He described his move to Club Brugge as a no-brainer at the time. “I know the ins and outs of a great club. You have to win every game, when everyone wants to beat you.”
His time at the club so far is a mirror image of his career: riddled with obstacles. Base, bank, denounced, leased to Cremonese, and finally recovered by Scott Parker.
“I had a feeling I wasn’t done with the Club yet.” Jack Hendry, 27, once laughed in the Bosuil catacombs, where he was initially let down by his new trainer. With barely playing minutes in the legs. “I’m happy to be back, I love this club.”
The Scotsman has done well in central defence, and has proven he can add value with his duel. “I can build on this.”
superfluous under Schroeder
Last season he earned eighteen starts with the national champion. But when Alfred Schroeder became coach, the defender missed his chances with some stupid antics and red cards. Hendry said in the Scottish media that he was unhappy in Bruges, after which he criticized his coach at the time. “It’s very difficult for me. Don’t you keep the best defender in the team? The situation has to change. I didn’t come to the club to sit on the bench.”
Schroeder did not elaborate on these statements. “He has indicated that he is not satisfied, that he wants to play and that he does not agree with me. That is allowed.” In the playoffs, Hendry was allowed two more starts. He scored a goal at the Antwerp stadium in the title match.
Under Karl Hofkins, the Scot lost all credit after a poor performance at Eupen Stadium at the start of the season. He was a traveler of duty: sometimes on the team, other times not. A situation he has gone through several times in his career. His previous teams were called Dundee United, Partick Thistle, Wigan Athletic, Shrewsbury, Milton Keynes Dons, Melbourne City, KV Oostende and more recently Cremonese.
Hendry has been leased by the club to the Italians this season, and they have also negotiated a €6m buy-out option. Only his adventure in the Italian league ended in failure. “It wasn’t the right choice,” he says. “The language barrier didn’t make it any easier. However, I learned a lot, especially on a defensive level.” This extra tactical training could come in handy for Club Brugge, who have been struggling defensively in recent weeks.
Anger explosion
Parker was keen to join Hendry. “Quality and competition add to the core.” driving as well. In Ostend he was one of the leaders on the field and in the dressing room. During an outburst after a game against Standard, he berates Ari Skolason, who is eight years his senior.
At the age of twenty, Hendry thought about quitting smoking, and experienced difficulties in life. In an interview: “The road was bumpy, but it made me strong. I learned what it means to win trophies. This is very useful at the Club. In Ostend I had to put myself on the map again and I succeeded.”
History repeats itself. After a year full of doubts, the Club is once again counting on Hendry to restore order to the defensive chaos and to add a little poison to the team.
