I remember talking about Scott Brown about twelve years ago and looking at his game. He was a midfielder who couldn’t really pass the ball, who couldn’t really run with the ball, wasn’t the master of a tackle nor was he going to score lots of goals.

Now I think that review is somewhat over-exaggerated, he’s been one of the very best midfielders in Scotland’s top flight for the last fifteen years (if not longer). He possesses a war-chest full of medals and even at thirty-six years of age he can still help boss midfield battles. He’s quite clearly a good footballer.

Brown has an absolute desire to win. He knows his strengths and he plays to them.

He’s a player that the opposition players, as well as their support, hate. Scott can spot a weakness in an opponent and will exploit it. He’s a wind up merchant, he get’s into people’s faces and he brings out mistakes in others.

Plenty of Aberdeen fans were suspicious of Scott Brown’s arrival in the summer as a player/coach. Was he coming up to Pittodrie to wind down his career and not give his all?

The veteran dismissed those fears about twenty minutes into his debut. As much as opposing supporters hate Brown, those faithful that watch him play for their club week in and week out absolutely adore him as Hibs, Celtic and Dons fans will testify to. He shows a determination on the football field that is rarely matched. He can also start a fight in an empty room and usually escape from the melee unscathed.

His chief victim in his mind-game battles has undoubtedly been Rangers. The history of him winding up Gers players and fans runs deep.

Last night, he managed to gain an upper-hand once again. He was in faces, winning free-kicks and just being a pain in the arse. You can see his antics from a mile away and yet it will usually still spark a reaction. You saw him jostling with Rangers players, laughing at them and trying to help officiate the game with the referee much like a certain Barry Ferguson used to do at Ibrox back in the day.

It’s these tactics that have worked in Brown’s favour for years. He drew Ryan Kent into fouling him and then sparked a reaction, which in turn creates a buzz from Aberdeen fans in the stands and urges on his own teammates. Showing us that he does all these things for a reason or various reasons. Basically to create reactions.

On the playing side, he can take a more unassuming role in terms of sitting in front of the defence and protecting them. His real value to his team is his leadership, his determination to succeed and the experience he brings with him.

Dons boss Stephen Glass is slightly worried that his players are becoming to reliant on Brown:

“I’m almost asking the boys is the glaring omission that they need Scott to push them on, kick them and poke them and make them do it? Professionally they need to be better.”

Via Press & Journal

Don’t get me wrong, if things go against him then Scott Brown has to accept that he’ll be targeted by opponents in the same way he dishes it out. It happened more often than not during his last year at Celtic Park.

But the fact that he can still perform and succeed at this level at the age of thirty-six is testament that he is indeed a great player. A player who will happily accept that some will adore him, while others will always hate him!

Posted on January 19th, 2022 by scott
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