Legitimate questions for Scott Brown as Celtic captain

Firstly – and this is likely to disappoint some – this will not be a diatribe against Scott Brown.

Scott has his detractors – even “haters” – amongst the Celtic support. The latter group have been comprised of some of the most unthinking Celtic fans I have ever known. The sort who harboured ridiculous suspicions and nurtured them as all evidence rendered them absurd.

Brown has his faults, notably a tendency to carelessly give the ball away through slack passing that I always expected him to iron out. But, though that has been a perennial flaw, we're not talking Steven Gerrard bad.

No, but his use of the ball in the middle of the field has always been the major flaw in his armoury, even if he did “boss” that area against England's Gerrard and Frank Lampard in 2013 (a contribution that both of those English midfielders were generous enough to acknowledge – it was a friendly, after all).

The next year, Gordon Strachan watched his team claim an unlikely equaliser before replacing Brown with the returning Darren Fletcher, conveniently side-stepping the issue of who should be the permanent captain. A Scotland team, outgunned in the first half, immediately collapsed.

When faced with a performance, such as the one Scott turned in at the weekend, it is understandable that criticism should be directed towards him. And he has rarely sustained his top form over the past two or three seasons.

• The first question is: Why has his form rarely matched his experience, endeavour and aggression in recent times?
• The second is: Why, for all his passion, energy and standing within the game, do the Celtic players never seem to respond in times of adversity?
• Question number three is: Is this the (beginning of) the end?

Only Scott Brown can answer questions one and two but I''ll add my tuppence-worth.

I suspect that injuries and even excessive loyalty account for much of question one.

It is no secret that Brown has sustained a number of injuries and been left in that terrible players' dilemma of missing games in order to fully recover or play, through pain and slightly diminished ability, when performance margins are slim. [See update below 02/05/16]

That's a tough call for both player and manager. I recall Jock Stein praising Graeme Souness for offering to play with a pain-killing injection in his toe. Jock chose to think of the player's welfare first.

With Brown, one of the reasons that those who doubt his character should hang their heads in shame is that, above all, he has shown loyalty both to his teams and managers.

Brown stood alone in standing up for Ronny Deila when the press vultures were first circling. He also turned out for Celtic and Scotland, dropping hints that his international career might come to an end.

Many a professional has done the same thing, extending his club career by allowing his body the rest time that it needs.

It is no secret that Gordon Strachan urged him to remain the central mainstay of the Scotland team and Mark McGhee's recent comment that Brown had been the stand-out player of the Strachan era should not be taken lightly.

The best thing for Scott Brown's body and reputation would be to announce his international retirement, rest and play to something like his full potential for Celtic. He seems to have chosen the harder option.

It could also be speculated that his coaching interests may have further distracted him from developing his game but that would be to play the devil's advocate.

This is all speculation.

To question number two, there seem to be three possible answers:

1. Brown lacks leadership skills or credibility with his teammates
2. He is surrounded by a group of players so spineless as to be impossible to encourage
3. There is so little belief instilled by the coaching staff that it is impossible for an on-field leader to compensate for it.

My view is that number one can be ruled out due to the fact that the last four Celtic managers have named him as captain, one making him captain of the national team.

Number two is, sadly, more credible. Anyone who has watched the flat performances, the mysterious injuries, the players who would rather go to UFC fights than watch their teammates or who have gone into hiding when the pressure was on would doubt the mettle of the senior players.

But it's rarely wise to make swathing generalisations.

Number three is more vexing. Ronny Deila sets great store by his ability to lead, develop and inspire players.

But reactions on the field of play – as well as reticence when the head coach needed support (and outrageous abuse by Kris Commons) – suggest that the lack of belief may well come from the bench.

Can a captain give courage when the accepted senior leadership cannot? Roy Aitken was famous for urging his charges on for club and country, not least in the centenary double season. But, then he had Billy McNeill as his manager for most of that time – and Alex Ferguson for Scotland.

The question of this being the beginning of the end is a more delicate one.

I believe that Brown can have two or three years as Celtic captain (maybe four). But, if he insists on going through another Scotland international campaign, that scenario will be increasingly unlikely.

At this stage, he should have deputies, people ready to take on the responsibility of running the midfield, allowing Brown respite – to play 75 minutes, instead of the last punishing 15, when his body is tired and hurting.

And that is what a less loyal, less courageous player might seek. It's hard to imagine Brown holding his hamstring, gesturing to the bench that he has to come off and making a miraculous recovery when he realised that there was no sub to allow him to leave the pitch.

I'm a Scott Brown fan – I admit that. And this may be taken in that context.

But I just don't see the performances we have seen from Brown in recent times reflecting the true player, fit and on form.

At a time when many of us have been calling for guts, maybe we should consider what the most courageous player at the club is taking for the team.

• I shouldn’t have been playing, as I’ve got a dodgy hamstring. It’s good to help him out in any way possible and give something back

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