In the modern era, Scott Brown was the ultimate Celtic captain.
He built up an outrageous trophy collection as captain under Neil Lennon, Ronny Deila and Brendan Rodgers, establishing himself as one of the greatest midfielders in the club’s history.
His reputation beyond Celtic circles is also distinct. His ‘hard man’ persona made him an infamous figure, and the fact that he played up to it created a certain perception of him.
But Brown was more than just an energetic box-to-box midfielder who later became a tough-tackling holder. To play at the base of a Rodgers midfield, you need to be able to play.
Leadership is also about more than just being vocal – and any idea that Brown was a manic shouter who simply fired his teammates up has firmly been quashed by Charlie Mulgrew.
Charlie Mulgrew on Celtic icon Scott Brown
Mulgrew often deputised as captain for Brown during his Celtic days, typically operating in the defence behind him.
He has credited the Hoops icon for ‘putting out fires before they got to me’ and making his life easier.
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Charlie Mulgrew – Credit: Let Me Be Frank
This was on the Let Me Be Frank podcast, where Mulgrew waxed lyrical about the legendary midfielder.
He said: “He was brilliant, Broony. He was really, really good.
“He could go from having a laugh and having a joke and saying daft stuff, then he was on the pitch – he was the best trainer every day, the way he applied himself.
“He demanded standards. He wasn’t a shouter or a screamer – a five-a-side against him, you knew that your team were winning, or you knew that you were up against it.
“And it drives the standards. Just by watching the way he done that. And he was genuinely a good guy among the boys. So straight away, everybody respects that.
“But he wasn’t a shouter or a screamer, or what you’d typically write down for ‘what does a captain look like.’
“He led by the way he played. He ran the most in training, he ran the most in games, he done the hard yards that people respect, that people don’t notice.
“Me and him had a good spell in midfield, a couple of Celtic games and a couple of Scotland games, and it was brilliant.
“I really enjoyed playing with him, and definitely, playing centre-back, and watching in front of me, him putting out fires before they got to me.”
Charlie Mulgrew on Wilfried Nancy at Celtic
Mulgrew hasn’t just been discussing his own Celtic career – he regularly covers current events at the club in his many punditry gigs.
He recently said of Wilfried Nancy in his Breakdown show with Kevin Thomson: “His teams in the MLS ran the most in the MLS. High-intensity running, distance covered was the most in the MLS.
“He plays three at the back, he plays a 3-4-3, similar to what [Xabi] Alonso did at Leverkusen, with the back three, the wingbacks, the two midfielders, the two 10s and a striker.
“But it’s quite slow build-up, like [Roberto] De Zerbi, and then they go quick. The game I watched, they were getting pressed very high.
“I’ve heard from a source that his man-management is top. I’ve heard he’s tactically very good.”
Wilfried Nancy’s first address as Celtic manager
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