Hibs star cops too much flack from boo boys as Steve Clarke issues update on why he passed on Hearts star
63-capped defender earns recognition from national team boss who often gets heavily criticised by supporters
Steve Clarke has often received stinging criticism from his Tartan Army detractors for continuously selecting old favourites like Kenny McLean, Lyndon Dykes and Craig Gordon throughout his six-and-a-half year tenure.
But it’s another of his tried-and-tested stars who has managed to rack up over 60 caps for Scotland that has had to bare the brunt of a fair amount of flack from supporters over the years.
There remains a conspiracy theory popular with Clarke’s doubters that Hibs defender Grant Hanley must be postered all over the wall of the national team boss’ home. But in fairness to Hanley, the experienced centre-back has been rock solid for his country in recent years, including last month’s opening World Cup qualifier against Denmark in Copenhagen.
Clarke has long been an admirer of the 33-year-old and he reckons Hibs fans will now be discovering just how important a player he is among the Easter Road ranks.
“I’ve always liked Grant!” he said with a wry smile. “I know what he brings, I know how good of a defender he is, I know how good he is within the squad.
“I'm sure the people at Hibs are finding out what a good guy he is to have in the dressing room and what a good guy he is to have on the pitch. In terms of his performances for Hibs, no surprise to me.”
Grant Hanley receives too much unfair stick from Tartan Army
“Do I understand the fans? Not always! Certainly not in that,” Clarke responded to being asked about his loyalty towards Hanley and whether he could see why the stalwart remains unpopular with many supporters.
“I've got a certain bit of experience in the game over a number of years, and I think you recognise what players bring to you and sometimes it's not obvious to people outside your group or your camp or your club or whatever you are.
“Sometimes you get the steady players that play week in, week out for your club or for your international squad that don't grab the headlines, but as a manager or a coach, you always appreciate what they bring to the group. And Grant would certainly be in that category.”
Steve Clarke explains Lawrence Shankland squad omission
Clarke has opted to name a 23-man squad for October’s crunch World Cup qualifying double-header at home to Greece and Belarus, with 42-year Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon selected over Tynecastle team mate Zander Clark, despite not playing a single competitive game since early May due to a neck injury.
However, there is no room for Jambos skipper Lawrence Shankland, who has scored seven goals so far this season, or Middlesbrough forward Tommy Conway. Another notable absentee is right-back Max Johnston who has been replaced by fit-again Celtic star Anthony Ralston.
Quizzed on how close Shankland was to earning a recall, Clarke added: “Yeah, he was close. Obviously, I know Lawrence very well. I know what he can bring to the squad. I just felt that the forward players I had in the last camp did well in the games and they've done well for their clubs in between. So I didn't see too much reason to change.
“We had a good camp last month, four points from two tricky away games. The squad is always difficult to pick because you've always got ideas of other players that are doing really, really well that you might want to integrate into the group. But this one was relatively straightforward.”