Scotland Should Welcome Back Scott Brown If They Qualify For Euros

Date: 24th November 2019

 

Scott Brown stated earlier this week that he’d consider coming out of international retirement if Scotland were to qualify for next summer’s European Championships. 

When asked if he’d perform a sensational u-turn, Brown said (Via Scotsman on Sunday):

“Listen, there are still two play-off games to get through, but you never say never,”  

“It would be phenomenal for the country to get to a finals after 22 years. I remember watching the games from France 98 as a kid – my mum had put flags in the windows and on our street. It’s a regret of mine that I never managed to get there with Scotland.”

Brown’s possible hint that he’d make himself available again for the Tartan Army if they were to qualify for their first major final of this century has been met with some resistance from quite a few.

I get why some would be reluctant to see the veteran midfielder walk straight back into the squad. He’s retired twice now from the national team, he didn’t help us qualify and people will believe that those that got us there (if we get there) deserve that experience. Plus Scotland are quite strong in the central midfield area. 

Yet even though I understand all that, I would still welcome Scott Brown back into the pool with open arms.

Why?

Well Brown is still, even at thirty-four years of age, the most passionate Scottish player playing today. He’s also got a wealth of experience and he’s a natural leader. Scotland still miss all those things! We still need a dominant captain like figure that’s played in huge games and who will give everything for the jersey no matter what.

 Scott is still able to perform at the highest level too. He has scored three in his last four games for Celtic. He is also a smart and determined footballer, that’s why he’s been able to successfully keep his position in the Scottish champions’ team for the last decade. He has also shifted position at least three times in that time and looked good in all of them. 

The tenacious middle-man would also give Scotland that streetwise quality we’ve been missing recently. He winds up opponents and he can influence referees as well as his own teammates. Sometimes our midfield becomes too passive and we need to be more in other team’s faces. Brown would give us more steel and aggression in our engine room. 

I’d love for us to get to the Euros next summer. If we are lucky and good enough to qualify, we can’t just turn up and be happy to make up the numbers. That’s why I think we can’t afford to let sentimentality cloud our judgement. For me, Scott Brown would still walk into the Scotland squad, if he were available for selection,  and most probably the team. 

So I would urge Scotland boss Steve Clarke to give the Celtic captain a shout, if we manage to navigate ourselves through the play-offs and into the draw for the European Championships! 

Posted in: Latest News