Blues can pull through
Jamie Hamill insists a solution must be found to end the season without enforcing any brutal premature relegations.
The former Kilmarnock and Hearts defender is currently on the books of Stranraer, who sit at the foot of League One and were in the midst of a fight for survival prior to the coronavirus shutdown.
Hamill, 33, knows the Stair Park outfit are in a precarious position but reckons their belief can see them pull off a miraculous great escape.
That opportunity would be taken away from them if the Scottish football season is ended early and current standings are honoured, with Stranraer joining Hearts and Partick Thistle in dropping down a division.
Hamill said: “We are all
The Hoops boss believes Scottish football’s suspension of on-field action may have some fringe benefits for the
34-year-old’s future and the chances of prolonging his career.
Amid all the uncertainty and current confinement against the coronavirus at their Lennoxtown base, Lennon insists he plans to lock down his skipper to ensure he is part of his backroom staff when the time comes for his midfield leader to hang up his boots.
As Lennon attempted to put some optimistic spin on current affairs, he held up Brown as an example for the rest of his squad to follow.
And he claimed the skipper’s enforced lay-off could have a silver lining when the virus finally runs its course.
He said: “This wee break might do Scott the world of good.
“He is looking well and has had a great season so far. He will be around next year, that’s for sure.
“He would be a huge loss to us as a club if he stopped playing.
“The way he has played, and the way he leads on and off the park, has been exemplary.
“He sets the template for all of the other players.
“In training he still has that great desire to work hard and all the boys take their lead from him as their captain.
“You can’t give him that, or coach that into someone.
“It is built into him. He wants to keep pushing himself and the team on to bigger and better things.
“During this spell of not playing, but even when we have games coming up, if he suspects even the slightest bit of complacency then he nips it in the bud straight away.
“Players listen to him and he is a great role model to them.”
Brown has made a habit of defying his critics season after season as he continues to be the driving force for the champions.
His influence can’t be measured on a team that have swept the board by claiming every domestic trophy on offer for the last three seasons.
And they were within touching distance of a historic quadruple Treble before the public health crisis triggered chaos in our game.
Lennon’s regard for the player is such that the minute the former Scotland star opts to call it day he’ll be heading straight to chief executive Peter Lawwell’s door to ensure there’s a coaching contract on the table.
He said: “As far as I am concerned when Scott stops playing there will be a coaching role for him at the club.
“I would offer him something straight away. It is the obvious path for him in the future.
“He is doing his badges and I would definitely want him around the place when he stops playing.”
Lennon’s return as Celtic boss last season after spells at Bolton and Hibs allowed him to rekindle his relationship with Brown.
They were opponents when Lennon was still patrolling Celtic’s midfield and Brown was emerging on the scene at Hibs.
Brown arrived at Parkhead just months after Lennon left the club but the Northern Irishman returned to become his coach and stepped up as manager when Tony Mowbray was sacked in 2010.
Their relationship has grown on a personal level but Brown is also his go-to guy when trying to get a feel for the dressing-room mood.
Lennon said: “I speak to Scott all the time. He is my go-to guy in the squad about a range of subjects.
“I couldn’t ask for a better captain. He tells you how the dressing room is feeling and you go from there.
“All the players respect him and he is a huge figure at the club.
“He has a bigger role this time around than in my first spell. He is a few years older and has won so much in the game. He has led the squad to so much success and has matured into a great lad and great player, so it is only right I speak to him about things.”
Lennon also believes his skipper’s decision to opt against a move to Western Melbourne, where he was offered a playercoach role in Australia’s A-League, has been a blessing for the Hoops.
And he thinks Brown would have regretted moving Down Under.
He said: “I wasn’t here at the time but when I heard the talk about him possibly going to Australia I thought it would have been a disaster.”