JACK HENDRY has had to endure an intense level of supporters backlash since joining Celtic in the January transfer window from Dundee.
Brendan Rodgers reckoned that the then Dundee defender had all the attributes that he could work with and develop into a top central defender. Hendry of course arrived in the same window as the much more experienced defender Marvin Compper – whose Celtic career looks to be over after a contribution of just 81 minutes back in March against Morton in the Scottish Cup.
Hendry has had more football at Celtic so far than probably he or anyone else expected. He came on as a substitute on Beautiful Sunday – the day Jozo Simunovic got sent off and the subsequent suspension to the Croatian opened a door for the former Dundee man.
When Dedryck Boyata had his post World Cup strop, Hendry found his path to the first team had opened up again. Even at Kilmarnock the other week when he was named as a substitute, the new loan signing from Leicester Filip Benkovic got injured in the warn up and Hendry found himself in the starting eleven.
Social media can be brutal and Jack Hendry has suffered more than probably any other Celtic player in recent times. One of the criticisms has been that he was a jinx to the team and that with him in it Celtic weren’t winning. We have written about this very subject on The Celtic Star re the abuse Jack Hendry has had to suffer – see HERE.
Hendry wasn’t scoring own goals or making that many mistakes but he got pelters – and often too.
He was on social media himself, he made a remark about England losing and was absolutely slaughtered by an angry English mob but since then he’s taken a back seat – or so he says.
There are these click bait sites that pounce as soon as Celtic had a bad result and gather 5 or 6 tweets together and post as an article. Depressingly this usually sits at the top of the Most Read column on the news aggregator sites – and it’s not just Jack Hendry who they slaughter, although he is a particular favourite for the treatment.
Yesterday Hendry spoke about online sticks and stones and says he has learnt to cope with it. He’s likely to start tonight against Salzburg and they are a dynamic, free scoring side who look capable of causing Celtic problems.
Hendry of course also broke into the Scotland set-up during this eventful time in his career and has this week been named in McLeish’s squad for the next batch of internationals. But before that it’s Salzburg this evening that top of the agenda. Here’s what Jack had to say to the official website.
“When you have critics you have to take it on the chin. It’s how you deal with it that matters. Sometimes you will get criticised, other times you will get plaudits.
“People are entitled to say their bit. I just try to stay away from social media. It’s unnecessary for a footballer to look at it – I felt that was the best thing to do.
“I wasn’t on it that much before I came here but there is no real necessity to be on it.
“The opinions that matter most are the people around the team, the coaching staff and my team-mates. Obviously these days people are a few clicks away from giving an opinion but most of it is irrelevant. The majority of the stuff on it is of no use to me.”
“Obviously social media can be good for keeping fans updated but I think that’s as far as it goes. You can’t get dragged into it and be looking at certain stuff because it distracts you from what you should be focusing on and doing on the pitch.
“You should be looking at games and thinking about opponents rather than going into what other people think. It is part of the game now, social media, and as a player you have to find the best way to deal with it.
“There is loads of experience in our dressing room if I ever want to talk to someone about certain subjects. I want to improve, I am a good listener and will take in everything I’m told.
“You just have to believe in yourself, keep pushing on and have confidence in your ability. If you do that the rest will take care of itself. I feel in every game you need to showcase your ability and the talents you have.
“In every match you need to show the mentality you’re capable of wearing that shirt. That’s something that I thrive on. We have a good defensive record going into this game and you want clean sheets at every club that you play for.
“We need to try to maintain that as a team and keep improving in that area. As a team we know what our strengths are. We take it game by game but a win on Thursday is what we’re looking for. It would be a great achievement to come here and do that.”
“When you play in Europe the opposition is better. There are players from all different nationalities and generally the pace is much higher. Has it been an eye-opener? Not really, it has been enjoyable.
“I have enjoyed playing in Europe. I feel like it suits my game and I believe I can play in this arena. I have showed it with Scotland as well.
“This is where I wanted to be in my career and to go even further.”
