INJURY troubles continue to assail Celtic ahead of tomorrow's clash with Manchester United in the Champions League but if one soothing thought allows Gordon Strachan's side to travel with a degree of hope it is the form of Scott Brown.
The Fifer has shaken off concerns about his progress in a hooped jersey to establish himself as one of the players of the season so far. Nor has his effectiveness been restricted to Celtic.
Brown was one of the few home players to emerge with cred
it after Scotland's 0-0 draw with Norway at Hampden nine days ago, and on Saturday against Inverness Caledonian Thistle he contributed another tireless shift in the middle for Celtic. He also provided a rare goal, following one of those runs into the box that were once his trademark.
The finish, he admitted, was "a bit of a shank", but since it represents only the fifth goal of his Celtic career he is more than happy to take it. And he agreed that his performance on Saturday continues a run of good form for club and country, his man-of-the-match turn against Norway providing the perfect springboard for further significant contributions.
"You take confidence from every game where you play well," he said. "Some of the other lads are the same. They go away for internationals and come back buzzing, because they played well and had a good result. Hopefully it will show on Tuesday night again."
Brown now sets his sights on Old Trafford, and a new stage for his talents. "I have never played there before in my life," he pointed out. "It will be a good experience. You look at the park and look at the stadium, and you think 'that's phenomenal'. I have played at the Nou Camp and we played well there, but were just unlucky."
Although meetings between Scottish and English sides are inevitably invested with a greater charge, Brown is not sure whether this impacts on the players. Certainly not in the Champions League, where almost every match deserves star-billing.
"The Champions League is the Champions League," he said. "You go and play any other team in Europe and it is a hard game. It doesn't matter if it's England, Spain or Italy. It's still exciting. Everything is a thrill. Getting picked up every week is a thrill. I am delighted to be playing football – I enjoy the game, that's the main thing."
Brown's outlook is one shared by Paul Scholes, who he rates as the best in his position in the world. The Manchester Untied player will be absent tomorrow night due to injury, but, like Brown, has long given the impression that he would play football for nothing. The celebrity world remains a worthless concept to both of them.
Brown's appetite for the fray and his prodigious energy are likely to be essential as Celtic prepare to be the latest visitors taunted by United's ability to retain possession.
"I look at him (Scholes] as the most complete player in my position, and has been for the last ten years," said Brown. "He has done everything, and won pretty much everything.
"But they have other great players – (Darren] Fletcher, (Michael] Carrick, it's an endless list," continued Brown. "The amount of money they can spend down there is different to what we can spend up here, but at the end of the day it is 11 v 11. Money's not everything. Porto won the Champions League under Jose Mourinho. It comes down to who can do it on the day, and who wants it more."
The full article contains 609 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
