I’ve taken bits from Rodgers, Lennon and Strachan – but I’m my own man
As SCOTT BROWN prepares for his managerial debut with Fleetwood, the Celtic legend says…
The move into management has been in Scott Brown’s mind for almost a decade but, without the intervention of Brendan Rodgers, that desire might have prevented him from making history.
Two days out from the first day of the rest of his life, 37-year- old Brown sits in full Fleetwood Town garb as their manager. he is discussing what he has learned from those who managed him over a decorated playing career and it becomes clear that this step was always planned.
Keen to learn the ropes before retirement, Brown had been coaching Celtic’s development teams before Rodgers arrived in Glasgow six years ago. One conversation changed the course of his career and contributed to fulfilling his ultimate ambition.
Brown left Celtic Park as the captain who delivered nine league titles in a row.
‘I was helping Celtic’s Under 20s and they were going everywhere for matches –— Sunderland, Newcastle, the home games at Morton were two and a half hours away from my house,’ Brown says.
‘It started to affect my game and Brendan said, “Look, there’s loads of time for coaching”. he prolonged my career.’
Then came the education. Brown was often invited to backroom staff meetings and absorbed all he could from them. he looks back and recalls how instructions were kept simple. It was eye-opening and something he aims replicate here on the Fylde Coast in League One.
Before accepting the offer from Fleetwood — ‘the highest level I could probably reach as a first job’ — Brown ( right) made sure to call Rodgers, Neil Lennon and Gordon Strachan — in Celtic terms, up there with the best trio you could lean on for advice.
All of them wondered if he still had another season in him as a player — Brown was at Aberdeen as a player-coach until he departed in March shortly after a change in manager — but he knew the time was right.
‘I was done and dusted,’ he says. ‘At Celtic, Brendan told me if I’m ever going into a job, make sure the information flows properly. ‘ Don’t send them too many messages. For me, someone saying to keep it simple was amazing.
‘ I was sat in the meetings thinking, “Right, Jesus — false full backs, he comes up here, he goes up the line”, and Brendan just says, “You go there, you move here”. It’s easy. Football is hard enough without me reinventing the wheel. Make things clear. Some lads sit there after 15 minutes and think, “f******* hell, is it time for me to get out now?”’
Brown, whose first assignment is away to Port Vale e tomorrow, tells of how he scoped the he local area before signing, ignring incognito, wearing a hat to conceal himselfmself for fear of news filtering out.
Maybe it’s myth but there has been a story around here for two decades that Strachan, one of his idols, stood on the terrace at Blackpool’s Bloomfield Road eight miles away in full disguise — possibly even wearing a fake beard — when scouting Brett Ormerod while Southampton manager. If true, Brown has clearly picked up more from these managers than he realises.
‘ Wee Strachan, what a guy,’ Brown laughs. ‘I’ve carried on talking to (the three bosses) since coming in. It’s important to take
small bits from all of them. There will be different facets of their training I impress on to the lads and put my own twist on. Don’t go in and copy a manager We are different people with different mannerisms. It’s different to Celtic here, too. We want young players doing well here, knowing they can succeed and then be sold on to a bigger club. That’s what we need to do to survive.’ Realism but with ambition. Brown was impressed by owner Andy Pilley’s pitch to him as Fleetwood attempt to bounce back from an uncharacteristically disappointing 20th-placed finish last season.
The dressing room has been livened up by landing St Johnstone defender Shaun Rooney, who turned up to training yesterday with bleached blonde hair. Rooney has set standards in sessions alongside Josh Vela.
‘I’ve not lost my head yet!’ Brown smiles. ‘ I’m chilled but want standards. I’m not saying everybody has to be like me, because that doesn’t work, but if people don’t hit standards then fine, someone else will come in.
‘There are small things I wanted as a player — to win every small game, win the races, sharpest over a short distance. They’ve got that drive and that is how you pull the team behind you.
‘A lot of people wrote me off. I just kept coming back in and showing I was fitter than everyone else. It’s mind over matter.
‘This has been a sharp learning curve here because I retired and two days later got the job. I couldn’t have got a better opportunity. The training facilities are fantastic, right up there with Aberdeen and Celtic. I’ve been backed this summer. Fleetwood: why not?’