Former Don Ryan has ex-scotland boss Brown thinking back to Bud and Jinky
It is said that hindsight is 20/20.
For Craig Brown, when it comes to Ryan Fraser, it’s more like 1998.
“I was 16 years with the Scottish national team,” says Brown, when asked about Bournemouth’s Scottish star, who burst on to the scene under his tutelage at Aberdeen.
“I was eight years as assistant and eight as manager – and I saw a number of very good players coming through.
“We were at five big tournaments – three World Cups and two European Championships.
“When I think back, Ryan Fraser could have got into any of those squads. I really mean that.
“But let’s think about the last time we qualified, France ’98.
“We had top players at the time, but Ryan certainly would have been picked among them, had he been playing the way he is now for Bournemouth.
“He would have been with us back then because he has the kind of quality that everybody is looking for.”
It’s high praise coming from the last Scotland manager to lead his country to a major tournament.
But Fraser’s performances in the Premier League merit it. The 24-year-old wide man has bagged four goals in England’s top division this season, whilst also racking up five assists.
Those stats have him topping the list of
Premier League goalproviders alongside Manchester City’s Benjamin Mendy, and two ahead of Eden Hazard, Paul Pogba and Raheem Sterling.
His success has seen him singled out for praise by fans and big-name pundits alike. And the man who handed Fraser 24 Aberdeen appearances as a teenage prospect isn’t at all surprised.
“It was a big disappointment at the time that Ryan left so quickly,” says Brown of Fraser’s January, 2013, departure from Pittodrie.
“But the temptation to go was too great.
“Ryan was being watched by a number of clubs at the time and the thinking of both myself and Archie (Knox, Brown’s Dons assistant) was that if he stayed with us, he
would be moving to a top-six Premier League team. “Bournemouth at the time were in League One. But they wanted him most and Ryan decided to go.
“Clearly, that has worked out nicely for Ryan in the long run, and I’m delighted for him because he deserves it.
“He is a real talent – but he’s also a terrific young man.”
Fraser’s pacy, quick-footed style is a throwback to a time when Scotland was renowned for the quality of its wingers.
Brown reckons the Bournemouth star doesn’t quite have the pace of Rangers legend Willie Johnston, or the trickery of Celtic hero Jimmy Johnstone “I’d put him somewhere between the two of them,” he says.
But the former Scotland boss is happy to make a direct comparison to a Scottish wide man of more recent times.
“All I can say is I’ve seen a lot of young players in my time – and I had the Scottish Under-21 team for six years,” Brown says.
“Ryan is as good as any former player that I had at that time.
“I transferred Pat Nevin, for example, from Clyde down to Chelsea.
“Pat was a winger, like Ryan, albeit a slightly different kind of winger. “I would put Ryan as good as Nevin – and Nevin played 237 games for Chelsea and 138 games for Everton. “That’s a lot of games at a high level.” International football might not be the highest level of the game these days.
But playing for your country remains amongst the highest honours a player can receive.
Fraser was posted missing from Scotland’s Nations League clashes with Albania and Israel after toiling out of position against Belgium.
But Brown insists he can play a key role in the next two games – then win himself a move to one of the Premier League’s giants.
“Ryan’s still young, so there’s no doubt in my mind he can become even more of a star,” Brown says.
“He has got great ability and great potential.
“He will be being watched every week in the Premier League by other clubs.
“And Scotland fans would obviously love to watch him, too.
“I still think the national team, with Ryan to come back in, is in a strong position to win the next two games. “Alex has had a tough start as manager, with some tough games given to him to play early on.
“But I’m optimistic. I’m an Alex Mcleish supporter.”