Brown joined Celtic from Hibernian in 2007 for a record domestic transfer fee of £4.4m. It would only take two and a half years for a manager to name him captain of the club. Due to the large fee and reported high wages, in the region of £20-25k a week, Brown has always been under scrutiny from the Celtic support. It's fair to say that opinion is often divided on whether he should be starting nevermind be the captain. When Brown played for Hibernian he caught the eye as part of the talented team which included the likes of Steven Fletcher, Derek Riordan, Kevin Thomson and Gary O'Connor. He was a direct, attacking midfielder and while this didn't always result in goals for the player he brought urgency to a successful team, landing Hibs their first trophy in sixteen years.
When Gordon Strachan signed Brown this is what Celtic fans thought they were going to see. Instead Strachan utilised him as more of an athletic ball winner while the creativity and attacking urgency from Celtic came through the wide areas from players like Aiden McGeady and Shunsuke Nakamura. At times he would still try to burst forward but his attacking form was patchy throughout the year. Nevertheless his first season could be considered a success as Celtic won their third title in a row and qualified from the group stages in the Champions League for only the second time. Brown played a large part in that with forty-eight appearances in all competitions though many fans felt short changed when weighing up his performances with the large transfer fee. There are even some who argue that had Brown not been suspended and subsequently dropped for Paul Hartley and Barry Robson in April 2008 then the storming Celtic comeback which produced three in a row would never had happened. I've always felt this was a harsh assessment. It later emerged when she passed away in May 2008 that his sister had suffered from skin cancer throughout the season and it shows his strength of character that he managed to continue to play for Celtic at the highest club level without letting it effect his performances.
His second season saw Celtic lose their tight grip on the title to Rangers on the last day of the season. The grumblings from the fans continued regarding his ability, specifically in terms of passing the ball. This is obviously a key requisite for any footballer and especially in midfield. It's true to say that Brown doesn't possess the largest passing range of a player we've seen at Celtic. His energy in the middle of the park did win him fans though; his desire to be involved in every game and cover every blade of grass on a football pitch had to be admired. This energy was at times vital to a team which had become fairly ponderous and predictable. While Celtic didn't have as successful a season they had hoped for Brown certainly improved as a player, chipping in with some vital goals and a man of the match performance in the 2009 League Cup Final victory over Rangers. His improvement and contribution was acknowledged in the end of season awards when he won the 2009 Players' Player Of The Year; a recognition from his fellow professional that he was as tough an opponent as anyone they faced that season. It was also in 2009 that the first signs of his re-occuring ankle injury started to emerge when playing for Celtic with the player having to receive injections to see through the tail end of the season.
The opening months of Brown's season under Tony Mowbray were plagued by the ankle injury and he eventually required a long lay off between October and February to receive his second operation in six months on the joint. He returned as Celtic club captain and a month later when Neil Lennon took control of the shambles Mowbray had left behind this was about the only thing he didn't change. It's my opinion that this was the making of Scott Brown as a Celtic player. He clearly thrives on the responsibility and watching Celtic in the last eighteen months have convinced me he is as important a player for us as anyone in the squad.
Neil Lennon also shifted Brown from the middle two of a 4-4-2 formation to a slightly wider role on the right hand side. This gives Brown a little bit more freedom to make forward runs and play himself into the box. Arguably this is the role Brown should have had for Celtic ever since Strachan signed him in 2007. With his energy and stamina he can play this position for 90 minutes without tiring and can tuck in to a more central position when Celtic do not have possession, being the third man in a defensive midfield set-up. This means Celtic get the best of both sides of Scott Brown, the harassing interceptor and the pacy attacking midfielder. When Brown is in the middle he is hindered with positional responsibility and this is one of the biggest weaknesses of his game. He has also a great motivator on the pitch for Neil Lennon. This was memorably highlighted in the opening Rangers game of the 2011-12 season. With Celtic finding themselves 1-0 down it was Brown, playing with injury, who dragged Celtic into a winning position. A position they ultimately conceded in the second half as the visibily injured Brown deteriorated and had to be substituted. This has resulted in another period out of the team for the captain, who has had to have a third operation on his ankle. He's due to return in a couple of weeks and I'm positive he will continue progressing as a Celtic player and play an important role in clawing back the points deficit on Rangers. It's this type of player the team needs to win games by any means necessary.
As it stands any club can open contract negotiations with the player in six weeks time. He would be able to sign a pre-contract with a club to move in the Summer of 2012. It's claimed by Neil Lennon that the reason he has not yet signed an extension to the contract he signed with Celtic in 2007 is merely down to negotiation of his agent's fee. Brown has been in the press himself claiming he is desperate to stay at Celtic and sign a new contract. However, as time rolls on it becomes more and more of a worry that no contract has been signed. It would be madness to let Scott Brown leave for free regardless of your opinion on his ability. He was signed for £4.4m and to not see any return for that would be gross mismangement from the man in charge of contracts and recruitment at Celtic, Peter Lawwell. My only concern in handing him a new contract is the state of his ankle. Three operations in 2 years on one joint without any sign it won't flare up again could be viewed as bad news. Can it hold up playing two or three games a week going forward? Saying this, I am hoping Brown signs a new contract and stays for a long time. I believe the following years will see the best football of his career. Having shelled out so much to guarantee we get a shot at seeing this at Celtic Park it makes no sense for the club not to put their faith in him now, when we need him most.
Good balanced article Mate on a player who divides the support sometimes, personally I think he can still do a job for us and a big one when he's in form..
ReplyDeleteHail Hail Starry Plough
Brown does indeed divide opinion but I'm with you, I think he is a very important player for us and his contribution is often underrated.
ReplyDeleteHis energy, drive and motivation makes him key to Neil Lennon's Celtic. I hope the contract gets signed soon and he can stay clear of injury problems in the future.