The phrase was as common as it was needless. “I’m sorry, I don’t want to keep you back from anything …” Craig Brown never was holding this or any other journalist away from something more important than the extended insight being offered into football matters of the 1960s, 2000s or anywhere else in between.
Brown did not appreciate his age being a matter of public discussion but his ability to so sharply assess the game and its characters into his 80s was genuinely remarkable. He was unfailingly helpful to the media and unfailingly apologetic if one landed upon that ultra-rare thing; a topic he was not quite sure about.
There will be no more lengthy calls with Brown, no more erudite testimony, no more follow-up messages as thanks for making him “sound intelligent” in print. Bowel cancer has taken one of Scottish football’s most significant figures of the modern era, just short of his 83rd birthday.
Brown, Jim McLean and Walter Smith will surely be sharing laughs in the great dugout in the sky. Nobody in football is universally popular but “Broon” had far more friends than most.
He was subtly but fiercely protective of his coaching record. He was also self-deprecating and a wonderful raconteur with an impish sense of humour. Brown could provide detail on throw-in routines that most observers thought impossible. He paid freakishly close attention to the warm-up approach of substitutes. His “wee pal” Steve Evans kept him abreast of rising stars in England’s lower leagues but Brown had earlier rubbed shoulders with football royalty.
When Brown announced his retirement from management, in 2013, he received a letter from his close friend Sir Alex Ferguson which started: “You rotten bugger.” Ferguson, who followed suit months later, had briefly been left as the oldest working manager in the UK.
Brown was best known for his period in charge of Scotland, including at the 1998 World Cup. The Scots have not been back to a World Cup since. Yet tales of France hugely underplay Brown’s contribution to football. He was immersed in the sport, from his youth until death. Undeterred by knee injuries which curtailed his playing days and were visible in the way he walked throughout adulthood, Brown began his coaching journey at Motherwell in 1974. More than a decade earlier, he had been part of Dundee’s famous title-winning squad.
After combining roles in education with the manager’s position at Clyde, Brown was recruited by the Scottish FA in 1986 as the national team’s assistant manager and the head of youth teams. Brown assisted Ferguson at the World Cup of that year in Mexico. The younger groups enjoyed great success, meaning it was no shock that Brown replaced Andy Roxburgh in 1993. Brown, like Roxburgh, was crucial to the Scottish FA’s much‑lauded coaching culture.
At Euro 96, Brown stoically pointed out “We don’t celebrate draws” after an encouraging scoreless opener against the Netherlands. David Seaman’s penalty save and moments of genius from Paul Gascoigne did for Brown’s team at Wembley but Scotland had been a match for England. The Scots signed off with a 1-0 win against Switzerland, exiting the tournament on goals scored.
Scotland took 23 points from 10 qualifying matches for France 98, thereby earning a berth ahead of Sweden. A John Collins penalty restored parity against Brazil in the opening game of the finals but this always looked a tournament too far for an ageing side. A draw with Norway offered hope but Scotland were hammered by Morocco in their final game.
Brown stuck around. Arguably Brown’s finest moment was still to come. Trailing England by two Paul Scholes goals in the Euro 2000 playoff in November 1999, Scotland rocked their hosts at Wembley after a formation change. With a young Barry Ferguson immense in midfield, Don Hutchison’s goal was scant reward for a courageous Scotland display.
Brown, who won 32 and lost 21 of his 71 games as the Scotland manager, resigned after failure to reach the 2002 World Cup. The national team found various ways to fail thereafter, until Steve Clarke rode to the rescue in 2019.
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Brown managed Preston North End, where he struck an unlikely but close friendship with his housemate, Billy Davies. Brown regarded Davies as the outstanding but unfulfilled manager of his time. “I fell out with the Preston chairman but before I packed my bags I told him the best thing he could do was to give Billy the gig,” Brown recalled. “That was about the only thing he listened to me on and just as well.”
After a five-year hiatus from management – he held background roles at Fulham and Derby County – Brown stabilised Motherwell to the extent Aberdeen came calling in 2010. Much to the chagrin of the Motherwell owner John Boyle, that is; who accosted Brown at the end of the game after his Aberdeen side next played at Fir Park.
History may point towards a low‑key tenure at Pittodrie but Brown was denied the resources of his successors. He inherited a team that had lost six times in a row, including by nine at Celtic Park. Brown’s brother, Bob, retired as a minister in Aberdeen; Craig came to love the Granite City, where he had a base along with his home in Ayrshire. Brown loved his golf, almost as much as he adored time in the company of his multitude of football pals.
Brown was old-fashioned in the sense he was a stickler for fine manners and smart dress. Players were discouraged from playing with snazzy haircuts, shirts out or socks rolled down. Yet the mere fact he was managing in Scotland’s top flight at 72 shows he could move with the times. Brown commanded instant respect. The esteem with which Brown was held in Aberdeen was epitomised by him remaining at the club as a director and subsequently ambassador.
My last time in his company, in May 2019, feels the blink of an eye away. An email checking on the possibility of meeting for lunch the day after a Friday evening clash between Aberdeen and Hearts was met with the following reply: “Mr Murray, I ordered a ticket for you which is £26 less than the one you thoughtfully, but foolishly, have purchased. Please dispose of the unnecessary one and a decent ticket will be awaiting you in your name at the main entrance. I’ll meet you in the boardroom about half an hour before the kick-off when I finish my hosting duties in the restaurant in the Richard Donald Stand.”
During a 2-1 Aberdeen victory, Brown was immediately taken by the composure and tenacity of a 16-year-old Hearts debutant. Aaron Hickey progressed to Serie A and the Premier League. Brown never lost his touch.
