Laura Bradburn has been speaking on the latest edition of A Celtic State of Mind podcast to discuss all things related to the Parkhead side.
One topic of discussion on the podcast was whether Scott Brown should be in the starting XI in these final Scottish Premiership games.
The 35-year-old has confirmed he will be parting ways with the Glasgow club at the end of the season to join Aberdeen in a player-coach role.
Will Scott Brown be a big miss for Celtic when he leaves?
Yes
No
Brown was included in John Kennedy’s starting XI in Saturday’s 6-0 victory over Livingston, which sparked a debate among the podcast guests, with Bradburn not convinced by his inclusion.
She said: “I can understand that there might be a desire to involve him in games more because he’s leaving for maybe a sentimental reason or whatever.
“But to me, it comes down to looking at the squad we have, the best team that we can pick for this game today to try and win this game. If you’re looking at it purely through that prism, Scott Brown doesn’t come into the first XI for me. So, therefore, he shouldn’t be playing.
“I get that there’ll be a tribute at the end of the season. That, to me, sparks even more suggestion that up until that point, he shouldn’t play for sentimental reasons, because he’s going to get his send-off, he’s going to get his big hoorah, hopefully in front of some fans if everything continues to go the way it’s going.
“So that is going to come. So there’s even less reason to suggest putting him in is worth doing. Like I say, [Ismaila] Soro’s got a lot of work to do. He’s a bit of a rough diamond if you want to call him that. But he’s certainly a better option than Brown at the moment.”
TIF Thoughts on Bradburn’s comments…
The 35-year-old midfielder has played a huge part in Celtic’s recent history having signed for the Hoops back in 2007 from Hibernian; however, Bradburn believes he is only included in the side now due to ‘sentimental’ reasons over his footballing ability.
With Brown departing at the end of this season, the club has a great opportunity to assess players within the club who could potentially replace the 35-year-old’s spot in the team – Ismaila Soro being Bradburn’s choice.
It is apparent from Bradburn’s comments that she feels Brown’s remaining time at Celtic should be limited to minutes off the bench and his testimonial in the summer.
In other news: ‘Is this a joke?’, ‘Speechless’ – Many Celtic fans fume over club post