Hearts ace Ian Black insists Scott Brown has changed from being quiet kid at Hibs

Apr 15 2012 By Gavin Berry

IAN BLACK will come up against a snarling Scott Brown when the combative midfielders collide at Hampden this afternoon.

But the Hearts star can still recall lining up alongside the quiet kid who went on to become Celtic's captain.

The pair are set to go head-to-head as key men in the Scottish Cup semi-final having once shared the same dream of making the big-time when they were team-mates in the Hibs youth set-up.

But their journeys to the National Stadium for today's clash have been quite different.

Brown remained at Easter Road before making the breakthrough that led to his switch to the Hoops where he became a title-winning skipper last week.

Black moved to England where he joined Blackburn Rovers but, after failing to make the grade in Lancashire, he returned north to Inverness Caley Thistle before signing for boyhood heroes Hearts.

While Brown has made a habit of running out at Hampden for both club and country, in contrast this will be 27-year-old Black's debut appearance at the National Stadium as he looks to help the Jambos move a step closer to their first trophy since 2006.

One of the biggest hurdles to achieving that will be midfield rival Brown.

Both players have a reputation for being aggressive and the outcome of today's match may well hinge on whoever comes out on top in their personal duel.

But the battle will be a long way from their early days together.

Black said: "I played with Scott at Hibs when I was younger. Believe it or not he was nothing like he is now.

"Scott was much quieter, really quiet in fact. But he's come on leaps and bounds since then and is now Celtic captain. He's a good lad, and obviously a very good player. We were about 14 or 15 when we played together for a couple of years.

"He played more wide-right at the time and I remember us going to Ireland to play in a tournament together. I was by far the noisiest on the park when we were kids but we're both quiet now!

"He stayed at Hibs and signed a pro contract while I opted to go south. He kicked on at Hibs and I left Blackburn to return to Scotland.

"It will be good to try and turn him over. I've a lot of admiration for him. He has earned the armband at Celtic and is playing every week with a lot of pride and doing really well.

"He was written off at the start because of his disciplinary record – a bit like me – but he's proved people wrong, with the likes of Neil Lennon sticking by him.

"I've worked on that side of my game, just as Scott has, but you can't take that streak completely out of anyone's game.

"You need that bit of aggression in football. I've tried to channel it in the right direction and think I've improved a lot. He's done that as well.

"The first 50-50 between us will be interesting – he'll be up for the fight and so will I. May the best man win."

Black has become the player opposing fans love to hate. Although it's a tag he's happy with he insists his poor disciplinary record isn't helped by players making the most of his meaty challenges.

Dunfermline's on-loan Rangers ace Kyle Hutton was the latest player to be on the end of one of Black's tackles last week.

Hutton later said on his Twitter account it was "dodgy" and "poor" and that he was "expecting one off him at some point in the game".

But Black, whose dad Ian is a former pro, said: "The game has changed. My old man says some of the tackles nowadays people wouldn't have thought twice about in his day and that's frustrating because you can't tackle too much.

"And it doesn't help when you get players rolling around, exaggerating and trying to get you booked rather than getting up and getting on with it.

"Sometimes I can say to myself I'm going to get booked before I even start the game so you're conscious of it – but players rolling about doesn't help.

"A few of my past bookings have been harsh but my reputation in recent years about discipline doesn't help, which is why I've had to work on it.

"I think I'm hated at every ground but that doesn't bother me. I'm big enough and old enough to get on
with it.

"I think I've proved that this year with my performances, especially against the Old Firm. I enjoy getting stick when you go to the likes of Ibrox and Parkhead and they're only picking on you."

While Black has watched Brown's progress closely, another former team-mate at youth level gives him inspiration that Hearts can cause a Hampden upset.

Gary Harkins – who was at Ewood Park with Black – helped Kilmarnock dump the Hoops in the League Cup Final.

Black said: "I watched Gary win the Cup and I was delighted for him. Hopefully I can follow him and beat Celtic, get to the final and win that.

"I've never played at Hampden before. It will be a dream come true to step out there. Celtic have shown they're the best in Scotland but they are beatable. We know where their weaknesses are and we'll work on that."

Taken from the Daily Record