OPINION
Being captain of a club as huge as Celtic means that anything you say could have big repercussions both on and off the pitch.
As it has been for a number of years, Scott Brown holds the armband at Parkhead and has done a sterling job of leading the Hoops from strength to strength, marshalling his teammates and inspiring them to be the best they can be as he leads by example.
However, he does wear his heart on his sleeve and his latest comments will no doubt have had many people at Celtic Park red faced in what was a damning attack on the quality of the surface.
After losing in their away clash at Valencia in the Europa League, playing at the famed Mestalla Stadium, he took the time to criticise what him and his teammates had to play on in their home games.
He told the Daily Record: “We played really well, played proper football on a proper football pitch, and until the sending off we were the better team, creating chances, and we just didn’t get the ball in the back of the net.
“The first performance back at Celtic Park wasn’t good enough but then again you look at the difference of the pitches. Their pitch was incredible and we knocked the ball about really well. Celtic Park is not so good just now. Hopefully our pitch gets better and we go on a good run in the league now. We spent a lot of money on the park and it is not up to the standard that we want it to be.
“We don’t want AstroTurf pitches, we want proper pitches. But we need to make sure we’re looking after the pitches and we have the best quality pitches for the SPFL so there is good football and it is not just kick and hope.”
As Brown says, the club have spent plenty of money on making sure their pitch is in prime condition but problems have blighted the surface and those at the top know that for a club of their size it is not acceptable.
Why the captain feels the need to further deepen the issue and continue to criticise only he will know but it is obviously not going to do the backroom staff at Celtic Park any good.
They know the problem and will no doubt be doing what they can to fix it – all Brown is doing is embarrassing them.
He is not one to mince his words but he ought to be thinking before speaking.