IT will be entirely understandable if Grant Hanley and his Scotland team mates are a little more pumped up than usual when their second Euro 2024 game against Switzerland kicks off in the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne tomorrow evening.
They have been eviscerated by supporters, journalists, pundits and commentators – one of whom has even branded them “the worst team in the tournament” – alike since their 5-1 mauling by hosts Germany in their opening Group A game Munich on Friday night.
Steve Clarke’s squad members are feeling angry, hurt and embarrassed ahead of their encounter with Murat Yakin’s men – who romped to a comfortable 3-1 win over Hungary on Saturday afternoon – and there is a determination among them to produce a vastly-improved performance and silence their many critics.
Yet, Hanley, who should start in the centre of a three man defence in the absence of Ryan Porteous, is a vastly-experienced international campaigner and is well aware that he and his compatriots must keep their cool in North Rhine-Westphalia if they want to get a result which keeps alive their chances of progression to the knockout rounds.
The Norwich City centre half was in full Lord Kitchener mode as he spoke to the media after a training session at Stadion am Groben in Garmisch-Partenkirchen yesterday and stressed the importance of not going too gung ho with a place in the last 16 still eminently achievable.
“From my experience if you approach the game like that then that is normally when things go wrong,” he said. “I think it is important that we don’t make it bigger than it is. It is a game of football at the end of the day and we know exactly what we need to do to be able to perform and give ourselves a better chance of getting a result.
“Keep calm, remember the principles, remember what has helped us be successful in the past. Like I say, I think the message would be to learn from where we went wrong, stay calm and make sure we put it right.”
The Dumfries-born player helped Scotland to recover from the 2-0 loss they suffered at the hands of the Czech Republic at Hampden in their opening game at Euro 2020 three years ago. He was immense in direct opposition to Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford in a 0-0 draw with England at Wembley four days later.
“Sometimes it’s difficult to put a bad result behind you and focus on what lies ahead even though it sounds simple. But that’s what we’ve got to do. Not an awful lot has changed. We still know that a minimum of four points is likely to get us through. That is now the goal. It will be similar (to Wembley) if we get a positive result.
“It is a lot easier when you come to a place like this. That certainly helps. That is something that we have done really well, in terms of the facilities and everything the lads have got. The set up is absolutely perfect. But for me it’s not a question of looking at outside opinions or outside comments. It is not something I really look at what people are saying to be honest with you.”
Clarke revealed on Sunday that he had spoken to his players both collectively and individually and had “kicked a few backsides” and “given a few cuddles”. Hanley politely declined to reveal which he had received. But he stressed that everyone had taken on board the points their manager made to them and had faith in his ability to oversee an upturn in fortunes in midweek.
“The manager has dealt with things the way he obviously felt he needed to deal with it,” he said. “All the lads absolutely accept that, 100 per cent. That will not be a problem because we have a good group of genuine men in that dressing room who are honest with each other and honest with themselves.
“The manager has had his meetings and we’ve all been honest with each other. I wouldn’t say it’s a case of starting over again because we have started. There is no point in lying to ourselves because we are where we are.”
Hanley stressed that all of the Scotland players had rallied around Porteous, who yesterday received a two match ban from UEFA for his two-footed foul on Germany captain Ilkay Gundogan, in recent days. He feels their support for the Watford man underlines the closeness of the bond between them all.
“Obviously I am one of the older players in the squad and one of the more experienced players in the squad so that is naturally a role you perform,” he said. “But there’s more experienced and far better players in this squad and they obviously have a big part to play in that as well. Like I say, togetherness in the group is excellent and that is something the players do as a group. They all back each other.
“I think Ryan was unlucky. When you slow it down, you pause it and yes, it looks bad. But if you are somebody who has played the game you know exactly what has happened. Ryan has tried to block the shot and in my opinion he has been unlucky. Again, you slow it down, you pause it, it looks bad but to be here playing in the Euros and for that to happen, it’s heartbreaking.
“It is not one person’s job in particular to lift him. It is the whole group together. All the boys need to make sure he is alright. He obviously was down. But Ryan’s a professional, he’s still here and he is still an important part of the group. He is still training really well and training really hard. I can imagine that is how it will be going forward.”
Scotland will have to perform far better against Switzerland tomorrow evening and Hungary in Stuttgart on Sunday to progress out of Group A and give Porteous the chance to play again at Euro 2024 – but Grant Hanley is convinced they can if they keep their heads while all around them are losing theirs.
