The Scott Brown criticism was predictably over the top after Celtic lost at Ibrox, but that’s not bothering the Hoops captain.
Brown suffered an up-and-down first few months of the season. It started with success in the Betfred Cup to take his trophy haul to 17, but ended with an unconvincing return from injury and defeat at Ibrox – Celtic’s first there since 2012.
The Hoops legend suffered a nasty injury back in October that left him on the sidelines for a full month. Upon his return and particularly after the Rangers defeat, many supporters of rival clubs stated his legs had gone.
But that doesn’t bother Brown, who continues to prove every one of his doubters wrong 33-years of age. Speaking in the Evening Times, Brown gave an unsurprisingly confident response to claims his legs had gone.
“That puts a smile on my face. It just makes me go out and work harder to prove to everybody that I can still do it.
“That [2016 semi-final] was three years ago and people were saying my legs had gone. I hadn’t heard it all before as I don’t read. But people walking in the streets told me they’d read in the paper that my legs had fallen off.
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“I was like ‘what – the second time?’ I’m willing to take it, I’m big enough and ugly enough. I’m 33 now and if someone is going to write to me on Twitter saying I’m finished I’m really going to cry myself to sleep at night.”
Unwavering confidence from the Celtic skipper
Brown’s maturity levels over the years have increased tenfold. The former Hibs midfielder used to be the kind to get wound up easily and make himself a target for other teams to exploit.
But now, he clearly has such a composed head both on and off the pitch. How easy it would be for anyone to buckle under the criticism Brown gets. As always, however, Celtic’s captain is happy to laugh it off.
Hearing about his legs having gone isn’t a first for him either. The former Scotland captain seems to hear it after any under-par performance. That’s despite the fact you can often see him outpacing men nearly half his age in the Premiership.
There’s a confidence and swagger to Brown that’s just so admirable. He knows how good he is, and how easily he bosses everyone in the Scottish Premiership.
And as for the future, having just signed a new contract extension, Brown will plan on being king of the castle for a bit longer yet.