Celtic captain can ‘shut a few people up’ at Hampden this afternoon
Celtic captain Scott Brown has received backing from an unlikely source ahead of today’s Scottish Cup Final.
Brown has produced a series of underwhelming performances this season as Neil Lennon’s side have struggled both domestically and abroad.
The champions are currently 16 points behind Rangers in the title race and were knocked out of the Betfred Cup by Ross County. They also finished bottom of their Europa League group.
Back-to-back victories over Lille and Kilmarnock this month have suggested that Celtic may be turning a corner, but that improvement has coincided with Brown’s exclusion from the starting XI.
Youngster David Turnbull has impressed in both of those wins and is expected to start against Hearts at Hampden this afternoon, while the 35-year-old’s inclusion in the side is far from certain.
If he is given the nod, Brown could come up against former Rangers foe Andy Halliday. The two squared up after Celtic’s 2-1 derby win in March 2019, but Halliday insists
As quoted by Record Sport, the 29-year-old said: “You look at Celtic’s squad and there’s so much quality there – whoever is picked will be fully capable.
“One thing I’ll say about Scott is he has obviously been an excellent servant to Celtic and a leader over the last number of years. I feel, knowing him well from Old Firm derbies, a lot of the stuff that’s been said about him recently is pretty harsh.
“That’s coming from someone who has played against him a number of times.
“I’m sure this is a chance for him as well, if he’s picked or not picked, to win another trophy and shut a few people up.
“It’s up to us to try to combat and compete against whoever is playing, whether it’s Scott Brown or anybody else. One thing I will say about Celtic is that when there’s been a medal on the line over the last few years, they’ve always brought out their best.
“I’m not going to lie, if you told me Celtic had only won three games in 13, you’d realise they’re not in a great place at the moment.
“But in their last two performances, against Lille and Kilmarnock, they look as if they’re back to their best.”
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