Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE HE’S STARE CRAZY
Strachan: Making Scott Brown mad is a bad idea ..he just plays even better
GORDON STRACHAN last night questioned the wisdom of Pedro Caixinha’s touchline rammy with Celtic skipper Scott Brown.
The Scotland boss suspects Caixinha’s half time outburst backfired spectacularly by motivating Brown to run the show in the second half as the champions scored twice to wrap up a third successive Ibrox win.
Strachan spoke yesterday after naming lynchpin Brown in his squad for the do-or-die double header against Slovakia and Slovenia which can secure a place in the World Cup play-offs.
When asked about Brown’s involvement in the flash-point – which flared up when Caixinha angrily accused him of throwing an elbow into the face of Alfredo Morelos – Strachan said: “There are some players who, if you make them angry, they get better. Seriously.
“There are some players, and I’m not just talking about Broonie, that making them angry just makes them better. They become more focused.”
Strachan signed Brown for Celtic more than a decade ago and welcomed the player back out of international retirement last year - a return which has coincided with Scotland’s late revival in Group F.
But the manager insists at no point in the pair’s own relationship has he ever attempted to provoke a reaction by deliberately goading Brown inside a dressing room. He said: “He has no reaction to whatever you say to him. I remember saying to Garry Pendry – ‘I think we should get a doctor to see him.’
“He just kept staring at me! It doesn’t matter if you are calling him the best player in the world or the worst player in the world his expression stays the same. It’s actually a bit off-putting at times.”
The Scotland boss has named a squad which include Steven and Darren Fletcher along with Leeds skipper Liam Cooper. Celtic’s Callum Mcgregor (inset) has again been ignored by Strachan.