SCOTT BROWN barely gets a mention in CQN match reports.
In the 2-0 triumph at Ibrox at the start of the month, his name crops up only twice in almost 40 paragraphs of game coverage.
Remarkably, the Celtic captain was overlooked completely in the 1-1 draw against Rennes in last week’s Europa League Group E opener in Brittany when we gave the Man of the Match accolade to Christopher Jullien.
Upon reflection, CQN have made the cardinal error of taking the 34-year-old midfielder for granted. We have come to expect such a high level of quality and commitment from Brown that it is hardly noteworthy when he produces week in, week out.
Years from now, historians may check some of our reportage and wonder if there was a player by the name of Scott Brown on the football pitch in some of our team’s most important encounters in such an unprecedented chapter in the club’s proud history. Somehow his deeds have escaped our notice.
And, for that glaring oversight, we owe Scott Brown an apology.
In Govan, he was in the mix right from the off. Mistakes of the previous season in the same fixture were not repeated and Brown, in the team’s engine room, was in the thick of it to make sure those points were heading back to the east end of Glasgow.
In Brittany, in an altogether different sporting environment, he was the glue that kept the side together; working, running, tackling, probing, covering, encouraging throughout the evening.
Last week, CQN sifted through footage of a Champions League qualifier against the-then reigning European kings AC Milan at Parkhead on October 3 2007 – nine days shy of TWELVE years ago – and there was a 22-year-old Brown in dynamic, breathtaking tussles with the likes of Pirlo, Seedorf, Ambrosini, Kaka and Inzaghi. Rubbing shoulders with Europe’s elite – and, doubtlessly and with true grit determination – saying to himself: “Bring it on.”
For such an extended period, the player has been on the centre stage that comes with the territory. He has had to compete with the best on the field and, away from the action, tolerate and ignore the senseless taunts from the pathetic and pitiful specimens who fail so miserably in their attempts to masquerade as sports fans.
He has faced the AC Milans, the Barcelonas, the Bayern Munichs, the Manchester Uniteds. The same Scott Brown will lead out the team against Partick Thistle in the Betfred League Cup quarter-final at Celtic Park tomorrow night.
Once again, he will perform with integrity, responsibility, resolve and dedication to the cause with his resolute winning mentality.
And his valiant, unflinching exploits may even rate a mention in CQN’s game summary.
Scott Brown. Captain. Leader. Legend.
