SCOTT Brown last night suggested Joey Barton’s controversial comments put unnecessary pressure on Rangers before their last game against Celtic and predicted they will perform better without him.
Barton, the outspoken English midfielder, had claimed Brown, the Celtic captain, wasn’t in the same league as him and declared he would be the best player in Scotland this season after signing a two year deal at Ibrox in the summer.
The 34-year-old was unable to prevent Mark Warburton’s side from being beaten 5-1 in a Ladbrokes Premiership match at Parkhead last month and he has since been suspended following a training ground bust-up.
Read more: Leigh Griffiths - Pick Moussa Dembele and me against Rangers and we could "run riot"
Brown refused to respond to the former Newcastle United, Manchester City and Queens Park Rangers player’s remarks when he was still involved at the Ladbrokes Championship winners.
However, as he looked ahead to the Betfred Cup semi-final against Rangers at Hampden on Sunday afternoon he predicted the game would be far tighter than their last encounter due to his absence.
“For me he tried to wind the whole game up and to be about him,” he said. “But top quality players have struggled in these games in the past. It’s always going to be hard for anyone if they are not going to do the work.
“For me he put his team-mates under a lot of pressure while we kept focused, kept on the straight and narrow and we just worried about our game, no-one else’s. I just did my talking on the park rather than in the media.
“They have started to get a few results and get a steady team and that’s better for them. They will come in and make it a lot harder for us to play through them. Last time they were wide open.
Read more: Leigh Griffiths - Pick Moussa Dembele and me against Rangers and we could "run riot"
“They will have watched us and will try and stop us playing and keeping the ball and having a high percentage of possession. But we’re improving and getting stronger and fitter as well.”
Asked if he wished that Barton, who has been charged by the SFA with 44 counts of breaching their strict anti-gambling regulations, was available to play in the semi-final, he said: “It would have been good fun.”
Brown was also questioned about what he thought about the fact that Barton, who now looks almost certain to part company with Rangers, had only lasted for one Celtic game. He said: “After the last performance, it’s quite amusing. It is what it is. It’s done and dusted.”
Brown, whose team was beaten 2-0 by Borussia Moenchengladbach in a Champions League group game at Parkhead on Wednesday night, stressed that it was unrealistic to expect Celtic to beat Rangers by a comfortable margin again.
However, the 31-year-old did admit that he and his team mates would have a point to prove after suffering such a disappointing result in their latest Group C outing.
Read more: Leigh Griffiths - Pick Moussa Dembele and me against Rangers and we could "run riot"
“It will always be tighter (after a big win) because the losing team never wants to get beaten,” he said. “They will start well, we’ll start well and it’s about who wants to win the battle. Then it comes down to quality and hopefully we have enough to win through to the final.
“I think a few of the fans think it will be easy, but it’s never going to be that easy. You have to win battles, have belief and push on. We need to work their goalie and get the fans behind us.
“If we play to our full potential then we should win. I think the players we have in that dressing-room means that on our day we can beat anyone.”
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