Scott Brown’s final game at Celtic Park was not what it should have been or what it could have been. If crowds were allowed into Celtic Park last night, the place would have been rocking. Packed to capacity to show appreciation for Celtic’s most successful captain since Billy McNeill.
It should have been a night of celebration and to allow our nine in a row, Quadruple Treble captain the chance to say goodbye to the fans the way he wanted to. It wasn’t to be and the fans paid their own tribute before the match.
Nine in a row and a Quadruple Treble. Broony captained the club through all of that and he should have been afforded respect before his final game at Paradise kicked off.
Unfortunately the pundits at The Go Radio Football Show had different ideas. Step up Davie Provan and (for some strange reason!) Derek Johnstone. For Scott Brown’s final game, some bright spark thought ‘Let’s get Derek Johnstone on‘. Unbelievable.
Between the two of them they couldn’t muster up the decency to just congratulate the Captain on all of his achievements, but instead, before the compliments came the boot. First up was Provan, “I’ve had my say on Scott Brown. I don’t want to sound mean spirited, I’m still of the opinion that he is a very good player but not a top top player. But I would have to take my hat off to him he has been a terrific servant to Celtic.
“To play for the club for 14 years and handle the pressure that that involves I’ve got huge admiration for him and hopefully even without a crowd tonight at Celtic Park, he’ll get a good send off.”
Is Scott Brown a Celtic legend?YES
YES 100%
WHY ARE YOU ASKING STUPID QUESTIONS?
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Provans thoughts were echo’d by Johnstone who also put the boot in before praising the legend, “But no, I think he has been good, but Davie is right. He wasn’t a top class player but the job he did, he did very very well indeed. He was more of a leader on the park.
“I think that every club needs someone like a Scott Brown. If things are not good well he needs to get into players heads around him to get them playing again and he certainly did that.”
This sort of sleekit tribute (is that even the right way to describe it?) really boils my blood. Fourteen years, 10 league titles, 6 Scottish Cups, 7 League Cups and Champions League last 16 twice and he isn’t a top player. It beggars belief that these two got their opinion in unchallenged by the host.
And the irony of all of this. During conversation both Provan and Johnstone shared their disbelief that Steven Gerrard was talking to Alex Ferguson again after the Man Utd legend said in his book that Gerrard wasn’t a top player. Yep. That’s right.
Yesterday I wrote a piece about the media agenda in Scotland in this day and age. I guess I was wrong.
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