Ryan Porteous: Hibs defender should be nurtured and encouraged, not castigated

Hibs supporters view him as one of the best young players in the country. Opposition fans, and even some pundits, seem happy to paint him as a limited centre-half with anger issues. But there is much more to Ryan Porteous than Hollywood tackles and playing every game as if it is his last.

Leaving aside his off-field issues, the 22-year-old has emerged an important player under Shaun Maloney at Easter Road.

It has likely flown under the radar because of the reputation that follows him around but Porteous has stepped up his performances this season.

Last term there were far too many mistakes in his game that led to the loss of goals but considering it was his first full season of regular Scottish Premiership football he put in some good performances, earned praise from then manager Jack Ross, and was called into the Scotland squad in October 2020.

Porteous roars his appreciation after Matt Macey makes a save during Hibs' goalless draw with Celtic

This season he has turned things up a notch.

He is second for interceptions behind Paul Hanlon and has won more tackles than any other Hibs player – cleanly, it should be pointed out.

His passing, previously one of the weaker aspects of his all-round game, has improved and he is currently averaging higher than 80 per cent in terms of successful passes per game which is crucial to how Maloney wants his team to play.

Porteous appears to have taken to the new manager’s style like a duck to water. He has become a better, more rounded player. There is still room for improvement and he still has things to learn but he has progressed from last season.

Ryan Porteous in action for Hibs against Celtic

Post-Aribo fall-out

It is sometimes easy to forget that he is still relatively young – turning 23 next week – given the number of first-team games under his belt already. It is perhaps admirable how well he coped with the tirade of social media abuse sent to him in the aftermath of his red card at Ibrox in early October.

More than happy to take the “stick” that goes hand-in-glove with Scottish football, Porteous felt that things had gone too far when his inbox was filling up with death threats, sectarian and homophobic abuse, and accusations of racism.

His manager condemned it, as did Porteous. It led to the club having to put up a barrier between the player and the media until he was ready to talk about his experiences.

Porteous training with Scotland at the Oriam

The overwhelming factor in the whole episode was that a young player was incurring unprecedented levels of abuse for a challenge on a football pitch.

But despite the widespread condemnation, it seems that little has changed.

110% Porteous

Porteous is one of those players who plays with his heart on his sleeve. His is a no-holds-barred approach, leaving everything on the pitch for his boyhood heroes. He is no different to numerous other players out there – and doesn’t every team need a player to brandish imaginary cards and scream for every decision going?

It’s also worth noting that, against Celtic, he roared in Matt Macey’s face after the goalkeeper made a save. It’s just the way Porteous plays the game.

Despite that, he has been vilified by some for having the temerity to appeal for punishments in the wake of fouls on his team-mates. Motherwell boss Graham Alexander alluded to it in his post-match comments, saying: “I see players bumping referees, manhandling them, and adding fuel to the fire.”

Porteous’ reaction to Bevis Mugabi’s dismissal in the Scottish Cup quarter-final was discussed more than the incident itself in some quarters. Part of the discussion was whether or not the Motherwell defender’s challenge warranted a red card in the first place. One suspects there wouldn’t have been much of a debate if it had been Porteous who put the challenge in, which is part of the problem.

He was also roundly ridiculed for appearing to cheer the sending-off. He’s not the first, and certainly won’t be the last footballer to celebrate a decision that gives his team an advantage.

The narrative suggests that the centre-back goes out deliberately seeking to injure opponents but the irony is that there was a time when he could be over-zealous in the tackle – when he first broke into the Hibs first team under Neil Lennon in 2017. There was a player who was rash, over-eager, and inexperienced.

He has since toned down that side of his game. If he hadn’t, chances are he would feature near the top of the fouls committed list.

But he isn’t even in the top ten. He’s not in the top ten for yellow cards received either – Hibs midfielder Jake Doyle-Hayes, not exactly known for his hardman tendencies, has picked up more cautions.

Porteous plays the role of the pantomime villain. Boo him by all means, but at the end of the 90 minutes, he’s much like any other 22-year-old Scottish male.

This is a footballer who has captained Scotland at under-21 level, worn the armband for Hibs, and been touted as a potential future Easter Road captain by team-mates and manager alike.

He is highly regarded by those who work with him on a daily basis, which speaks volumes.

Scotland carrot

Porteous wasn’t named in the Scotland squad for the friendlies later this month but Steve Clarke has called on Porteous twice before without playing him, suggesting that the defender must be there or thereabouts.

Having that carrot can only help him keep putting in high-level performances at club level.

Porteous isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but it might be time to start looking at him as a talented, young, improving Scottish defender who could be the future of our game, rather than falling over ourselves to castigate him for sticking up for his team-mates and wanting to win every game he plays.

Because the way things are going, it would be hard to blame him if he sought to escape Scottish football – and that really would be a big loss.

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