You don’t get characters like Scott Brown in the game anymore.
Love him or loathe him, Brown was pure box office – and Celtic fans were incredibly blessed to have a front-row seat to the show for so many years.
But in a recent debate on Open Goal, Ian McCall ranked Brown as a better midfielder ahead of Celtic heroes Paul Lambert and Callum McGregor, as well as former rivals Barry Ferguson and Steven Davis.
McCall: “They are all kind of very similar, aren’t they? I would take Brown first.”
Si Ferry then reacts in disbelief: “No, you wouldn’t. You wouldn’t put, Scott?! No! You are going over that f___ing balcony.”
McCall: “And I would put McGregor second. And I would put Lambert last.”
As you can see above, former Celtic academy player Si Ferry was left stunned when McCall not only put Brown first, but also Lambert last on the list provided.
That’s why 67 Hail Hail has also opened the debate to our TalkingPoints users, and you can also rank your best, and why, below.
Is Scott Brown better than Callum McGregor and Paul Lambert?
Ian McCall thinks so, rank these midfielders in the comments below…
Ian McCall ranks Scott Brown ahead of Paul Lambert, Barry Ferguson, Steven Davis and Callum McGregor
One of the issues with this is that several of these played in different eras.
Many would agree that Lambert and Ferguson starred in an era of Scottish football that, in terms of sheer quality and competitiveness, was one of the toughest we have ever seen.
That is likely why Ferry placed Lambert at the very top of his list, citing the Celtic legend’s historic Champions League triumph with Borussia Dortmund to cement his argument.
Either way, these were the thoughts of the Open Goal panel when trying to rank Brown, McGregor, Lambert, Ferguson, and Davis.
Andy Halliday: “I got asked the other day to rank these five midfielders, from one to five. One being the best. Barry Ferguson, Steven Davis, Paul Lambert, Scott Brown and Callum McGregor.”
Ferry: “So, mine is Lambert, Ferguson, Davis, McGregor and Brown.”
Paul Slane: “Lambert over Ferguson?”
Ferry: “Definitely. Champions League. He won the Champions League. Straight away, that’s it. Playing every game for Dortmund. When football was prime. Playing against Davids and Zidane in the final.”
McCall: “They are all kind of very similar, aren’t they? I would take Brown first.”
Ferry then reacts in disbelief: “No, you wouldn’t. You wouldn’t put, Scott?! No! You are going over that f___ing balcony.”
McCall: “And I would put McGregor second. And I would put Lambert last.”
Ferry: “Nah, miles off it – Scott Brown, the best out of the five, based on what?”
McCall: “Based on his track record. You are saying, Paul Lambert. Yeah, he had one good season at Dortmund. It’s huge. Fabulous. Then he played at Celtic. He did really well at Celtic with Neil Lennon in the middle of the park.
“But Brown kind of carried that for years, I thought, the Celtic team in the middle of the park.”
Tale of the Tape: Brown vs McGregor vs Lambert
McGregor is still going and adding to his legacy, even though this current campaign has been a rare bump in the road.
The Celtic skipper has done well to take over from Brown, who was one of the best leaders to wear the famous green and white colours.
But Lambert was part of that famous Treble-winning side under Martin O’Neill. One many Celtic fans, aside from the Lisbon Lions, regard as the best Hoops team ever, so it does put him in a higher standing, you would have thought.
- McGregor’s games (trophies won): 568 (24)
- Brown’s games (trophies won): 618 (22)
- Lambert’s games (trophies won): 271 (8)
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
