50TH CAP FITS FOR BROWN
Brown is about to mark his half-century with Scotland and team-mate Mulgrew says it is testament to his pal’s decade of excellence
IF some old Scott Brown watchers are finding it difficult to square the idea of that daft, restless tearaway from Easter Road they once knew becoming only the 30th player to join the esteemed roll of honour of Scotland players with a half-century of caps, spare a thought for what Charlie Mulgrew recently witnessed.
Feeling his way back from injury introduced Mulgrew to the challenge of getting his head around being a player under Brown the boss. His midfield colleague and friend with club and country for the last six years barked orders from the dugout as Mulgrew breezed towards first-team contention via outings for the Celtic Under-20 squad. A hands-on role at development level is the key part of Brown’s coaching apprenticeship.
‘It was funny but it’s what he does now and you’ve got to get on with it,’ grinned Mulgrew. ‘When he gets into that environment, he’s as serious as anybody. Same as a coach as he is a player.
‘I played in a couple of games in the Under-20s when he was the coach. He never really took any team talks. There were one or two shouts that I did have a wee smirk to myself about. But I couldn’t say anything in front of the boys. He was good. I think that’s why he’s growing the hair — he wants to look like John Collins!’
The maturing of Brown has never been better highlighted than his determination last year to make a start on learning the coaching ropes before his 30th birthday.
Now, three months ahead of turning 31, he will make a 50th senior appearance for the national side when Denmark visit Hampden for a friendly on Tuesday. That is only eight shy of the total achieved by his Celtic assistant manager Collins, who sits 14th in the all-time list.
Mulgrew may have been chiding Brown about the managerial merits of sprouting a bountiful barnet but would never consider cutting remarks when it comes to the Scotland accomplishments of his Parkhead colleague.
Handed a debut by Walter Smith in November 2005 as a substitute against USA, Brown reaches the milestone mark of caps as captain of his country.
Long before Gordon Strachan handed him the armband in 2013, however, Brown was an example setter with his attendance record and desire to be there for Scotland in trying times, both for the team and for himself personally, as he endured painful and concerning periods of injury at Celtic.
What was described as ‘a degenerative hip injury’ in 2012 cost him several big nights for club and country, but only after he pushed himself to the limit to be involved — a difficult dynamic for then boss Neil Lennon to manage.
Mulgrew does not expect Brown to be a player whose value is cherished only after his final cap, medal or club outing. Ahead of the Parkhead skipper being presented with a gold medal in midweek to mark the occasion of his half-century, his team-mate said: ‘I think he is at that level now where he is already greatly appreciated.
‘Whether it is with Scotland or Celtic, you can see what influence he has on the team. It is a great honour for him to get 50 caps, a recognition of both how good a player and how consistent he has been over the past 10 years.
‘I wouldn’t say he does a lot of shouting. On the pitch, he leads by example. But I think the people getting shouted at would appreciate that because it brings out the best in them and sometimes people need that.
‘But there is so much more to him than that. The way he plays, the way he tackles, the way he starts games, the way he is up for the fight. It is through all those things that he drags people with him. That is why he’s been captain of Celtic for a long time and, at this moment, of his country, too.
‘He’s had a few injury problems but he does generally want to play every game and be on every Scotland trip. With the hip problem, I remember he broke down a couple of times in training when he was trying to get back for Champions League games.
‘It never quite happened for him at that time, but he showed great attitude at his rehab, as he always does. He always comes back fit. He is always a quick healer. We’ve done rehab together, so I’ve witnessed the strength of his character.
‘We’ve probably played a couple of good games together for Scotland but we really did hit it off and played very well in the draw in Dublin last year. We play together at club level and know each other’s game, but it is not as though we speak about it greatly. That just comes naturally, as sometimes the best partnerships do. I enjoy playing alongside him.’
The latest partnership for the versatile Mulgrew to form has been with Celtic’s mid-season signing — and likely midweek international foe — Erik Sviatchenko. One major missing link of Celtic’s campaign has been a settled central-defensive partnership, yet through necessity, Mulgrew and the 24-year-old Dane have paired up to impress recently.
‘It is good, he is a good player and the partnership is going well,’ said Mulgrew. ‘Erik’s all-round game is strong. He is good in the air, is aggressive and he can play football as well, which is important. We just play off each other quite naturally and, as with Scott, it is not something we have spoken about. We just seem to have an understanding that works.
‘It is not just us two who get credit for that. It is the full-backs and the midfielders around us, too. We’ve had changes. It is not always easy with injuries, but it’s so important if you can get a settled team. Then everyone knows what they are doing.’
Mulgrew’s former club Aberdeen have taken advantage of Celtic suffering at those positions to maintain a challenge in the Ladbrokes Premiership, a test Mulgrew is relishing. However, he hopes last Saturday’s six-point swing — Celtic gaining a last-gasp win at Kilmarnock and the Dons losing late at Motherwell — can be pivotal.
‘For the first time in a wee while, it feels like a title race — it has that feeling about it,’ said Mulgrew. ‘You saw it on Saturday with the reaction to our last-minute goal, the feeling that it brought. It feels similar to how it was when Rangers were in the league.
‘That weekend could be a big moment. But there’s still a long way to go. We still have to play Aberdeen, so we just have to keep focusing on what we are doing. If we do that, then it doesn’t matter what they are doing.’
The way he plays, tackles and starts games... and is up for the fight. It is through all those things that he drags people with him