Hanley’s bad habit still irks Braveheart – but he’s improved
Grant Hanley went three years without being selected for his country until Steve Clarke recalled him for the World Cup qualifier against Austria in March.
He scored in that 2-2 draw at Hampden, and since then the 29-yearold Norwich City defender has been an automatic starter.
Despite the booking that sees him suspended for next month’s crucial tie against Israel, he turned in another excellent display in the midweek win in Vienna.
That came as no surprise to former Rangers and Scotland defender, Colin Hendry, who believes that centre-backs are natural late developers.
“Grant has taken his time to get to where he is now,” said “Braveheart”.
“Centre-halves mature at a different, slower rate to other players, and that’s been the case with him.
“He was 19 when he had his Scotland debut, and it’s taken him a decade to get to 39 caps.
“But it’s really only now that he’s become a regular and looks as though he belongs there.
“Very few kids playing in that position can come into their club or national teams, and make a sustained impact.
“Back in my day, there was Alan Mclaren with Scotland, and Tony Adams with England. But they were very much the odd men out, exceptional in every sense.
“For most, it was – and is – the case that you need years of hard graft before you’re ready to compete at the highest level.
“You need to experience the ups and downs, take the knocks and come back for more.
“At Blackburn Rovers, Kenny Dalglish and Ray Harford would have a real go at me if I made mistakes. But that’s part of the process.
“You gradually learn what to do, and not do, your decision-making gets better and so does your understanding of the position.
“I was 27 before I made my Scotland debut, and 35 when I made my final appearance.
“It’s between those years that centre-halves really begin to flourish. You only have to look at the Italians!
“Seriously, I was 29 when I won the Premier League with Blackburn, 32 when I captained Scotland at the World Cup Finals, and 33 when I won the Treble with Rangers.”
Hendry remembers individual sessions with the young Hanley at Blackburn.
“I was on the coaching staff, and would take Grant for the odd session, passing on advice and tips,” he said.
“I could see even then that there was a player in there – even though a lot of Rovers fans disagreed.
“But it got to me that he would tackle opponents with the outside of his right boot, and try to scoop the ball away, instead of leading with his left foot, as he should have been doing.
“He was still doing it against Denmark, so it’s clearly a habit he’s never going to lose!
“On the plus side, he’s quick, strong, good in the air and he’s added nous to his game. So he’s ticking most of the boxes now.”