Captain Scott Brown has struggled for Celtic this season; yesterday he was back to his best

By David Walton

November 9, 2020

Scott Brown produced a performance that wound back the years in yesterday’s 4-1 hammering of Motherwell at Fir Park.

The Parkhead captain has come in for a lot of criticism after a string of poor performances under Neil Lennon this season. Lennon has played Brown in every game this term, but the midfielder has noticeably slowed up with too many matches passing him by.

That couldn’t have been more evident than in last Thursday’s 4-1 hammering at the hands of Sparta Prague in the Europa League. Brown failed to produce on the day and could barely string two successful passes consecutively.

But things couldn’t have been different in yesterday’s win in North Lanarkshire. Brown was one of the best players on the park, consistently breaking up Motherwell attacks and getting Celtic on the front-foot.

There were plenty of occasions when the likes of Devante Cole, Tony Watt, or Liam Polworth threatened to burst up the pitch and put Celtic under pressure. Brown often slammed the door shut however, and in the end ensured that Scott Bain wasn’t troubled from open play.

Stat-tracking experts WhoScored clocked Brown making six successful tackles against the Steelmen as well as two interceptions and three clearances as he snuffed out the danger from Stephen Robinson’s men.

It’s a performance that Broony can use to build on ahead of a crucial schedule over the course of November and December. Celtic go to Easter Road after the international break, and the Hoops captain will have a big job trying to keep the Hibs flair players quiet.

But he reminded everyone yesterday of just what he’s capable of when he’s on his game. Hopefully, this can prove to be a genuine building block for him. Consistency is now essential.

At the very least, plenty of the supporters were delighted with what they saw from Brown against Motherwell. Reacting to his performance, here’s a look at some of the views from within our own support:

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