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Ryan Porteous admits he could’ve 'gone under' amid criticism from Steven Gerrard and Co

The former Hibs star - plying his trade in England with Watford - is now a regular in Steve Clarke's Scotland set-up

Ryan Porteous admits some kids could have gone under in the face of such savage stick.


But it wasn’t going to happen to him. Not with the strong support of friends, family and the likes of Steve Clarke at his back. Porteous’ career is blossoming at Watford with excellent performances cementing his Scotland place. It wasn’t always so smooth for the 24-year-old.


As a Hibs player, he was the subject of severe criticism over his aggressive and committed style, with Rangers boss Steven Gerrard particularly scathing on more than one occasion. Porteous had to deal with it all and reflected: “I think if I didn’t have as many people around me that help you out, a lot of people could go under with the stuff I kind of dealt with. But I had good managers, good team-mates and a good group of mates and family that always said don’t listen to it and read it and I taught myself not to.


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“When you are young and coming through, you always pick up your phone and go on Twitter or whatever and you look at it. There are a lot of young lads that might go through similar that could go under, but I always had a good group of people behind me and, obviously, within football who said don’t listen to it.

“You learn from mistakes. You take the positives as well. I think that kind of stuff makes you stronger. You learn from the naivety you have at a young age. It’s stood me in good stead. I’ve not been hotheaded for a while. There have been flare-ups at times. Listen, hopefully I’ve got better. A better player. A better person. On and off the park as well. You learn.

(Image: Getty Images)
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“I don’t think it was as big a problem as it was made out to be, but, hopefully, the one thing that’s changed over the last three or four years is I’ve become a better player.”

With Porteous first making his way in the Scotland squad during the latter part of his career with Hibs, Clarke believed in the talent. The national coach has been a pillar of continuity for the defender during a period of change at his clubs.

Porteous had five different managers at Easter Road and it’s now four at Watford with Tom Cleverley’s recent appointment. Clarke has been the constant with Scotland and he said: “There is a lot of noise that goes with Watford. But it is actually a happy, settled changing room with the boys. Look, it’s obviously tough when people lose their jobs. So when you come here and have a manager that knows everybody, and the players know him, then that continuity is good.


(Image: Getty Images)

"The manager here is someone who has shown a lot of faith in me and I’m just glad that in the last year to 14 months I’ve been able to repay that faith. I’ve got so many good things to say about him. He’s been brilliant for me. I wouldn’t want to rank managers, but he would be up there.

“I’ve had a lot of managers in my career now. It’s never easy [losing a club manager]. It always hurts particularly if it’s a manager who likes you and treats you very well. But there are also positives as well as negatives. I’ve worked with different managers with different ideas.


“I’ve been at a couple of clubs now where they tend to point the finger at the manager when it’s not going well. That’s the owners’ responsibility, it’s his job. He’s the boss at the end of the day.”

Clarke had Porteous primed for the debut against Ukraine in September 2022 as he added: “There was a lot of work done behind the scenes to get me prepared and ready that a lot of people didn’t see.”

Now, of course, he now needs to keep convincing Clarke he’s worthy of a place in the 23-man squad for Germany. The boss says whittling down the numbers is going to be a brutal business, but the centre-back admits it won’t break bonds in the unit.


Porteous explained: “If we can all give the manager a headache then that is only a good thing for the team. That is probably the biggest thing with this squad, that we are so close. There definitely wouldn’t be any bitterness towards anybody. We are all best mates. It is difficult at points, but when it comes to that side of things, definitely not. It’s good that nobody’s position is safe.”

Scotland Team Picture
Scotland Team Picture(Image: SNS Group)

Summer plans can’t yet be made for loved ones with Germany spots not secured, but Porteous said: “I think my family will go out anyway because it’s an experience that I don’t think anybody in my lifetime has been able to do, go away to a European Championships with Scotland. I’m sure a lot of my mates will turn up. I don’t know if they will be going to the games, but they’ll be there!”

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Porteous’ next opportunity to impress comes in Friday’s clash where he’ll face Dutch defensive icon Virgil van Dijk. He said: “He’s obviously right up there as one of the best players in the world, never mind just centre-backs.

“These are the games we will be playing at the Euros, against top teams. The next step for us is competing with them and beating them. It will be good to step onto the same pitch as him, but the next step is not just being there, but making an impact.”

Porteous will maintain that fully-committed approach which the Tartan Army loves and added: “Of course the fans are going to love a player who gets stuck in, but that’s not all you want to be. You hate those kinds of players when they are against you. Hopefully, when they are playing for you, you can find a place for them.”

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Virgil van DijkTartan ArmyRyan PorteousSteve ClarkeScotland football teamEuro 2024Hibernian FCWatford FC
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