SCOTT BROWN says that his determination to prove his doubters wrong is all the motivation he needs to stay at the top of his game for Celtic.
The Celtic skipper, who turns 35 today, feels he has fully vindicated his decision to turn down moves abroad last year to extend his stay in Glasgow after leading his team to a ninth title in a row.
And Brown says that those who questioned whether or not he could continue to perform at the top level for Celtic have been made to eat their words.
“When I had the chance to go to Australia or the USA last year there were a lot of people who couldn’t understand why I stayed and signed a two-year contract because they thought my best days were already behind me,” Brown said.
“However, I enjoy proving people wrong.
“There’s no question that America and Australia both looked good. They had the sunshine, the beaches, the golf courses and the lovely lifestyle that goes with that.
“But winning games in front of a full Celtic Park, winning trebles and clinching nine-in-a-row definitely tops it.
“I came to Celtic because I wanted to win trophies, play in the Champions League and test myself against the best players in the world. I’ve done all of those things and loved it and I still want more.”
Brown made 50 appearances for Celtic in all competitions last term despite the curtailment of the season, and he is confident that he can play such a pivotal role for the team next season as he looks to lead Celtic to a tenth title in a row, even if manager Neil Lennon reinforces the squad in the summer.
“Celtic fans demand that we get the best players in Scotland and put in performances in the right manner,” he said.
“I thrive under that kind of pressure, especially if pundits and even supporters think my legs have gone.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here