Scott Brown names unnoticed Celtic midfield factor while calling for 'togetherness' among board sceptics
The iconic Celtic club captain has stuck up for the man he passed the baton to
Scott Brown believes Callum McGregor is showing all the desired qualities of a Celtic captain as he continues to play through injuries.
The 32-year old suffered a calf strain last month which saw him miss successive victories over Rangers and Motherwell. In the last three matches, McGregor has completed 90 minutes only once as manager Martin O’Neill continues to manage his minutes. He was taken off in the 73rd minute against St Mirren with the match still in the balance at 1-0, but the Hoops were able to hold on for the win without their skipper.
Speaking to the Daily Record, Brown believes that McGregor’s willingness to put his body on the line for the team is exemplary from the Celtic captain, who has been given even more responsibility in the middle of the park due to the absence of Arne Engels. The Belgian has also been in the treatment room of late following a thigh strain he picked up in February, but is slowly but surely getting back to match sharpness.
The work-rate of the pair could prove vital for Celtic in the title race if they can get their midfield maestros back up to speed. Brown also believes that the league is far from over and given the never-ending negativity surrounding Parkhead this season, he thinks if Celtic were to prevail as league winners come May 16, it would be their ‘biggest’ title ever.
Brown lauds McGregor for playing with knock
The former Celtic captain said: “I’m telling you now, never write Cal off because he’s the main man and he keeps that club ticking. He keeps the team together on the pitch and he’s the driving force off it. His mentality is second to none - he wants to play every game whether he’s injured or not. He’ll fight for the cause for the good of the football club rather than worrying about what’s best for himself.
“There were times where maybe wasn’t fully fit but he would still make himself available. That’s what you want from a team-mate – you need your best players out there on the park for as long as they can be. Obviously he didn’t last the whole game on Saturday, but even if you get 60 or 70 minutes out of him then you can try to get the game won in that time. You’ve got to remember Arne Engels has had injury issues as well but Cal’s the one who is there – even though he’s injured, he still makes himself available. That shows his will to go that extra yard more than anyone else.”
After facing round one against the Buddies last weekend, O’Neill is hoping both McGregor and Engels will be raring to go for Sunday’s Scottish Cup semi-final. The match will offer Celtic and opportunity for revenge against St Mirren, who defeated them in the League Cup final, also at Hampden in December.
Celtic need ‘togetherness’ in trying times - Brown
He continued: “It’s not been a perfect season, far from it, but the manager and the players have found a way to keep winning games of football. So it’s about keeping the faith. If they go and win this league after all the pressure and all of the criticism of the board, the players and managers coming in and leaving, it will be the best league win ever.
“There are a lot of vultures out there on social media and podcasts who think they know how to run the club better. It’s as if people think Celtic can just go out and spend £20m on a player because the money is in the bank. But if you do that and then you don’t make the Champions League then what happens? The club starts going into the red.
“So everyone has to come together because that’s one of the biggest things in football - togetherness. The fans, the players and the board need to come together for what’s left of the season and then some big decisions can be made in the summer on what direction they go in from there.”