SCOTT BROWN may have missed out in that bizarre SPFL photoshoot from earlier this week when Neil Doncaster assembled the eleven captains who have never won the Premiership Trophy to get their photograph take with it – while the Celtic captain was away on Champions League duty as a result of, well, winning the Premiership in May.
We wrote about this bizarre photoshoot the other day, if you missed it, seeing really is believing – ‘Alexa – Show me a picture of club captains standing beside a trophy they’ve never won!’…see HERE.
That was for the eight successive season and the Celtic skipper, addressing the media today at Lennoxtown ahead of Flag Day on Saturday against St Johnstone, is confident that he’ll be back in exactly the same position this time next year having won 9IAR.
????️ #CelticFC captain @ScottBrown8 addressed the media at the Bhoy’s training centre after accepting the Champions’ flag for the eighth season in a row. #GR8since1888 ????️
???? “It will be great for us to unveil the flag at Celtic Park again and for the families to come along.” pic.twitter.com/QNAGUB12wf
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) August 1, 2019
“It will be great for us to unveil the flag at Celtic Park again and for the families to come along,” Broony said.
The Celtic captain confirmed the retaining the title, thus reaching 9IAR, is a priority for the Celtic players and management these season and indeed as it always is when going into a new campaign as Champions – something that is becoming a habit these days.
“That’s our aim. We’ve managed it the last eight seasons and it’s been fantastic so we need to push for this season the exact same as we have been doing all the way through.
“We look forward to that challenge and the main aim for us is to start the league well and to get into the Champions League as well,” Broony noted.
The Celtic pre-season has been dominated by the two early rounds of qualifiers and while these are perhaps an unwelcome additional burden being placed on the squad, there are silver linings. Peter Lawwell gets to big gates in July and hopefully the same in August through these qualifiers and also the players get to build up their fitness for the start of the new campaign.
“I think we’ve shown in our games so far that we’ve started really well. We’re looking forward to starting this season with the new faces that have came in,” Broony said.
Next up after St Johnstone is a trip to Dracula country to play the very mouthy CFR Cluj – who don’t apparently think that Celtic are a decent side and that they play in a poor quality league. Celtic have won on Bosnia and Estonia and will look to add Romania to that impressive list next midweek.
“It’s going to be a huge step up for us. Us going away for is certainly going to help. You never know what can happen in European games. We’ll understand how they’ll play and be ready for the test.”
But before that it’s St Johnstone on Saturday at Celtic Park, with a 3pm kick-off and be sure to be early to the widows of Billy McNeill and Stevie Chalmers unfurl the flag. Broony has plenty of respect for Saturday’s visitors and rates manager Tommy Wright very highly indeed.
“St. Johnstone have always been a hard team to break down and they’re always very organised with Tommy, he puts that into good use especially when they come to Celtic Park.”
More to follow from Broony.
????????️ #ThrowbackThursday
Last few remaining tickets for #FlagDay 2019!
➡️ https://t.co/xxUN9fRCMP pic.twitter.com/CrYFLhA7zY
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) August 1, 2019
Also on The Celtic Star today…
‘Just One Word for Celtic – Magnificent!’ Sunday Post, 20 October 1957…see HERE.
The Big KT Countdown as Lenny reveals he’s ready if Worst Happens…see HERE.
Focused Ntcham wasn’t Pusillanimous in Tallinn, ‘and it was pleasing’ says Lenny…see HERE.
‘I just want to play as many games as I can,’ Gordon’s Glad to be Back…see HERE.
