BOSS BROWN
Celtic icon wins race to be Fleetwood manager
SCOTT BROWN has won the race to be the new boss of English League One side Fleetwood Town.
The former Celtic captain is set to take up his first role in management after the Lancashire outfit secured safety following a brush with relegation.
And Brown — who also spoke to Raith Rovers — will be named as the new permanent manager next week having ended his nine-month spell as player-coach at Aberdeen back in March.
Sportsmail understands the ex-Parkhead skipper has also politely declined a request from Celtic to hand over the league trophy after Saturday’s final game of the season against Motherwell.
Needing a single point against Dundee United tonight to win their 52nd league title, the champions-elect asked Brown to do the honours.
Reluctant to steal the thunder from new captain Callum McGregor, the 36-year-old passed on the honour to focus
THE English Premier League is set to have five teams in the Champions League under reforms being approved by UEFA. Following fury over plans to hand out places based on results over a five-year period — which many criticised as a diluted version of the Super League — two extra spots will be awarded to the nations who performed best in Europe. So this season, teams from England and Holland would take the extra slots. The plans end two years of difficult talks between clubs, leagues and UEFA over the format of the competition from 2024. Under the new format, the Champions League will be expanded from 32 to 36 teams with one league table and clubs playing eight matches against rivals of different rankings to decide who reaches the knockout stages. European Club Association chairman Nasser alKhelaifi said: ‘The new proposals will drive revenue growth, which will be redistributed for the benefit of all across European football.’ Celtic will go straight into the group phase next season when they are confirmed as champions, while Rangers will join them if they win the Europa League or, in the event of losing to Eintracht Frankfurt, by navigating two qualifying rounds.