£9m price tag proof Brown has come of age at Celtic

Published on Monday 5 January 2009 22:22

THE extreme unlikelihood of Scott Brown's leaving Celtic for Portsmouth – even for a reported £9 million fee – is probably most strongly reinforced by referring back to the spookily prophetic comment he made soon after leaving Hibernian for Parkhead in May, 2007.

At the time, he was said to be the object of several clubs' desire, but Reading, then in the lower reaches of the English Premier League, had actually agreed the terms of the young midfielder's transfer. It was the player himself who turned down the move, for reasons he outlined soon after joining the Scottish champions.

"If I had chosen Reading," he said, "I would probably be fighting a relegation battle next season and then maybe disappearing into the Championship. In two years' time, people would have been saying: 'Remember that lad Scott Brown – whatever happened to him?'" Brown's misgivings were vindicated when Reading were, indeed, dropped into the second tier of the English game last season.

In rejecting the invitation to the Madejski Stadium, Brown opted for a club where he won a league championship medal and a place in the last 16 of the Champions League, a tournament in which he experienced the exhilaration of matches against Milan, Benfica and Barcelona.

In this second season, the European adventure has embraced Manchester United and Villarreal. The recollection of these exposures to the highest level of the game informed his remarks at the weekend, when he declared his happiness at Celtic Park and strongly implied that where he played would not be based exclusively on earnings.

Portsmouth's position at the moment may not suggest an imminent fight against relegation, but, despite their 12th place, they are only five points ahead of the bottom club, West Bromwich Albion, and their recent struggles – four points from their last six matches and defeat in each of their last four – could hardly be described as a come-on to prospective recruits.

But the south coast club's interest in Brown, and at a reported price which is more than double his cost to Celtic, is meaningful in terms of the player's self-belief. It may be construed as confirmation of the wisdom of the Glasgow club's decision to pay what remains a record fee between two Scottish clubs. Brown is also the most expensive purchase of Gordon Strachan's three-and-a-half years at Parkhead.

There were times last season when Brown's worth was quite widely doubted, a view that appeared to be supported by Strachan himself at one stage, when he left him out of the team for a number of games. There seems little doubt now, however, that the manager was making allowances for factors that could explain Brown's apparent ineffectiveness and omitting him as a form of protection.

The most obvious is the difficulty that is often encountered in their first season by players – especially anyone not yet turned 22 – moving from the less intense environments of lower clubs to the singular pressures of the Old Firm. In addition, Brown may have suffered from having his moderate performances compared in some quarters to the lively, prolific contribution of Scott McDonald, another rookie who seemed exempt from the late Tommy Burns's observation that "it is easier to play against the Old Firm than it is to play for them".

Above all, though, it is surely reasonable to infer that, for much of that debut season, Brown would be tormented by his younger sister's terminal illness. Fiona died from cancer in May at the age of 21. If there was an unmistakable rage implicit in Brown's normal, endlessly energetic style – leading to a stream of yellow cards – it may have derived, at least in part, from a subconscious resentment over his sister's tragic plight.

There seems little doubt that Portsmouth's interest will have been piqued by Brown's form in this second season at Celtic. Almost since the start, he has been demonstrating the voracious appetite for the game and the ground-devouring ubiquitousness that distinguished him as a teenager at Easter Road and allowed the then Hibs manager, Bobby Williamson, to put him in the first team without reservations.

The recklessness, too, has been virtually eliminated, Brown having been booked only twice in the four months since the season began. He revealed recently that it was Strachan's influence that had brought most of the improvement. "The boss has shown me that I don't have to be always running," said Brown. "He's shown me that it's sometimes better actually to stand still. He's taught me about timing, about how there are times to go and times not to go, and I think that's the main reason I've become a better player at Celtic".

Brown himself would concede that his game remains flawed, not least in his passing and his finishing. There are times when he frustrates supporters and teammates alike by finishing off the hard bit by flunking the easy bit with the misplaced final pass or the grotesque attempt at converting a golden opportunity.

But, if Portsmouth's reported willingness to buy him for 9 million is a reliable guide, it would appear that Brown has already done enough to suggest that Celtic's purchase from Hibs should be regarded as a bargain.