Brown: I’m now ready to be boss
CELTIC legend Scott Brown has confirmed his retirement from football at the age of 36.
The midfielder left his playercoach role at Aberdeen just nine months into his two-year deal in March ‘to focus on his coaching development’ following the departure of boss Stephen Glass.
Brown, who lifted 23 major honours with the Parkhead club — most of them as captain — has confirmed that he has hung up his boots in order to take greater steps towards management.
He is hoping to land his first job in the dugout this summer, having already been linked with jobs at St Mirren and Raith Rovers.
Brown (right) said: ‘It’s been a very difficult decision to call time on my playing career, but I’ll be 37 next month and I feel the time is right for me to announce that I’m retiring in order to focus fully on becoming a manager. It’s the end of one chapter but the start of a new one and I’m excited about what the future might hold.
‘Obviously, I will cherish some amazing moments from my time and none better than winning so many trophies during my years at Celtic. So I’m delighted that the club is now about to celebrate winning the title back.
‘I know how it feels to lift that trophy and how much hard work is required to win it.
‘So I have to take my hat off to Ange Postecoglou for the job he has done in such a short space of time.
‘It was always an honour for me going out there as captain, knowing the lads were listening to you in that huddle, with 50,000 fans behind us wanting us to do our best.
‘Yes, my last season didn’t go that well but that’s football. You’d take nine out of 10 titles all day long! So I’ll just have to take that one on the chin. But you learn lessons from the tough times, too, and I think everyone at the club took those lessons on board.
‘They’ve responded by kicking on this season and it’s been fantastic just to watch the way they’ve gone about it.’ Brown made a total of 787 appearances for Hibernian, Celtic and Aberdeen in a career spanning 19 years and earned 55 Scotland caps.