SCOTT McDonald has warned Scott Brown of the humiliation that could lie ahead for him if he decides to leave Celtic for another SPFL club this summer.
There have been rumours linking the Celtic legend with a move to Aberdeen as a coach/player under a new management regime at Pittodrie but McDonald has lived the scenario of going back to a smaller club after Celtic and recalls the utter humiliation he felt when he came back to Celtic Park.
The former Celtic striker turned out to be a great signing for Gordon Strachan not long after he famously cost Celtic the league title on the final day of the season.
After his spell at Celtic, the Australian went to Middlesbrough and played down south for a while before heading back north to re-sign for Motherwell.
Speaking about Brown’s situation, he knows the Celtic captain is at a crossroads, and Scott’s advice would be leave the county and play football elsewhere.
“I don’t see Brownie getting a position in the first team coaching staff at Celtic so I can understand why he’ll be looking at Aberdeen as a great opportunity.” McDonald told RecordSport.
“If he wants to keep playing, fair enough. I don’t think he should stay at Celtic because if it goes badly next season he’s going to be the one who gets all the blame. And let’s be honest there’s more chance of it going badly than going well. Even if it does go well I don’t think he’ll be getting as many games as he would like.
“I’m not saying he’s past it but, no matter what happens, it’s probably time for a new start. I’d have liked to have seen him getting out of Scotland all together but he clearly has other ideas at Pittodrie. He’ll be in for a nasty surprise if he goes back to Celtic Park in an Aberdeen shirt. But hey if it works for him then that’s all that matters.”
“Brownie will quickly realise he’s playing with a different level of player and that takes a bit of adjustment. How does he handle that? That’s going to be hard because he’s been involved at the highest level for 13 years.
“So there’s a lot for him to think about. Obviously, he will always be welcomed back at Celtic so he does have that safety net. But he’ll be surprised by how it feels to be at another Scottish club. I know how much I hated it.”
“It’ll be strange for Scott. The hardest bit will be the first time he goes back, trust me. If you end up on the end of a thumping you just want off the pitch.
“I remember going with Motherwell and we got skelped 7-0. I was looking over at Mark McGhee, giving him the puppy dog eyes like, ‘Is there any chance of subbing me off here man?’.
“It was pure humiliation. We were 7-0 down after 60 minutes and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m getting murdered out here. Take me off Mark, please!’ Every time the board came out I was going, ‘Please be me’. But no chance, he left me right out there.”
Scott Brown’s influence on the pitch is diminishing but many fans want to see him facilitate the new and old guard next term. It would be disrespectful to Scott if we just kept him for that reason alone. If he’s not going to be any use to us on the field and he doesn’t want to be a coach just yet then a move away this summer is likely.
