Scott Brown: Spurs Bid to Sign Celtic £10M Scottish Player of the Year Dented by Mowbray?

Tottenham’s chances of signing newly crowned Scottish PFA Player of the Year Scott Brown this summer may have been dented following the arrival of Tony Mowbray as Celtic’s new manager.

The 23-year-old star had enjoyed a good 2nd season at Celtic Park culminating in the PFA award. He is also a regular in the Scottish national team and is renowned for his tough tackling and engine. The departure of Gordon Strachan following the club’s failure to retain the title looked set to lead to Brown’s departure but his comments to the Daily Record suggest he is very keen to stay in Glasgow.

Brown said this week, “I’m really excited about the future for us now that Tony has the job. He will bring his own players in and he’ll know what’s needed to improve us as a team.

“Let’s not forget, it was Tony who started the huddle so he’s already made his mark on the club and he knows what it means to wear the shirt and everything that goes with it.

“He’s the man for the job all right and I can’t wait for it all to get started.”

If those comments weren’t enough Brown also added, “I could have never imagined I’d end up working with Tony again at Celtic but I’m absolutely thrilled that it’s worked out that way.

“Losing the the title was a major disappointment and with Gordon leaving the club everything felt very strange at the end of the season. It wasn’t a case of me thinking about leaving - I was always going to come back and be fully focused on getting the championship back.

“But to find out that Tony is going to be the manager? That’s just the best news I could have hoped for.”

Brown was born in Dunfermline but began his career with Hibernian making his debut in May 2003. In his first season he scored 3 goals in just 4 league appearances (3 starts) cementing his place in the first team for the following 2003/04 season. That season Brown played in 36 league games (34 starts) while scoring 3 goals. He was part of the Hibs team that reached the League Cup final where they eventually lost to Livingston despite earlier victories over Rangers and Celtic in the competition.

The following two seasons were blighted by injury meaning the tenacious midfielder only 34 league starts. However, in his last season at Easter Rd, Brown emerged as a Scottish star earning an regular place in the national squad. He also won his first trophy after Hibs beat Kilmarnock 5-1 in the Scottish Cup final.

The 23-year old was linked to a move to the Premier League in the summer of 2007 with Spurs, Everton, Middlesbrough and Reading thought to be interested. An agreement between Reading and Hibs was agreed but the player rejected the move. He said at the time, “If I had chosen Reading I would probably be fighting relegation battle next season and then maybe disappearing into the Championship. In two years’ time people would have been saying, ‘Remember that lad Scott Brown - whatever happened to him?”

Brown agreed to sign for Celtic prior to the end of the 2006/07 season and his final match for Hibs was against his new club. He scored a goal and was later substituted which were both greeted by cheers from both sets of supporters. In his first season at Celtic Park, Brown admitted he struggled with his form as his 21-year-old sister was dying from skin cancer. Despite the emotional turmoil, the midfielder played 34 league matches (31 starts) which his club captain Stephen McManus was quick to praise. He said, “How Scott was able to get through the season while bearing his private sorrow I don’t know.

“It shows what a remarkable person he must be. He’s gone through a rough time and I want him to know his mates are there for him. But I’m sure Scott knows that.”

The Scotland international was quick to praise his manager Gordon Strachan after standing by him last season when he recently won the Player of the Year award. He said, “He’s (Strachan) had a huge effect on me I didn’t have the best season last year but he knew what was happening and he stuck by me and kept playing me.

“At that time he was the only one encouraging me. He never said one bad word about me and that was brilliant. Players appreciate that and they remember it.”

In January 2009 Brown was named amongst 13 other players in FIFA’s ‘ones to watch in 2009′. Celtic were reported to have rejected a £9m offer from Portsmouth that month due to his importance to the side. In March he was voted Man-of-the match in Celtic’s 2-0 League Cup final win over Rangers to lift what was the 4th trophy of his short career. Brown has now won 16 caps for his country.

Spurs have had a reputation as a bit of a weak team in the past but Harry Redknapp was set to address that with the introduction of Brown next to Honduran star Wilson Palacios next season. The athleticism and strength of these two would allow the more lightweight attacking stars Aaron Lennon and Luka Modric more freedom to get forward knowing that the all-action duo are behind them. Whether the arrival of Mowbray ends the possibility of this move remains to be seen.

Brown is renowned for the physical nature of his game and has been booked 14 times in 70 league appearances for the Bhoys. He was also booked 31 times in 109 league appearances for Hibs. So if he does join Spurs for the £10m which has been widely reported expect the North Londoners to have a far more physical nature than they are usually renowned for.

So would you like the club to sign Brown? Would Celtic fans be disappointed to see him leave? Let’s hear your views.

Tags: Celtic, Hibernian, Scotland, Scott Brown, Tony Mowbray, Tottenham

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 16th, 2009 at 09:11 and is filed under Blog, Home Blogs, Transfer News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.