Skipper savours his last night in Paradise
LONG after the final whistle, Scott Brown took it all in. While other players milled from Celtic Park, the departing captain kicked a ball around the pitch of a near-empty stadium with his kids. This was a night he didn’t want to end.
When a legend leaves the scene, there usually isn’t a dry eye in the house. As Scotland prepares for a relaxation of Covid restrictions on Monday, however, there was nothing normal about this farewell for an iconic skipper.
After 14 silver-laden years, Scott Brown’s final home game as Celtic captain only reflected a strange old season.
After 63 minutes, he trotted to the side of the pitch, a grin splitting his face, to make way for Ismaila Soro. The applause of supporters was restricted to front rooms and sofas. After ten league titles and 12 domestic trophies, it felt like an unsatisfactory way to bring down the curtain.
Celtic tried their best to make it a special night. The players took to the pitch with ‘Brown 8’ on the back of their tracksuits. There was a presentation to the captain from outgoing chief executive Peter Lawwell on the pitch before kick-off. They gave him the manof-the-match award when, in truth, he was far from the best player.
‘It was quite easy tonight,’ said interim boss John Kennedy. ‘Scott came out as captain for the last time at Celtic Park, so it was important that the team put in a performance that sent him off in the right manner.
‘We knew he would come off after 60 minutes to make changes at that point, that was part of the plan.
‘But the saddest thing was that, if this was Scott Brown’s game, the stadium would have been packed to the rafters and they would have been singing his name the whole game. That’s a shame, but that’s the world we live in now.’
As is their wont, the Green Brigade ultras tried to make the night about themselves. In their usual Section 118, a huge No8 was draped over the seats with Brown’s name above. Gone — at the explicit instruction of the club — was a display of Palestinian flags sneaked in at the same time.
Brown is unlikely to be the only departure this summer. Three of Celtic’s four goals came from
Odsonne Edouard, Kris Ajer and Karamoko Dembele — and all three have been tipped to leave.
A huge close season of turnover starts with the imminent appointment of a new manager.
No longer a matter of Howe, the arrival of former Bournemouth manager Eddie in Glasgow is now regarded as a matter of when.
New chief executive Dominic McKay will hold his first talks with supporters’ groups today and one question will dominate the agenda. What now for Celtic?
Ahead of an appearance in the Scottish Cup final, St Johnstone have their own anxieties to deal with. Last Sunday, the Perth side defied the loss of two players to positive coronavirus tests — plus two more through track and trace — to beat St Mirren in the semifinal and secure a meeting with Hibs a week on Saturday. Last night, there were nine St Johnstone players missing in total as a consequence of the virus aftermath. Saints are aiming to become the first team outwith the Old Firm to win two trophies in one season since Aberdeen in 1989-90, but Covid-19 still has the capacity to wreak havoc on their plans. In the face of a crisis, emergency loan cover was secured from Hearts in the shape of Czech goalkeeper Zdenek Zlamal. Prone to an erratic moment, his latest arrived 23 minutes into his St Johnstone debut and teed up two Celtic goals in a minute.
The first was a bizarre affair, the flustered goalie giving away an indirect free-kick 16 yards out.
Ryan Christie tapped the ball to David Turnbull and the midfielder enhanced his late claim for a place in Steve Clarke’s Euro 2020 squad by lashing a fizzing low effort into the net to make it double figures for the season.
The home side doubled their lead immediately. Brown marked his final home game with an assist when he sent a raking diagonal high ball towards Edouard.
Semi-engaged these days, the Frenchman is still capable of moments of genius.
He produced another when he killed the ball with one touch, nutmegged Shaun Rooney, and cut inside to dink a delightful finish over Zlamal for 2-0 and his 22nd goal of the season.
Celtic can only wonder how many he might have scored had he been playing at full pelt.
The goals knocked the stuffing out of St Johnstone after a high tempo start.
The opening goalscorer in the cup semi-final win over St Mirren, striker Chris Kane had two opportunities here. The first saw him fail to make contact at the back post after James Brown flicked on a Glenn Middleton cross.
The second reminded Celtic supporters of a rare and precious sight; a Vasilis Barkas save.
Back in the starting XI after a Scott Bain finger injury, the Greek international stretched high to prevent Kane lobbing the ball into the net after a wayward Jonjoe Kenny back pass.
Had Brown gifted St Johnstone a way back into the match, it might
have taken the sheen off the captain’s night. Dispossessed by Craig Bryson 30 yards from his own goal, Middleton’s subsequent effort was blocked, the ball breaking to Craig Conway before young leftback Adam Montgomery also provided a timely block on the line.
The youngster’s promising debut ended after 63 minutes. Also leaving the pitch, huge grin on his face, was Brown.
A lengthy hug from Kennedy was the only concession to sentimentality.
Celtic’s third goal finally came with 11 minutes to play.
Substitute Mikey Johnston laid the ball off to Ajer, his heavily deflected sidefooted shot spinning up off the boot of Charlie Gilmour and over Zlamal for 3-0.
The fourth brought a first senior goal five minutes from time for 18-year-old Dembele after an angled finish.
‘There is a lot of speculation in terms of Karamoko being out of contract in the summer,’ said Kennedy of the much-discussed wonderkid.
‘I don’t know where that has come from because he has another year left.
‘Karamoko has been spoken about as the next superstar, but people develop physically at different rates.
‘It’s not a token gesture playing him, he has done well in training recently.’