People say I deserve rough tackles but I’ve never gone in waist high then put boot in

SAYS SCOTT BROWN

IN recent weeks, Scott Brown could be forgiven for feeling like the spot where the number eight sits on the back of his hooped jersey has been replaced by a target.

The victim of a wild lunge by Aberdeen’s Sam Cosgrove last month, the Celtic captain was viciously stamped upon last Saturday by Ross County captain Andrew Davies.

That led to a third red card in five games for fouls on Brown, although Motherwell’s Cedric Kipre later had his downgraded to a caution.

But the former Scotland captain insists he could not care less if opposition players continue to come after him and more orderings-off follow.

What does irk the 32-year-old, though, is the suggestion that he dishes it out and therefore should expect rough retribution in return.

After an injury to Hearts teenage tyro Harry Cochrane at Celtic Park last month, Craig Levein said players should ‘get a bit more protection from Scott Brown.’

But Brown insists he would never deliberately dish out the kind of ‘cowardly’ tackles he himself has been subjected to in recent weeks.

‘Does it feel like I have a bullseye on my back? I don’t give a s***, to be fair,’ Brown shrugged.

‘If they want to continue doing it, then we will happily play against ten men most weeks.

‘As everyone says, going in for a tackle is part and parcel of the game but to do it cowardly is not great.

‘People may say I deserve to get it because I give it out. But I go out to win the ball, to win it hard. Now and then I mistime a tackle but I’ve never gone in waist height to properly hurt someone or stood on them.’

After declaring players needed protecting from Brown, Levein later accused the Celtic captain of deliberately picking up a booking against Kilmarnock to ensure he was not suspended against Rangers on March 11.

Brown yesterday defended his own disciplinary record, and instead cited the two bans dished out this season to Aberdeen captain Graeme Shinnie.

‘Let him (Levein) have his own say. He seems to be talking just for the sake of it,’ said Brown.

‘But I play week in, week out, I play hard and I get booked now and then. But I’ve been suspended once this season, whereas Graeme Shinnie has had two suspensions already. So I don’t know where he (Levein) is getting those accusations from.’

Brown also joked it would be wiser for his opponents to let him complete a full game rather than try to kick him off the park.

‘They’d actually be better just leaving me on the ball,’ he laughed.

‘I wouldn’t say I’m going to hurt anyone’s team. I’m not going to score a goal or probably play the best ball through.

‘I am what I am. I’ll just continue to go out and serve the ball up to people up front and help out those at the back.

‘My role has changed over the years and I’m slowly getting further and further back on the pitch.’

Brown’s lack of popularity amongst his peers was reflected when he failed to make the shortlist for last season’s PFA Scotland Premiership Player of the Year award, despite captaining Celtic to an invincible Treble.

Scott Sinclair won in the end, beating Celtic team-mates Moussa Dembele and Stuart Armstrong and Aberdeen’s Jonny Hayes.

A chuckling Brown does not expect to win it this season either, even if his team complete unprecedented back-toback Trebles.

‘I’d give it to James Forrest,’ he countered. ‘It’s the best season I’ve ever seen him have. He’s scored 16 goals for us now this season and I’ve never seen him play with a smile on his face as much as he does now.

‘Without laughing or joking, I don’t think you should give awards to players who don’t score goals or produce assists, so it would be James Forrest for me.

‘It’s about time everyone realised how good he is.

‘People have said he doesn’t have the quality in the final third. But he has shown he can go past a man and he’s been scoring goals — and that’s shut everyone up.

‘He’s also still young enough that he can hit new levels next season.

‘James has been our Player of the Year by a country mile. We have Kieran Tierney as well, who’s been outstanding. I enjoy watching them flourish and it also makes my job so much easier.’

The bad news for Brown’s enemies and detractors is that the Celtic captain plans to be around for a long while yet.

Quitting Scotland for the second — and final — time should help on that front, although he revealed he popped into the team hotel before the friendly against Costa Rica last month, despite hanging up his international boots for good.

‘Having a break during the international week was lovely,’ he grinned. ‘But it was hard not to be going away with the squad so I went to the team hotel and saw the lads for a coffee and some banter.

‘I went along because they were staying in the Norton House, which is two minutes away from me, and I don’t get the opportunity too often to see Charlie Mulgrew and some of the others guys who play in England.

‘I’ll miss the camaraderie more than anything.

‘But playing in the games and travelling and then having to come back and put as much into playing for Celtic as I do — I won’t miss that. Last year, I had six days’ holiday.

‘For me to go through all that again, especially with trips to Peru and Mexico at the end of the season, it would have been hard.

‘It’s good for my body and my legs to have a break from football.

‘The plan for me now is to prolong my career, take it year by year and enjoy my football.

‘I’m currently getting more from my career than I have done for years, possibly because it’s coming towards an end.

‘But everyone talks about me retiring ... that won’t be happening for a long time yet!’