SCOTT Brown has insisted every one of his Celtic team mates always gives their all for the Parkhead club whenever they take to the field – even if they are looking to move on.
Brown’s manager Neil Lennon revealed the attitude of certain members of his squad had been “bugging” him for the last six months after the 2-1 defeat to Ferencvaros and Champions League exit on Wednesday night.
And Lennon, whose team is bidding to win the Premiership for a record-breaking tenth consecutive season, vowed that individuals would be moved on if they weren’t committed to the Scottish champions’ cause.
But his captain is adamant that every man who took part in the one-off second qualifying tie in midweek tried their hardest – and only crashed out of Europe’s elite club competition because they failed to take their chances up front.
“For me, the lads want to be here,” he said. “I don’t know what people have said to the manager individually, to be perfectly honest.
“At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if they want to be here or not. Once they go on that park, everyone gives 100 per cent.
“That’s what the gaffer demands. It wasn’t the best performance on Wednesday night. We dominated the ball, but weren't clinical enough in front of goal. We were a little bit sloppy with the two goals we conceded.”
Brown continued: “I would hope everyone wants to be here. It’s a fantastic club. There are a lot of lads at this club who want to see us winning games, some who have been here throughout winning trophies and winning trebles. We know the feeling and it means so much to us.”
Asked about the prospect of Lennon selling Celtic players who want to be transferred, Brown said: “If people don’t want to be here it’s hard. But it’s not up to me whether they stay or not. That’s for the manager and the board, it’s a discussion with the players who want to be here and who don’t want to be here.”
Brown stressed the failure to reach the Champions League group stages for the third season running had stung the Celtic players every bit as much as it had the supporters and vowed they would respond positively against Motherwell in the Premiership on Sunday.
“It hurts all of the lads,” he said. “It’s our responsibility. The manager picks the best team to go out there and deliver on the park. We had a few chances and just not managed to take them. Ferencvaros didn’t have many shots on target but they were clinical.
“We just all have to take responsibility. It’s not about individuals. It’s about the 11 who played and the subs who went on as well. That’s why we need to stay together now.
"We’ve got a huge season and we need to make sure we start winning and start playing proper football - pressing together as a team as we have been doing the last couple of seasons.
“Right now, it’s more pressing individually. We’re not all getting up together at the right speed and tempo. It’s easy to say we need to learn from our mistakes but we need to do it rapidly.”
Brown continued: “It’s a difficult season for everyone with no fans, But for us now, it’s all about how we bounce back. We know what we are going to get over the next couple of days but we have to get together, be stronger than we ever have been.
“We’ve been in this situation before and it’s not nice to take. We didn’t want this situation but we are now out of the Champions League. We need to make sure everyone is working hard in training and in the games.
“We can’t just turn it on for Motherwell or Hamilton, or stuff like that, and expect to turn it on in the Champions League.”
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