Scotlands great survivor Hanley basks in battle

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Watch best of action as Scotland win in Greece

Back when Smokin Joe Frazier was the most feared heavyweight in the world, some reporters asked him what it was about the fight game that he loved so much.

He riffed awhile about the physical and mental challenges in the ring, his ability to go to hell and back. "I love it," Frazier concluded. "I love it like a hog loves slop."

As Grant Hanley made his tackles, blocks, clearances, as he threw his body in the way of everything and anything in a second half of unrelenting pressure by Greece in Piraeus, it was tempting to rework that quote and apply it to the Scotland defender.

He loves defending like a hog loves slop. On his 60th cap, he made more clearances than hes had minutes on the pitch in more than a month.

Hanley looked in his element out there. Crosses into the box, shots from distance, physical confrontations, a rearguard action - he revelled in it.

That horrible moment at the end when it looked like he might have given away a penalty - he survived it.

His expression didnt change, but his heart must have been going like the clappers - if not at the dread of an error that might have cost Scotland the game, then at the sheer exhaustion he might have felt.

In this first leg, Hanley was kind of heroic. Heroic in the sense that he has hardly kicked a ball in anger for a relative age.

In that regard, hes a freak who can go from bit parts in the third tier of English football to a major role in testing circumstances against a team good enough to go to Wembley last autumn and win.

But not good enough to break Birminghams lesser-spotted centre-back.

Hanley is a freak who soaks up the doubt that comes at him from fans who really dont want him at the heart of Scotlands defence. Team announced. Hanley in. Groan. Thats been the way of it.

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Clarke on McTominay netting again

Steve Clarke could have picked Scott McKenna, but he didnt. McKenna is a regular for Las Palmas in La Liga. His club is struggling, one off the bottom, but amid the disappointment there have been bright moments.

Las Palmas held Real Sociedad in December; they went to Barcelona and beat Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal and the rest 2-1, they got a 1-1 draw against a Real Madrid team with Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe up front.

McKenna played 90 minutes in all of those games, but Clarke went with Hanley.

The no-nonsense defenders previous five games before this stellar show of defiance saw him get one minute against Stevenage; two against Lincoln; one against Reading; another one against Bradford and five against Charlton.

The last time he started for Birmingham was 4 February. You have to go back to 27 August and 10 August to find his two other league starts, when he was a Norwich man. He lost one 4-0 and the other 2-0.

In Hanley, Clarke trusts. And in Anthony Ralston, his right-back, Clarke also trusts.

Ralston doesnt start much for Celtic these days - five in a league season thats 30 games old. He was just as good as Hanley, just as resilient, just as energetic, just as determined.

That second 45 was a backs to the wall job and, while it wasnt easy for John Souttar and Andy Robertson either, their sturdy performances came on the back of confidence gained with their club.

The other two had no such belief to fall back on. And yet they fronted up.

Hanleys been doing it for a while now. Before Scotlands double-header against Croatia and Portugal in mid-October, he had played two minutes of club football - against Derby in a 3-2 defeat - in the previous six weeks.

He played 90 against Croatia in a 2-1 loss and another 90 against Portugal in 0-0 draw. That was Portugal with Cristiano Ronaldo, Diogo Jota, Bruno Fernandes and Francesco Conceicao. None of that lot could expose him.

Then it was back to the wilderness. His preparation for the November double-header against Poland and Croatia was 15 minutes in a 2-1 defeat by Cardiff - the only football he had played in a month.

Scotland beat Croatia 1-0 and Poland 2-1. Hanley played every minute; big and bold and as hungry as hell.

Hanley is 33 years old and with his travails in club football he has every reason to believe that his time is running out.

But he clearly doesnt believe it. Hes staying in the fight. Hes basking in the battle.

Clarke loves players who have strength and persistence, players who have endured set-backs but refuse to buckle, players who are written off but always come again.

No wonder he keeps faith with Hanley, despite the lack of football in his legs.

Hes nobodys idea of the perfect centre-back. He wont take it out of defence and spray passes. He wont amaze a single soul with his technical excellence. Theres a mistake or two in him.

But in the business of bottle, hes up there. In terms of mental fortitude, he takes a bit of beating.

He might have been inches away from giving away that penalty late in the game on Thursday, but the great survivor, survived. And there was justice in that.

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20/03/25