Former Celtic manager Gordon Strachan believes that captain Scott Brown’s leadership skills were there for all to see in yesterday’s 3-0 win against Hibernian at Parkhead.
Brown started his 11th consecutive game out of 11, despite some on social media calling for the Hoops captain to be dropped due to poor performances. With the likes of David Turnbull and Ismaila Soro desperate for more game-time, Celtic aren’t short of options in Brown’s position, with some even claiming beforehand that the captain may be finished (Daily Record).
Yet Lennon stuck with his captain for what was a massive game against Jack Ross’ high-flying Leith side. And, come full-time, it was a convincing performance, with Brown at the heart of things with a tidy display.
And speaking on Celtic TV’s live coverage of the game yesterday, Strachan was quick to point out Brown’s outstanding leadership qualities throughout the game.
“Celtic TV pundit notived oustanding leadership skills from highly-criticsed star yesterday.
“He’s seen it all and done it all before, coming back from midweek European games at 4am and then training properly. His attitude was fantastic and you could see him cajoling players at 2-0 up.
“If a team scores at that point, it can be difficult but he was in there organising. Scott’s ability on the ball was good and had a lot to do with Celtic’s victory.”
Much tidier from Brown – but consistency is key
Brown deserves these comments from Strachan. He put in a fine performance and was quite clearly one of the better players on the pitch.
He managed to move the ball quicker, but perhaps more importantly he managed to do it tidier. So often in recent weeks have we seen Brown dally on the ball or play too many loose passes. Those were minimised in yesterday’s win against Hibs.
Yet just as important was his refusal to accept that 2-0 was a comfortable scoreline. He was visibly upset when Hibs managed to get in behind our defence too easily, and could be seen having a go at players such as Shane Duffy and Kris Ajer at times.
That’s the responsibility captains have. It doesn’t matter how much experience or how highly-rated your team-mates are. If they make mistakes then it’s on you to have a word with them.
Brown’s mentality can play a huge part in potentially securing 10-in-a-row so long as he manages to produce a sustained run of decent on-field form. We can’t just forget the poor start to the season our captain has endured, and we’ll all be hoping that yesterday wasn’t just a one-off.
He’ll almost certainly start in Sarajevo on Thursday night. Producing there will be a lot more difficult than impressing against Hibs. Let’s see whether he can get his consistency back.
In other news, Brown has highlighted the Celtic youngster who’s “regularly in meetings” with Neil Lennon.
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