Battling Brown will be missed
THE notion that Scott Brown is no loss to Scotland’s national team says one thing. People have allowed their dislike of the individual to outweigh their judgment of the footballer. Taken out by a crude attempt at a decapitation by Aberdeen’s Sam Cosgrove last weekend, the Celtic skipper had two choices. He could either roll around, writhe in agony and hurry along the inevitable red card. Or he could climb to his feet, grin and strut towards the Aberdeen support like Freddie Mercury rocking He chose the latter. And was slaughtered for making a show of himself. There’s no secret to why this happens. He’s Scott Brown. Opposition players and opponents don’t just dislike him. They despise him. He upsets people with his uncompromising approach to haranguing opponents. He gets in faces. Let’s not kid ourselves that he’s a footballing superstar. His time in a Scotland jersey has coincided with a string of qualification failures for major international finals. But laying that at one man’s door is just daft. George Best couldn’t take Northern Ireland to a World Cup any more than Ryan Giggs could lead Wales to the promised land of the Euros. Technically, Brown can’t be placed in the same postcode as either. But Scotland’s national team is hardly brimming over with experienced, influential leaders with a string of winners’ medals and extensive experience of the Champions League. Waving good riddance to him with a two-fingered salute, then, is like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Because ask yourself this. Right here and now, who is any better?