the game and was heading back to begin a night shift. That gives you perspective.
‘Some full-time players arrive dragging their knuckles along the ground. You have to realise how lucky you are.’
As a coach, Grant has helped a Birmingham City side, under McLeish, confound Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal at Wembley in the 2011 League Cup final, been at Alan Pardew’s side as West Ham reached the FA Cup final in 2006 and also coached at Celtic before being dismissed along with then manager Tony Mowbray.
There are better memories for him, though, at Celtic. His debut was made in extraordinary circumstances, his career was gilded by an historic achievement and his experience makes him an astute observer on the battle for the SPFL Premiership title.
‘Aye, it was quite a debut,’ he says of the circumstances of April 21, 1984, when he was chosen to play against Rangers.
‘ I was ready to play f or the reserves against Airdrie but my mum had taken a phone call saying I had to turn up at Parkhead a bit earlier,’ he reveals. ‘ I thought nothing of it but as I walked in I passed Jimmy (Johnstone) and Bobby (Lennox) who were both chuckling at me, with Bobby saying: “You’ll get your first breather at ten tonight”. Brian Scott (physio) then said the gaffer wanted to see me. I sat in a room and in walks Davie Hay. He says: “All right, son, you are playing at Ibrox today. If I didn’t think you could do it, you wouldn’t be playing”. Then he goes out and my tears come.’
He had to rush to send a message to his father, who was working in a distillery. A friend of the family turned up at Grant senior’s workplace with a jacket and a ticket for the game. Celtic lost the match but Grant went on to play for 14 years for the club, winning two titles and four Scottish Cups.
His history gives an insight into the demands of the present for both clubs. He knows the pressure of struggling at Celtic; he also appreciates the satisfaction of accomplishment.
The Celtic centenary season of 1987-88 was an undoubted highlight, with the club winning the Double.
‘ We l ost 5- 1 to Arsenal in a pre-season game and there was a bit of self-doubt but I could sense something else. Ninety per cent of the players were Celtic supporters and though we didn’t batter on about it, we knew that season meant something different.’
Grant knows the pain, too, of playing in the ‘barren years’ only broken by the Scottish Cup final victory in 1995 over Airdrie when he was a valid candidate for man of the match.
‘There were tough times but I wouldn’t change it,’ says Grant. ‘People ask me if I ever thought it would be better playing f or t his nine-in a-row side or under Martin O’Neill. Yes, I would have loved to have won more trophies with Celtic but would I have been good enough to play in those teams? I was very lucky to pull on the jersey.’
He understands pressure is a constant that accompanies Celtic and Rangers players of any era.
‘When I went to England (to Norwich in 1997) I understood why so many people came to Rangers and Celtic, some of them top players, and struggled. Outside of Manchester United and now Liverpool, I don’t think there is anyone in England that plays under the pressure of Celtic and Rangers. The intensity is 24/7, no hiding place.
‘You have to deal with it. I was speaking to Ian Durrant the other week and he says the same. You can’t lose yourself in Glasgow. If you lost, you trained and went home. I didn’t go for a cup of tea in a café, never mind a meal out.’
With the Old Firm meeting after the international break, Grant pinpoints a crucial issue. ‘Celtic have the players to handle pressure. They are used to winning. The biggest challenge is playing under pressure in front of big crowds.
‘Last season when things did not go well, Rangers couldn’t handle it. They celebrated early.’ The last is a reference to the Rangers victory at Celtic Park in December.
‘I believe the gap would have become bigger if the season had not been called. This year? Rangers don’t have that added pressure of the crowds and that could work in their favour. But Celtic have the edge because they are proven winners. That’s a fact.’
Grant is, however, focused on the Championship season. ‘You are passing through, no matter what club you are at,’ he says. ‘I take the same pride in running out for Celtic for my first game as I do for standing on the touchline as a Scotland coach or in being manager at Alloa. It is about respect.’ It has to be given. It has to be earned, too. Grant has done both.