YOU win together, you lose together. A maxim that normally applies only to a squad of players after a disappointing defeat. But when it comes to international football, it applies to an entire country. At least, that’s the hope of Scotland defender Jack Hendry.
The nation revelled in the achievements of this group when they took Scotland to their first major tournament for over two decades with qualification for the European Championships, and then felt the pain of disappointment just as keenly as those players when Ukraine ended their World Cup dreams during the week.
Hendry says that the international side now need the Tartan Army and the wider country to get behind them as they attempt to lift themselves from that crushing let-down, and in return, he vows that they will do everything they can to take the nation back onto the big stage.
“I am confident this group can reach major tournaments,” Hendry said. “We showed it by getting to the Euros.
“The other night was a one-off game and we came off second best – we need to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
“I think we did extremely well to get out of the group and get to that stage. Now we have to make sure if we get to this point again we win it.
“This is a talented group and I understand the country is feeling extremely disappointed. But everyone – not just the team – will need to get around us and get us back up and on to the next qualification challenge.”
That next challenge comes quickly, with Armenia the opponents at Hampden as Scotland get their UEFA Nations League campaign on Wednesday night.
The cliché goes that footballers are always pleased to get back out on the grass after they have suffered a setback, but there is no denying that it is going to take more than a little time for the Scottish players to get the Ukraine defeat out of their systems.
The last few days in camp at Oriam have given them plenty of time for introspection, but firm conclusions over just why it all went so badly during the week have been hard to come by.
“It is difficult to say what happened,” said Hendry. “Emotions were high after the game and we spent a few days picking apart what went wrong.
“The group is extremely low at the moment but we have to learn from the other night. We need to make sure it doesn’t happen again. It will be a difficult learning curve but with the talent we have in the squad we have to learn from it.
“It’s difficult to say whether the emotions of the night played a part. The boys in the squad have played in big games with high expectations.
“It was a massive game, there’s no getting away from what was at stake, but I don’t know if you can say that was the reason for a poor performance.
“As a player you just want the next game to come around as soon as possible to get over the other night.
“You have extremely low moments but you can’t allow yourself to get too low. We need to look forward to the next one and rectify it with a good performance and result. That’s our main focus now.
“We know how important the Nations League can be. I’m sure it will be mentioned in the next few days that this was what got us to the Euros the last time.
“It’s extremely important to us. We want to finish top of the group and push to qualify for another tournament and get in to Pot A.
“That’s an ambition for the boys as well, so there is a lot at stake.”
If there’s one consolation Hendry an take from this week, it is that his club experience has taught him just how quickly things can change for the better in football.
The former Partick Thistle and Celtic man went through a difficult spell with Club Brugge this term after a fall-out with coach Alfred Schreuder, threatening to leave the club in March if he remained out of favour.
As it turned out, Hendry fought his way back into the side, and scored the goal that clinched the title for his club, with Schreuder having now moved on to succeed Erik Ten Hag at Ajax.
“I went through a difficult stage there for a month or so, not playing at Brugge,” he said. “I’ve played 45 games this season so it’s probably the most I’ve played in a campaign.
“From not playing for a wee bit to getting back in to the team and scoring the goal to win the league was amazing.
“It was a shame I couldn’t have added to that the other night as my main goal was to help take Scotland to a World Cup. I can still achieve that – this group can still achieve it.
“It’s like club football. You can’t get too low and you have to wait for the opportunity to come around and then take it.
“I was proud of achieving a winners’ medal as a Scottish lad over there. It just makes you hungry to achieve more.
“That’s why the other night was so disappointing.”
