Grant Hanley needs Norwich City supporters more than ever

Nobody will need to deliver that message to the Norwich City captain. He is honest and experienced enough to know that his performance levels since pre-season haven't been to the high standards that he demands of himself. 

The latest error whilst representing Scotland would hurt him more than anything. It was rash. It was unnecessary. It felt quite uncharacteristic. It was catastrophic to his side. 

For Hanley, it's been a sobering few weeks. He's lost his place in the Norwich side and has faced fierce criticism along the way. That has been magnified after the error that cost Scotland a Nations League point against Poland. 

This string of performances has come off the back of an encouraging European Championships that ended with Hanley delivering a standout display despite their heartbreaking late defeat to Hungary in June raised hopes he may have rediscovered his best again after that injury. 

When you're 32 and have a rough patch, as Hanley is currently, the analysis is that your legs are gone. You're past it. There is no way back. That isn't the same for a 22-year-old. Maybe that's the nature of the game, but a bigger sample size is required. It's up to Hanley to prove he can hit the levels again.

For useful context, some genuinely feared that Hanley would never return from that Achilles injury sustained in April 2023 at Ewood Park. 

His return to the pitch at all was considered a remarkable achievement. It would come as little surprise if his body was impacted as a direct result of that significant injury blow 16 months ago. 

Hanley is into his eighth, and most likely last, campaign with Norwich. For the majority of that time, he has been the club's best central defender, including during tough spells in the Premier League. 

Limitations? Absolutely. He is not a natural ball player, but his performances have been consistent, and his leadership commendable throughout his time in Norfolk. 

There is a reason why every head coach has placed him at the forefront of their plans. There is a reason why he is so well respected within the dressing room among his peers. 

Hanley has two Championship title-winning medals around his neck; he has played 195 games for the club and has been named in the top three for the club's player of the season award on three occasions. 

He doesn't deserve a long Norwich goodbye full of criticism and vitriol, which casts him as a scapegoat. That doesn't reflect his achievements or standing throughout his time at Carrow Road. 

Grant Hanley has endured a difficult start to the new season. (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)

What he doesn't need is a repetitive pile-on or bashing of his confidence. Hanley needs the Norwich support more than ever right now, be it with him on the pitch or simply as a member of Thorup's squad moving forward. 

Football is brutal, so a little bit of kindness doesn't go amiss. Players who serve clubs are rarities, and Hanley is proof that loyalty and commitment haven't completely evaporated in the game, especially amid high-profile examples in recent months at Norwich alone. 

Maybe Hanley never recaptures the performances that made him a regular at Carrow Road. Maybe that yard of pace isn't one that returns. That isn't controllable, and do you know what? That's okay. It isn't deliberate.

What is under the jurisdiction of supporters is how he remembers the club during those struggles. Negativity is never repaired by more negativity. That cycle has to be broken. 

The likelihood is that Hanley won't be exposed to as many games as he has been in previous seasons, but if City want to retain that growing sense of optimism and positivity, then having a constantly bubbling pot of negativity simmering around one player isn't helpful. 

Irrespective of his deficiencies as a footballer, and there are several, Hanley is still an important member of City's dressing room and the club captain. 

During the Rowe saga, Hanley went out of his way to meet the youngster outside of club premises to try to defuse, advise, and understand. That is real captaincy. His message to the rest of the dressing room was to show forgiveness rather than criticise harder. 

That is just one of a handful of examples during his time at the club. Thorup is keen to ensure the Scottish international is someone who is plugged into his ideas and buys into his methods. 

Supporters aren't privy to those moments, and it's hard to truly gauge, but speak to any of City's first-team players or youngsters breaking through, and they will reference Hanley's role in welcoming them in or supporting them at various times throughout their introductions to life at the club. 

Hanley has a perception of being a tough warrior, and to an extent that is the case, but those closer to him would point to a more gentle interior. That dynamic makes him such a key figure in the heart of a changing room. 

Grant Hanley still has a major off pitch role to play for the Canaries. (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)

But that doesn't mean Hanley gets a free pass when it comes to playing matches. That hasn't been the case since that opening day horror show against Oxford United. Nor does it mean that Norwich should keep him indefinitely purely for those qualities, nor will they. He will play on merit, not sentiment. There is a reason he hasn't played a league minute since that day at the Kassam Stadium. 

Hanley turns 33 in November and is in the final year of his contract. It doesn't feel like it would align particularly well with City's new strategy to hand him renewed terms. 

That day will come. But until then, he wears yellow and green and it is in everyone's interest to help him through a very difficult personal moment. Hanley deserves that after his service in Norfolk, often without fuss and very little fanfare. 

He deserves it for the sprint to keep the ball in play and subsequent cross that Timm Klose nodded in against Ipswich back in 2017 to preserve their derby day record alone. 

When all is said and done, Hanley will be remembered favourably in NR1. City supporters have a chance to make sure his exit, if this is it, is done in a way befitting his contribution.