Brown signals the green light

Tannadice talisman Armstrong has the quality to be a top Bhoy, says skipper

HE wasn’t quite collecting signatures for the campaign to ‘Get Stuart Armstrong to Celtic’, but nor was Scott Brown of a mind to keep his bourgeoning respect for the player under a veil, either. The Dundee United midfielder, as Sportsmail revealed earlier this month, has an admirer in the shape of Celtic manager Ronny Deila. Recent personal checks by the Norwegian have confirmed a player blessed with pace, skill and bravery on the ball — everything he looks for in a midfielder, in fact.

Tomorrow at Tannadice, Armstrong’s credentials will be given another stern examination when Deila’s side look to extend their winning sequence in the Premiership to nine matches.

Whatever transpires, the contribution of the 22-year- old Invernessian could have significant ramifications f or the transfer window which opens at the turn of the year.

Certainly, if Deila seeks a second opinion f r om his skipper on Armstrong’s qualities before asking chief executive Peter Lawwell to pick up the phone, it would be a brave man to bet against the United star swelling the Scottish contingent at Lennoxtown in the near future.

Asked if he felt Armstrong was good enough to cut it at Celtic, Brown replied: ‘I don’t see why not. I’ve seen his attributes when he’s been away with Scotland, too, and what he does.

‘He understands that you’ve got to show some respect but, when he goes on the park, he wants to win games as well.

‘I love that about players. He works hard and wants to win games. He’s one of those lads.

‘It’s not really up to me who we sign but there are some great Scottish players out there.

‘We signed Leigh (Griffiths) and Charlie (Mulgrew), while James (Forrest) has come through the youths as well. We are bringing in Scottish players as well.’

Pressed to expand upon what in particular impressed him about the man he will face tomorrow, Brown said: ‘He works hard and always wants the ball. That’s the main thing. Especially in Scotland, people can go hiding and don’t want it and don’t want to play in the big games.

‘He’s a big-game player and he always seems to do really well against us. He’s aggressive, strong and is direct as well. That’s what I like about him.’

Brown’s admiration stretches beyond j ust one i ndividual at Tannadice.

Almost two years since Jackie McNamara and Simon Donnelly left the Firhill dugout for Tayside, United fans have grown accustomed to a staple diet of entertaining, effective football. ‘Jackie and Simon have got them playing really good football,’ Brown added. ‘They get the ball down and try to play.

‘If you look around their squad, they’ve got some great players — some talented young ones as well.

‘Armstrong is a great player, (Gary) Mackay-Steven and (Nadir) Ciftci up front as well. They always create chances, but it’s all about us on the day.

‘If we turn up and play well, we should have too much for any team.’

United know to their cost that Brown is not merely mouthing off in that regard. Back i n August, t hey descended on Celtic Park in optimistic mood but left humiliated after suffering a 6-1 drubbing.

Just weeks into Deila’s re g i me, his Cel ti c players left the field to thunderous applause at half-time.

Welcome though such an ovation was, the manager — in his heart of hearts — could have lived without it. Although he couldn’t admit it at the time, deep down he knew such an inspiring display was something of a freak occurrence.

‘Yeah, the worst thing of being a football manager i s to l et people down,’ he said of the indifferent games that followed.

‘ That’s why it is so hard because you really want to make people happy. That’s the same for the players.

‘I wasn’t surprised that day. Dundee United attacked us and that opened up things for us. We also scored four goals from set-plays. I think i f you go through goal chances, we had eight and we scored six. So we were very effective.

‘The last four, five, six games we’ve had 10 to 15 chances in every match. So if you see behind the result, I think we’ve improved although we haven’t been so effective as we were in that United game.

‘In the transition, we will go up and down. Now we have gone t hrough si x months with some good games and some bad games, but I’m very happy we are in all four tournaments now. We have gone through it in a good way and used the energy i n the right way.’ Deila has had to learn quickly that quality time on the training ground with players is a luxury rarely afforded to Celtic managers.

This week was the first since the campaign began that hadn’t been interrupted by a midweek match or international football.

For a new manager striving to do things his way, such constant interruptions have been a source of deep frustration.

‘We need more of this,’ Deila stated. ‘It is hard to get the mes- sage across normally, so I have very much appreciated the opportunity this week.

‘We’ve had three very good days on the training pitch and that’s been needed. It is what the job is about for me.

‘It’s getting there, but everything is a bit slower than what it would be if we would be able to train the team three days in a row every week, like I’m used to.

‘Here you have to do it in different ways. You have to use more video, more one-to- one talks and team talks. But you also can’t do too much of that because you can tire the players out mentally.

‘I think everybody’s understanding more where we want to go, how we want to play. That excites me. I see so much potential.’

It can safely be assumed that once the festive programme is completed at Kilmarnock on January 5, eight days at a winter training camp in Gran Canaria will be wisely spent.

‘It’s evolution, not revolution,’ Deila cautioned.

‘It’s not likeli I’m going to be able to show them in two training sessions everything in the world that I know and what I can do. I believe you will ( see the team improve), but it’s little by little.

‘We’ll go m more and more together. We’re workingworki on the right things. There’s a good attitude in the group, a goodgoo mood. That makes it also so much better.’

After Tannadice,Tann Celtic entertain Ross CountyCount next Saturday before visits to FirhillFir and Rugby Park in the New Year.

For Deila, who has spent the last few years holidaying in Brazil over Christmas, it’s a huge change.

‘Not that he’d have it any other way, though. Every game is like Christmas,’ he said. ‘Everything is new.

‘My motivation is so high I just have to stagger myself so I don’t want too much.

‘I am always holding back because you need to take it step by step and save your energy throughout the long season.’