SCOTT BROWN last night launched a savage attack on Charlie Nicholas after the former Celtic star’s blistering rebuke of Hoops boss Neil Lennon. The Sky pundit enraged the Parkhead dressing room with his claim the Celts manager was taking the gloss off his team’s imminent title triumph. With Lennon facing three SFA disciplinary charges, Nicholas says he has become an embarrassment and is taking the deserved limelight away from his champions elect. The Hoops are four points from the SPL crown but their ex-striker says Lennon’s constant squabbling with officialdom is the only talking point and that the club are indulging in paranoia. Brown, though, fired back ahead of Celtic’s possible title-winning party at home to St Johnstone tomorrow and says he’ll be delighted Nicholas won’t be near the championship bash. When asked if the opinion of any ex-pros annoyed him, Brown said: “Just the one really. He’s got a wee earring, he sits back and drinks bottles of champagne. “It’s just him chirping up, saying anything really. He wants to say anything so people can see he is still involved in the game. “But he knows how much pressure is on the gaffer. “He knows we have not won the league in four years and, at the end of the day, it would be great to bring it home and tell him he is not welcome to the party.” Ironically, Brown took centre stage at Lennoxtown yesterday with Lennon choosing not to speak after a week when comments have landed him in bother. But the skipper stuck up for his gaffer and said: “You can’t say anything about anybody or it goes to the SFA. “It is extremely difficult. If he (Lennon) says one word it’s blown out of proportion.” However, while Brown had plenty to say in response to Nicholas he kept his counsel over Rangers striker Kyle Lafferty’s latest outburst. The Northern Irishman mouthed off after last week’s Old Firm game that his team were still the best in the country following the Light Blues’ 3-2 win at Ibrox. Having watched Georgios Samaras and Kris Commons get hammered for similar statements last term, Brown could have had the last Laff with his team 18 points clear in the title race and still in with a chance of a domestic double as Rangers prepare to end the season potless. But he said: “Just let them say what they want. I don’t think we will pay attention. “Whatever happens at the end of the season will show you the best team in the league. That is what happened last season when Rangers were the best team. “We’ll see what happens at the end of this season. “Let him concentrate on whatever he wants to say, the main thing is we keep continuing at this club and doing well and look forward to picking up the league trophy.” ======================================================================== Nice to hear Broon stick up for the manager. Nicholas has a damned cheek to be honest and a short memory too it seems, and when he starts going on about "paranoia" then i'm afraid he loses any credibility he ever had, not that there was much of that in the first place. I, like most Celtic fans (I suspect) could not give a tinker's cuss what Charlie thinks, not least because he is as thick as two short pieces of timber and for his desperate attempts to try and look objective and neutral. Just like Burley, but Charlie is twice as dense.
total lack of respect from the celtic captain. fair enough have a pop at him but at least name him. "Just the one really. He’s got a wee earring, he sits back and drinks bottles of champagne" pathetic to be fair
