SCOTT BROWN probably put his worst ever performance in at Ibrox this afternoon on a day where Celtic were second best all over the park.
The result itself wasn’t down to Brown solely, but when you look up to gain inspiration from your captain, and he’s struggling to keep up with the pace or make a ten-yard pass, then it can spread throughout the team.
Since Callum McGregor came to the forefront in the Celtic captain’s role, the argument has always been ‘Aye, but we need him in there for the dig and fight in games like Ibrox’ – today that has been blown out the water. Actually moving Callum McGregor out of the midfield to accommodate Brown and Ntcham was disasterous.
Going forward, Rodgers knows that Brown as a first-team automatic starter is not on the table any more.
Yes, the midfielder can still give a lot to Celtic, but he shouldn’t be automatically called upon when we need players in the trenches.
IF McGregor is fit, he should always play in the Celtic midfield ahead of Brown or Ntcham – it’s as simple as that.
It’s hard not to be reactionary but the proof was in the pudding today, no one can tell me Celtic could have been any worse with Brown out the team.
