Former Celtic striker Scott McDonald has admitted that he “hated” coming back to Parkhead as an opposition player as he talked about Scott Brown’s dilemma.
Brown will reportedly be offered the chance to be Aberdeen’s new assistant manager so long as Stephen Glass bags the managerial gig [Scottish Sun]. Celtic are also said to have offered Brown fresh terms [Daily Record].
There have been plenty of names who have made an impact at Parkhead before going on to return as the opposition. From Henrik Larsson to McDonald, it can’t be an easy task.
And as Scott discussed his former team-mate Brown, he admitted he couldn’t stand coming back as a Motherwell player before admitting he isn’t remembered in the way he wants to be.
“I know how much I hated it”
As quoted by the Daily Record, McDonald said: “Brownie will quickly realise he’s playing with a different level of player and that takes a bit of adjustment. How does he handle that? That’s going to be hard because he’s been involved at the highest level for 13 years. So there’s a lot for him to think about. Obviously, he will always be welcomed back at Celtic so he does have that safety net. But he’ll be surprised by how it feels to be at another Scottish club. I know how much I hated it.
“It’ll be strange for Scott. The hardest bit will be the first time he goes back, trust me. If you end up on the end of a thumping you just want off the pitch. I remember going with Motherwell and we got skelped 7-0. I was looking over at Mark McGhee, giving him the puppy dog eyes like, ‘Is there any chance of subbing me off here man?’.
“But that’s the hardest part about going back to Celtic with another club. I didn’t want to return to Scotland after I played for Celtic. I wanted to be remembered for scoring goals in a Celtic shirt. That didn’t happen.”
McDonald’s Celtic impact remains an underrated one
When Celtic supporters talk about strikers of the past, McDonald barely gets a mention. For me, he’s always been one of the club’s most underrated strikers.
59 goals and 18 assists in 117 appearances shows the sheer impact he made in Glasgow. His 27-goal season back in 2007-08 was what effectively secured us three-in-a-row in an emotional campaign. He continued to score under both Gordon Strachan and Tony Mowbray, with derby and European strikes to his name too.
Yet he’s never mentioned in the same breath as some of the other decent Hoops centre-forwards over the last 20 years. Perhaps the infamous Helicopter Sunday of 2005 has influenced that of course.
Even so, McDonald in his prime was an incredible tool for Celtic. He proved an absolute snip when we signed him from Motherwell, and had the club appointed anyone other than Mowbray back in 2009, he may have stayed a lot longer instead of jumping ship to Middlesbrough in 2010.
That was a decision Mowbray never managed to recover from. One month after netting in the Glasgow derby, Mogga had him out the door. And so came to an end a Celtic career that should’ve contained a lot more than an SPL title and a CIS Insurance Cup.
When McDonald reflects on his Celtic career, you can see why he’s irked. For a player of his goalscoring talent, it’s fair to say he should’ve been remembered a lot more fondly of by some.
In other news, there are three games that could add millions onto Odsonne Edouard’s price-tag.
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