Grant Hanley is aiming high with his New Year’s resolutions Premier League promotion for Blackburn Rovers and qualification for Euro 2016 with Scotland.
The defender has grown in stature in the last year, having been made captain at his club by Gary Bowyer, while he’s been a mainstay for Gordon Strachan, appearing in 13 of his 17 matches in charge of the country.
Such is the progress made under his respective bosses, Hanley is feeling quietly confident. Now the Dumfries-born defender wants a tangible reward.
But with the Championship as tight as ever, and Scotland involved in a battle with Germany, Poland and the Republic of Ireland for a place in France, Hanley is ready for one big game after another, starting today at home to Wolves.
“It promises to be an exciting year,” he said.
“Scotland have as tough a group as there is. But we’ve put ourselves in a good position and hopefully it will go right to the wire. And we have a strong squad at Blackburn, that has a great chance of being promoted.
“There’s a sense of anticipation with the national team at the moment. We’ve improved massively over the last two years under Gordon, but as a team we can’t get too far ahead of ourselves. We know we have to improve.
“It’s exactly the same at club level. If you get confident after a couple of results, you get slapped right back down. So although there’s maybe a bit more expectation, we have to keep our feet on the ground.
“Our fixtures will do that, though, along with all the games in the Championship. But it’s something I enjoy and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
It will be five years this May since Hanley made his first-team debut in the Premier League but Blackburn is a very different club now.
The big stars have gone and Hanley is skipper of a young side desperate to get back to the top flight. Still only 23, but with more than 150 appearances at club level, the defender has thrived with the armband.
“Being captain is something I’ve enjoyed,” he admitted. “I did it at youth level but it’s a lot different at first-team level. I’ve never tried to change my game because of it, but I have enjoyed the responsibility.
“Ever since I got involved in first-team football and especially as a centre-half the more you play and the more experience you have, the better you get. And being involved at international level can only improve me further.”
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