Scott Brown

Massive miss for Scotland

 

Good news. Better for us, and that is all that matters.

 

* Scotland.

 

Good news for us.

 

Good for us. It's a big season ahead and we can't afford injuries to key players.

 

Very, very surprised at this news. Can only think he's had a long talk to Rodgers about prolonging his Celtic career.

 

I didn't think he'd be one to walk away from the international scene, but playing for Scotland seems like it's become a bit of a burden.

Hopefully we are seeing the start of a return to his best now. Strachan and Deila have botha dmitted to asking him to play through the pain barrier, but now he'll be resting in the international breaks as opposed to pushing himself to the limit for Scotland.

Great news for Celtic.

 

International football is * rubbish anyway, good decision.

 

* brilliant news, not like he was ever gonna do much with Scotland anyways. Focus on your club Scott.

 

Great news for us. Also weakens the Scottish national team which is also a bonus...

 

That's a shock. He'll be a miss for Scotland.

 

It's very good news for Celtic, but a massive blow for Scotland.
But still it will give someone like John McGinn a chance to step up to the plate for Scotland.

 

Fantastic news for us, however disappointing I wont see him captain Scotland again.

All in all, its great how committed he is to this club.

 

Have no affinity with the Scottish team at all so delighted at this news.

I was one who said Broony was finished but * me was I wrong. Back to his best.

 

Good news for Celtic

 

CELTIC captain Scott Brown has today announced his retirement from international football.
The Hoops skipper has made 50 appearances for his country since graduating from Under-21 level, scoring four goals in the process.
Despite never reaching a major tournament finals, Brown has represented Scotland on the field with distinction since making his debut as a substitute in a 1-1 friendly draw with the USA in November 2005.
A strong working relationship forged with Gordon Strachan while together at Celtic eventually saw Brown made captain of his country, with the former Celts manager giving him the armband for his first match in charge of the national team – a 1-0 friendly win over Estonia at Pittodrie in February 2013.
Brown’s last appearance for Scotland came in a 1-0 win over Denmark at Hampden in a friendly game on March 29, 2016.
Everyone at Celtic congratulates Scott on a distinguished international career and the Hoops skipper gave particular thanks to Gordon Strachan on the day of his international retirement.
"Firstly, I would like to thank Gordon for giving me the honour of not only playing for my country but captaining Scotland in the last campaign," he said.
"Gordon has been one of the most influential people in my career and I did not want to let him or my country down but over the summer I had a lot of thinking to do. It’s no secret that I’ve suffered some injuries in my career and once you get over 30 you have to protect your body more.

“I’m not the type of player who can coast half-heartedly through a game – I give 100 per cent every time. Given the importance of this campaign for Scotland, and the challenges ahead at Celtic, I simply felt that I could not keep up both commitments without either my performances or recovery time suffering.

"Gordon understands this completely and I would hope the Scotland supporters understand my position, too. The personal disappointment of not reaching a major championship finals with my country was heightened this summer but we have a great squad of players and I am certain that we can really make a go of this campaign and qualify for Russia.

“I genuinely think we showed in the last campaign that we are good enough to compete with Germany, the world champions, and other nations who qualified ahead of us. I would like to thank the fans who travel across Europe to back us, my team-mates and the backroom staff for their support and look forward to seeing them soon.”

The national coach gave a glowing endorsement of Scott Brown’s contribution to his country.

Gordon Strachan said: “Scott is one of the most wholehearted players I’ve encountered and somebody who puts the team ahead of himself. He is not the type to play within himself, either, and I understand and respect the decision he has taken.

“I have huge admiration for a player as selfless as he has been: to sacrifice family time and recovery time to help his country.

“We will miss Scott as a player, no doubt about it, but football evolves and it provides an opportunity for others to step-up take that responsibility. We’ll miss him as a person, too, because his influence and popularity around the squad was integral to all that we did as a group.”



BRENDAN Rodgers has no doubt about the difficulty Scott Brown endured in making his decision to retire from international football but he believes the Scotland and Celtic captain has made the right call.
The Bhoys skipper announced this morning that after 50 caps and four goals, he was finally hanging up his boots for Gordon Strachan's national team and the 31-year-old issued a statement thanking the current Scotland and former Celtic boss for his guidance throughout his career.
Brown made the decision as he enters an important part of his career and a new era at Celtic, the manager of the Scottish champions said he stood by his midfielder.
“I think it’s the right decision for him,” he said. “It’s obviously a very difficult decision for him as he’s a passionate man about his country. He’s skipper there and there’s Gordon as manager, who he’s very close with. It was obviously a really tough decision.
“I think for him it’s the right move. He’s into that final chapter of his career and he’s still got a number of years left in him yet and he’ll want to give those best times to Celtic. When you’ve been a player playing 60-70 games a season over the last few years, you need to look after your body. It’s probably just come at the right time for him.
“He’s a wonderful footballer for Scotland. He’s had 50 caps and lots of players when they start out in their career, if they can get to 50 caps they’ve had a really good international career.
"For Scott it’s obviously sad when it comes to an end but it’s certainly good news for Celtic and the club's supporters as it means he can be physically and mentally right for playing for Celtic for the next numbers of years.”
The Celtic manager revealed he had spoken with Brown about his decision to retire from the international scene, but said the Hoops captain had been dwelling over making the move for several months.
The disappointment of not reaching the 2016 European Championships in France was a body blow for the Celts skipper, who has captained his country since 2013, but the manager said Brown did not make the choice to step down lightly or on a whim.
“I know it was probably on his mind,” he added. “I think he’d spoken to Gordon a number of months back after the campaign finished but we just talked about going forward. It was a general chat about him and his game.
“I’ve said since I’ve come here that I have been really impressed by Scott Brown as a footballer and a person. He’s a very conscientious guy. He’s a very loyal guy and recognises that Gordon played a big part in him coming to Celtic and for Scotland as well so he always looks to support the people that are loyal to him.
“So we just talked in general. He’s had a really great run working with Scotland but knows at some point you have to think of yourself and the body. That was purely what the reason was.
“He’s a very focused guy and it wouldn’t be something he’d take lightly. He’s 31 now so he’s moving into the last period of his career and he wants to ensure he’s giving absolutely everything to Celtic here.
“And knowing maybe that there are other players coming through for Scotland, younger players, it’ll give the manager the chance to build something with them. I still think he’s a top-class player so it’ll be interesting but I still think Scotland have other good players.
“He’s had the first summer off in a very long time so that has allowed him to recover from injuries that he was carrying last year. He’s got leaner, fitter and then you see the result of that.
“It’s one where in terms of timing it’s come at a good time for Celtic and Scotland. Scotland have really good players there who’ll get the opportunity to play now and that allows Scott to focus, probably for the first time, on himself and I think everyone will respect that.”

 

Definitely the right decision, that extra rest could see him avoiding prolonged injuries that affect his form. It's a loss for Scotland but hopefully we can get another young Scottish midfielder getting a chance with the national team.

 

Smart and probably the right time. Shame for Scotland, but oh well.

 

Good stuff. A Scott Brown 100% focused on his club can only be a good thing.

 

* you