Broony points

[ian1964 10,626]

RHYS McCABE probably expected a sneering, snarling Celtic skipper.

 

Instead all he heard from Scott Brown was nothing but PRAISE.

 

The Rangers rookie made his Old Firm debut at Ibrox and looked at ease in the biggest game of his young life.

 

Spraying passes all over the pitch, he was immense.

 

So good, in fact, even Celts captain Broony couldn't hide his respect for the 19 year-old.

 

McCabe, still buzzing yesterday, told SunSport: "Brown was quite an intimidating figure standing in the tunnel before the game.

 

"But out on the park he was actually great towards me.

 

"He even walked past me a few times and said 'well done' after I'd make a couple of good passes. I didn't expect to hear that.

 

"He could have easily got wound up by things out on the pitch, especially after the two red cards. But he didn't do that.

 

"I just loved being out there for the game and it's a day I'll remember for a long time.

 

"Even just walking out to Simply The Best is something I've always wanted to do."

 

With that last comment you'd think McCabe was a big Rangers fan. You'd be right.

 

Chances are he'd have been sitting in the stand if he hadn't been out on the pitch.

 

The kid from Livingston has been a Gers fan all his life.

 

In fact, it was seeing a spectacular Old Firm goal scored by Arthur Numan a decade ago which convinced the nine-year-old he wanted to be a professional footballer.

 

McCabe revealed: "I've been a Rangers supporter since I was a wee boy. I'd mainly watch matches on television.

 

"But my dad and uncle would take me to a few of the bigger games whenever they could. We went to a few Old Firm games.

 

"I remember being in the Club Deck for a game when Numan scored a peach of a left-foot goal from 30 yards. I remember sitting there thinking to myself 'that's what I want to do for a living â?? I want to play for Rangers'."

 

Within months of that day McCabe was wearing a Gers shirt for the club's under-10s.

 

By 16 he'd left school and signed full-time.

 

And a decade on to the very month from that Numan strike, he was playing against Celtic himself in a game he'll remember forever. The teenager, whose mum Dawn and dad Kevin were at the game, added: "It was a dream.

 

"My parents both had a lump in their throats I think.

 

"They've watched me play all my life â?? including youth games up in Inverness â?? and it meant a lot to them as well, seeing me play against Celtic. They saw me make my debut against Hearts and now this. "I absolutely loved it. I didn't know I was playing for sure until training on Saturday. I was involved all week but I didn't want to take anything for granted and then be disappointed.

 

"But when the gaffer named the team and I was in it, it was great. I felt nervous but in a good way. Before the game the other players just told me to go out and enjoy it. They told me there was no pressure on me whatsoever. The way things had been going I think most people expected Celtic to win the league.

 

"But the lads just told me to go out and show people what I could do, and that I was in the team on merit.

 

"I just tried to focus on the football side of it rather than the occasion. I just thought that if I could enjoy the experience then the football would take care of itself and I'd do alright.

 

"Playing in front of 50,000 fans is a big difference from playing for the under-19s in front of a couple of hundred people. It was a big step up but one I really enjoyed."

 

The young midfielder plays with maturity and talks with a level head. He's a credit to his family on and off the park. But his feet are firmly planted on the ground and with his Murray Park peg still situated in the YOUTH TEAM dressing room they're likely to stay there.

 

Rhys added: "I'm still learning my trade so that's where I belong. I'm not overly concerned about where I get changed in the morning. I had duties up until last season. My job used to be to clean up the big indoor hall at Murray Park and make sure the goals were put to the side and all the balls and markers were put away neatly. That was fine by me because it's all part of the learning process."

 

Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/4221169/Scott-went-past-me-a-few-times-and-said-Well-done-I-didnt-expect-it.html#ixzz1qIfFQIYD

[Guest Dutchy]

He's such a mature youngster, I've not seen anyone playing so confidently while be so young since Danny Wilson.

 

Let's hope he doesn't want to be in the ELP's reserves, as Wilson did.

[Cotter 0]

He may look the challenged sort and he's fond of a cheeky swipe...but we all know Broonaldinho wishes he was a Ranger!

[Super_Ally 0]

Why do we go out of our way to praise and defend them. Brown did lose the plot and was only allowed to continue by a weak ref.

[Guest Dutchy]

Why do we go out of our way to praise and defend them. Brown did lose the plot and was only allowed to continue by a weak ref.

 

That he was, and Brown not being double yellowed just goes to show how poor the ref was. Some of his tackles were outragous, and they were persistant, which should have been enough to see him walk.

[54andcounting 0]

Broon gets away with that in EVERY game he plays - he's a persistent clogger who persistently gets let off the hook by our awful refs week in week out.