THE Scotland squad was shown a video montage of the national team’s finest moments over the years after they gathered at their base just outside Edinburgh on Sunday evening.

Watching Joe Jordan’s diving header against Czechoslovakia in 1973, Ally McCoist’s piledriver against Switzerland in 1996 and James McFadden’s wonder goal against France in 2007 proved to be uplifting for the assembled players.

“I think that kind of motivational stuff works,” said Grant Hanley yesterday. “If you watch those moments, it does inspire you. For me personally, that type of thing is always good. Stuff like that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Everyone has to take it their own way, but I think the boys will take inspiration from it.”

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Some highlights of the national team’s more recent exploits were included in the footage by new manager Alex McLeish, but they were, for obvious reasons, significantly outnumbered by the grainy images of yesteryear.

Yet, Hanley, back playing regularly for Norwich City in the English Championship and back in the Scotland squad after putting his difficult season at Newcastle United firmly behind him, intends to change that in the months ahead. “It was mainly goals Scotland had scored,” he said. “Hopefully I can get something onto the next one that’s put together.”

There is, as is the case whenever there is a change of head coach at any club or team, a definite sense of optimism around the national squad at the moment and hopes are high the bid to reach the Euro 2020 finals will be different.

For Hanley, who lost his place during an unsuccessful Russia 2018 qualifying campaign after failing to hold down a first team place at St James’s Park, it is certainly a new beginning.

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“This is definitely a chance for me to get back into the side,” he said. “Personally, I feel good at the moment because I’m back playing regularly again at club level. If you are playing for your club, you are obviously going to have a better chance of playing at international level.

“I was left out of the last squad, which I was gutted about. But I could totally understand why. Now I’m just glad to be back and it’s up to me to train well and show the manager what I can do.

“There are a lot of new faces. The squad is different with a new manager. It’s the start of the build up to a new campaign and we have to take it that way.

“We have these first couple of friendly games for everyone to get to know each other and for the new manager to put his ideas across. The boys are just excited to get started now.”

Many acres of newsprint and hours of television and radio airtime have been devoted to debating why Scotland have failed to qualify for the finals of a major tournament since France ’98.

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For Hanley, who has been involved in some capacity in the last four unsuccessful campaigns, the secret to halting the slide is simple.

“Winning more games would be a good start,” he said. “We need to get that winning mentality, that’s important. You always know what you are going to get from Scotland, the boys are always going to try their hardest and show a lot of fight.

“It’s another chance for us, it’s a new campaign. It’s a great chance for us to try and get it right this time. There’s no magic spell, it’s not about just changing one thing which will suddenly make us start winning games.

“It’s up to the players. The new manager will tell us what he expects from us and it’s up to the players to do that on the park. But I do think we need to get that winning mentality together and really focus and push on to win more games.”

Among the new faces in the Scotland squad for the double header against Costa Rica and Hungary are promising centre backs Jack Hendry of Celtic, who was called up on Sunday after Russell Martin and Kieran Tierney pulled out with injuries, and Scott McKenna of Aberdeen.

Those two will, along with Christophe Berra, Martin, Charlie Mulgrew and Tierney, all be pushing for a start in what has been a problem position for this country for some time now when the inaugural Nations League kicks off later this year. Hanley, though, has welcomed the challenge of keeping them out.

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“It’s good for everyone,” he said. “The boys who are getting called up aren’t here for no reason. They are obviously quality players and the competition for places is a good thing.

“The better the players you are competing with for a place in the team, ultimately you are only going to drive each other on to be better. That’s a very important part of any squad.”

Hanley is confident all of the contenders for the centre back berths will benefit from working with one of the best players in the position this country has ever produced.

“What he did for club and country in his playing career, you don’t even need to talk about it,” he said. “His record speaks for itself. Centre half was his position and he obviously knows what he’s talking about with regards to playing there. So it will be good for me to pick up any wee pointers I can from him.”

Hanley, who won the last of his 28 caps in the 2-0 win over Malta at Hampden back in September, is looking forward to working with James McFadden, a player who he grew up supporting as a boy.

“He can definitely add something new and it’s great to add what he brings to being around the squad,” he said. “Hopefully he can put his views across and help us get to where we want to be.

“I think it can be inspirational having a guy like him around. Certainly, for me, when I was growing up he was the kind of guy I watched playing for Scotland. It’s good to have him around the place.”