Neil Lennon defends Celtic captain Scott Brown over ‘stamp’ but pundits say he was ‘naughty’

Celtic interim boss Neil Lennon has insisted that Scott Brown didn’t mean to stamp on St Mirren’s Jim Kellermann during the Parkhead side’s 2-0 win at the Simple Digital Arena last night.

TV pictures appeared to show Brown leaving his foot in after being tackled by the Buddies man in the centre circle, leaving the former Wolves youngster in some pain.

But Lennon said: “It is totally accidental, it’s not deliberate at all. It’s not like he has raised his foot. It’s just on the follow-through from the tackle.”

Howver, BT Sport pundit Chris Sutton disagreed, insisting that the Hoops skipper was lucky to have stayed on the park.

Scott Brown challenges St Mirren's Jim Kellermann, with the latter feeling the full force of the Celtic skipper. Picture: SNS Group

“Scott Brown was naughty - it’s a red card for me,” said the former Celtic striker.

His remarks were echoed by ex-Rangers midfielder Alex Rae, who added: “He could easily avoid [putting his foot on Kellermann], he could put his foot on the other side.”

Scott McDonald - another former Celtic striker - weighed into the debate, saying: “For me, it almost looks deliberate.”

Brown wasn’t booked by referee Don Robertson at the time, and the Scottish FA Compliance Officer could issue the veteran midfielder with a notice of complaint if she feels there was more to the incident.