RISK MANAGER
Brown happy his big gamble in leaving the SPFL to join Fleetwood is paying off
FOR Scott Brown, the decision to leave behind a spectacular and successful career in Scottish football and take a step into the unknown at Fleetwood Town was not without risk.
After all, the former Celtic captain had hoovered up ten titles, six Scottish Cups and six League Cups during 14 years in the limelight at Parkhead, bookended with spells at Hibs and Aberdeen.
A big fish in a small pond, the 37-year-old had options north of the border after he quit as a player. Yet he elected to cut his managerial teeth in the less charted waters of England’s League One.
So far, his gamble in taking over the hotseat at Highbury Stadium is paying off. Brown’s Fleetwood team currently lie 16th in the 24-team division. Crucially, however, they are ten points clear of danger a year after flirting with relegation.
An exciting FA Cup run, meanwhile, saw them claim the scalps of QPR and Sheffield Wednesday en route to the fifth round. Harshly reduced to ten men against Burnley at Turf Moor, Vincent Kompany’s runaway Championship leaders required a late goal to reach the quarter-finals.
Brown certainly made a name for himself by leading the club to the fourth round for the first time in their history, while guiding them to relative safety in the league has been no mean feat in his rookie campaign as a boss.
‘It could have gone one way or the other — but I’m still in a job now,’ said Brown yesterday.
‘Nine months down the line, I’m enjoying it, I’ve got a smile on my face and I’ve not got too many grey hairs so far.
‘I’ve enjoyed coming away a little bit from the limelight in Scotland, so, hopefully, the focus is more on the lads and not myself being ex-Celtic captain. I’ve had my time. It’s about focusing on my management career now.
‘I got an offer to stay in Scotland as well, but the training facilities and everything Fleetwood were offering was exceptional.
‘You want a good academy with young ones coming through and a good training facility, and the chairman’s built a fantastic complex which he’s always trying to improve. For myself, as a first club, it’s a great place to be.
‘It’s a great place for me to learn and understand what it’s like to manage 23 players and have that expectation of winning games and trying to stay in the league.
‘I’ve enjoyed going to different stadiums and coming up against different teams. I also enjoy being the underdogs.
‘I knew it was always going to be a big challenge for myself coming to Fleetwood and trying to push the club forward.’
Brown still follows Celtic avidly from afar, and is delighted that the No 8 jersey he once wore with aplomb is now being sported by Kyogo Furuhashi.
The pair are very different, of course. Brown was a combative midfielder who shaved his head to intimidate opponents. Kyogo is a smiling striker who, when he’s not helping opponents up off the turf, can be found picking up litter.
Yet the ex-Scotland star believes his former club couldn’t have found a better candidate to wear his old number.
‘You can see wee Kyogo has got a smile on his face everywhere he goes,’ he said.
‘He helps people up after he tackles them. He’s picking up litter after games and stuff like that. He’s just a lovely, lovely lad.
‘There is no better person that could steal my number from me. It goes from one (personality) to another. I wouldn’t have helped anyone up!
‘But he’s willing to help anybody up which shows you there is no right way and no wrong way to play football and win games.’
Kept busy poring over footage of League One opponents, Brown says he has not seen enough Scottish football this season to cast a definitive vote on his Player of the Year.
However, Celtic trio Kyogo, Reo Hatate and his successor as captain, Callum McGregor, are all in contention.
‘Kyogo would be up there, and Cal, too,’ he said.
‘Reo Hatate’s got unbelievable energy. He just keeps going. He’s brilliant on the ball. He drops a shoulder and half the stadium goes with him.
‘His willingness to go into a tackle, to get on the ball and make things happen is brilliant.
‘He’s like a Duracell battery. He just wanted to get better and he seems to be thriving playing alongside Callum.’
Brown was back at Celtic’s Lennoxtown training complex yesterday to promote ‘A Night With Scott Brown & Mikael Lustig’ at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro on May 18.
The long-serving duo were denied the chance to say a proper goodbye to supporters when they left Celtic in 2021 as football was still being played behind closed doors during lockdown.
‘The fans were in when I came back with Aberdeen, but it would have been disrespectful if I had started waving in an Aberdeen strip in front of all the Celtic fans,’ said Brown. ‘I played the game and went straight down that tunnel.
‘So it will be good for myself and Lusto to say goodbye because we never really had that opportunity to thank the fans for the support they have given to us through thick and thin, which has been brilliant.
‘It will be nice we can say that in front of them instead of sending out a message on Instagram or Twitter.’