BROWN HAILS LIMITED RETURN OF FANS FOR TEST EVENTS
Brown hails limited return of fans in a game of patience
PROGRESS is slow. Painfully so. A return to football as we knew it is edging closer but there are days when it appears to be an almost imperceptible dot on the horizon.
Granted the go-ahead to play behind closed doors from early last month, the fervent hope of all in the game was of limited numbers of supporters clicking through the turnstiles from next week.
Although two pilot matches in Dingwall and Aberdeen will proceed as planned tomorrow, the prospect of reduced attendances has been kicked into the long grass for a further three weeks.
Like every other walk of life, football for now simply has to reconcile itself with a brutal truth: We’re in for the long haul here.
Although the prospect of playing in front of a couple of hundred people in Dingwall tomorrow is clearly welcome, for Celtic skipper Scott Brown, frustrations at the wider picture are hard to escape. Patience has to remain the watchword.
‘We obviously want the fans back in as soon as we can but we’ve got to do what’s best for the country,’ said Brown. ‘If she (Nicola Sturgeon) says it’s another month off, then so be it.
‘We all have to just deal with it in the best way we possibly can. We don’t want big gatherings now if she believes it’s not safe.’
For those in attendance at the Global Energy Stadium, the privilege might feel somewhat dubious. Social distancing and the wearing of face masks is, by now, almost second nature.
While refraining from singing and shouting is eminently sensible, it runs contrary to the instincts of every supporter. It will be a curious spectacle, to say the least.
‘It will be interesting to see how the couple of hundred fans this weekend works,’ added Brown.
‘It’s going to be weird for them as well as they have to wear masks and won’t be able to shout. So they’re just sitting on their hands.
‘It’s going to be something different but we are just going to have to deal with it. It’s not going to change the way we play or the way we’re going to set up.’
Given they enjoy the backing of the majority of the crowd at most of their matches, the closed-door scenario was never going to do Celtic any favours.
When the fabled 12th man is sat in his living room in front of a television set, the 11 on the field have to look inward for those moments of inspiration.
‘There are a lot of leaders in our team, including Callum McGregor, James (Forrest) and (Kristoffer) Ajer at the back,’ stressed Brown.
‘For us, it’s the lads who spur each other on. Sometimes it’s not about somebody shouting.
‘It’s about someone winning a tackle and making a good pass or showing the creative ability that sets the standard. It’s not always about one person ranting and raving and telling the lads what to do. We all know our jobs and what to do. Sometimes we maybe need to up the tempo a bit.’
Shane Duffy would appear to be another ready-made lieutenant for boss Neil Lennon. The skipper of Ireland last week, at 28 years of age, the man from Derry brings vast experience and defensive solidity to the party. Brown anticipates a seamless transition for the on-loan Brighton man.
‘It’s great because it’s another leader at the back,’ he continued. ‘He’s strong, he’s aggressive in the air. The manager felt we needed to bring in another centre-half and that’s what he’s done. We’ve found a fantastic centre-half.’
New arrivals often require Brown to sit down and explain to them exactly what they have signed up for. With Duffy, such words would be superfluous.
‘It’s always been his dream to play for Celtic,’ said Brown. ‘It’s amazing to have that opportunity. For him to be a boyhood fan and play for the club he loves, it must mean a lot to him. For him to come along here and play for the lads, it means a lot to us, too.’
Whether Lennon reverts to the three-at-the-back formation which proved so successful towards the end of last season, we shall know soon enough. But the manager now has the capacity to do so.
‘We can easily slip into a back three or back four,’ offered Brown. ‘We can change during games or from game to game. It gives us that strength in depth in the way we want to play.’
David Turnbull adds welcome cover and competition for Brown, McGregor and Olivier Ntcham in the central area.
The former Motherwell man’s involvement for Scotland Under-21s in Lithuania curtailed his settling in period at Lennoxtown but, on the limited evidence to date, he’s caught the eye.
‘He’s not trained too much but I’ve seen some great glimpses,’ added the captain. ‘I’m looking forward to playing alongside him. As a Scottish lad coming to Celtic, he knows what it’s all about.
‘Having been on the other side as well, he knows what it means to everyone else to try to beat Celtic.’
Brown speaks to the change in expectation that the £3m man now faces. Come away from Dingwall with a point in the colours of Motherwell and it’s a decent day’s work. The same outcome for Celtic is verging on a disaster.
‘I came in and drew at Kilmarnock in my first game, so I found out right away from Gordon Strachan that you must win every week here,’ recalled Brown.
‘A point is not good enough. You would accept that at Hibs at the time but not here, as the fans expect us to win every single game, week in, week out. But, from what I’ve seen, Turnbull has that winning mentality.’