I'm Paul Hartley of Celtic and Scotland, my dreams have come true

Last updated : 24 March 2009 By Mikbhoy

Hartley - Plenty to shout about these days
Paul Hartley won his first cap against Italy in the San Siro four years ago at the age of 28 and has been a vital part of the Scottish engine room ever since. The hard grafting midfielder's willingness to adapt his game to his team's demands is appreciated by club and country bosses but the player himself is just happy to be a part of it all after spending so much of his career at a lower level in the game.

"When you get towards your late twenties and things you've dreamed about haven't happened, you do begin to think it's going to pass you by," said Hartley. "So, everything that's happened to me over the past three or four years, like winning the Scottish Cup with Hearts, joining Celtic and winning league titles and cups, and making the Scotland team has been fantastic for me."

"When I signed for Celtic, my target was to win trophies for this club," he said. "However, there are no guarantees. I've just been fortunate that the team has managed to do well during my time here. When I do stop playing, I will be able to look back on these memories, look back on the trophies and matches I've won with Celtic."

Paul Hartley is a vital part of the Scotland international setup today.
"That's one reason why I don't mind at all what position I play for Celtic or Scotland." he continued. "Yes, I was more of an attacking midfielder before and with both my club and my country I've been used more as a defensive midfielder in recent times. I'm equally happy in both roles. I realise that time is getting on for some of us when it comes to qualifying for the World Cup or the European championship, but I don't feel old."

"I keep myself fit and that's what's important." said Hartley "Look at Ryan Giggs as a model for what can be achieved. The way he's looked after himself, the condition he's in, after all the success he's achieved over the past 16 years or so. Yet he's being talked about in England as a possible player of the year again at the age of 35."

Paul is with the Scotland squad preparing for the World Cup qualifier against the Dutch this weekend and despite their status as underdogs he feels that Scotland can get a result. "We don't fear the match because players don't think like that," he said. "We'll have plenty of respect for the Dutch side, because they have so much quality that they deserve it. But that's different from being afraid of the fixture. You don't have far to look to see what can happen in football. I realise that what has gone before doesn't have any bearing on what will happen now but previous events do tell you what is possible.

"For instance, you only have to look at Celtic and St Mirren a couple of weeks ago." said the Celtic number 11. "We beat them 7-0 in the league and the following weekend they beat us 1-0 and put us out of the Scottish Cup. Then there were Scotland's victories over France in the qualifying for the European championship last summer."

"We know the kind of team Holland can be on their day," he concluded. "In matches like this, you have to have a lot going for you. You have to defend well, you have to make it as difficult as possible for them to operate at their best and you have to make use of the ball whenever you have it, because it's certain they will have long periods of possession. And, if you do get the chance to do something, you have to take it, because there probably won't be many."