Over on Twitter, where nuance goes to die, Rangers fans are reacting to news about Celtic captain Scott Brown.
Broony, of course, is being linked with an assistant role at Aberdeen. Or, at least, a position which combined coaching and playing for the Dons. We’ve discussed the issue at length here and here. While there’s value in continuity, there’s also room for it being a good move for all parties.
Unless you have access to a working Crystal Ball, nobody can be sure of what’s happening yet.
For some reason, that’s leading to Rangers supporters comparing Scott Brown to Steven Davis. For example, one tweet says “Steven Davis 36 internationalist just signed a new 1 year deal with the champions Scott brown 35 signing with Aberdeen see the difference. One is a professional the other is Scott brown. [sic]”.
The narrative seems to be that Steven Davis is a better club servant, or a better player. Those things are subjective. However, Scott Brown never left our club at his peak. Steven Davis? Not so much [Independent].
The Independent wrote in 2012:
“Midfielder Steven Davis claimed he had to put his career first after turning down a move to the newco Rangers.
“Davis is one of eight players to confirm his objection to transferring his contract from Rangers to Charles Green’s Sevco company, which bought the assets of the soon-to-be-liquidated club for £5.5million.”
Petty? Oh, undoubtedly. But Celtic captain Scott Brown has nothing left to prove
In the eyes of Celtic supporters, Scott Brown has nothing left to prove to us. In terms of sheer value, he’s one of our best-ever signings.
10 titles, 6 Scottish Cups and 6 Scottish League Cups all won at Celtic. Countless big European nights. 55 Scotland caps. Our captain during one of the most glorious periods of the club’s history. If Scott Brown does indeed move on to pastures new, he’ll do so with the blessing of the Celtic support.
If anything, he deserves a send-off. Yes, there have been far more pressing matters during the Covid pandemic, but Scott Brown not getting a packed out Celtic Park to wave him away is a huge shame.
Equally, Broony has nothing left to prove in Scottish football. He hasn’t just won everything, he’s won everything multiple times. That’s with our rivals in the league and outside of it. The difference is non-existent; we have beaten our competition comprehensively for years and Scott Brown has been at the forefront of this.
To suggest he’s giving up in any way is ridiculous. It’s the natural time-line of Brown’s career that he’s potentially moving on from the club. He’s at an age where he’s doing his coaching badges, and might feel ready for more responsibility. If Celtic can’t offer that, then the Aberdeen role seems massively appealing. Nobody would blame him.
So, comparisons to Steven Davis are an utter irrelevance. If anything, use them to remind you of how dominant Celtic have been for so long, and who was lifting trophies the whole way though. Here’s a clue: it wasn’t anyone in blue.
READ MORE: Saturday night football at a packed-out Paradise? Maybe one day…
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