(Photo by Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images)
Hibs manager Jack Ross has blasted “ill-informed” pundits who spouted “garbage” about Easter Road star Ryan Porteous following his red card against Rangers.
The defender was dismissed for a late challenge on Rangers’ Joe Aribo when the sides met at Ibrox last month, leading to some hefty criticism for the Hibs star.
(Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
However Ross insists much of what was said about Porteous was “garbage” as he leaped to the defence of the Cabbage fan favourite ahead of Sunday’s League Cup semi-final against the Ibrox side.
“He’s a player who didn’t have a suspension last season, so it isn’t a thing for him. It’s a myth that gets created by people,” Ross said.
“I dealt with it in the dressing-room after it happened, some of the garbage he has to put up with.
“And it was perpetuated by people who were ill-informed, in terms of pundits.
“He is aggressive. He’s a centre-back. But he’s a top centre-back.”
Ross was pleased to see Porteous added to the Scotland squad for the win over Denmark after Scott McTominay’s late withdrawal and thinks it is “the best possible vindication” for how Porteous is doing.
The Hibs boss admits he’s been “very excited” by the defender’s progress and believes his place in the Scotland squad shows his critics that Porto “actually is a very good young centre-half.”
“I think it’s the best possible vindication you can get, if you like, of how he’s perceived within the game.
“We have a national team manager who is performing really well at the moment, someone who has earned enormous respect within the game for his coaching credentials.
“So if somebody of that ilk thinks Ryan is good enough to be called up to his squad, that illustrates where he is – and he’s still a very young man.
“I’ve been very excited by how Ryan has progressed in my time here.
“I’ve acknowledged the deficiencies in his game that I saw – and he’s still working on them.
“But he’s got a lot of really good points.
“So I was delighted when he was called up and I do think, for the wider population, it maybe was an another indication that he actually is a very good young centre-half.”
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