CRAIG BROWN
(1 July, 1940 – 26 June, 2023)
BACK IN THE DAY – when I was the go-to man for Scottish sporting obituaries, one I was looking forward to writing, but, I hasten to add, in no particular hurry to actually write – was that of Craig Brown, whose death, aged 82, was announced yesterday. He had been fighting bowel cancer.
Because Craig Brown's is a fascinating story – he truly is one of the Legends of Scottish football and well-deserving of his place among the members of the Scottish Football Hall of Fame. He also was a member of a pop group, a Scottish country dancer on television, where one of his partners was the future Mrs Billy McNeill and a Head Teacher and Education lecturer.
He was a schoolboy star while a pupil at Hamilton Academy, where Margo MacDonald, the future MP and MSP was a contemporary. Craig played for a very-good Kilmarnock Amateurs youth team before representing Scotland at Under-18 level, where his team mates included Billy McNeill, Jim Cruickshanks and Alex Ferguson. Lots of clubs were keen to sign him, but, he opted to join Rangers, as a part-timer, while he gained his teaching qualifications at Jordanhill College.
He was sent out to Coltness United in the Juniors, to gain experience, doing so well, he was capped by Junior Scotland. However, he never fulfilled his playing potential, by going on to add a senior cap.
As he admitted in his excellent autobiography, between his course at the Scottish School of Physical Education and his training with Rangers, he overdid things, and suffered a serious knee injury. At around the same time, Rangers signed Jim Baxter and while Baxter and Brown became life-long friends, between the genius of the Fifer and his ongoing knee problems, Craig Brown never did get to play in the Rangers' first-team at football – however, he was recognised as one of the best golfers at the club.
Eventually, he was loaned-out to Dundee, before Bob Shankly managed to get him to sign a permanent deal with the Dens Park club. Brown's eulogy on his Rangers career is a great example of his keen sense of humour: “I was fourth-choice left-half at Ibrox,” he joked: “behind Baxter, an amputee and a Roman Catholic.”
He moved to Dundee at the start of the 1961-62 season. His timing was great, since the 'Dee team, including the likes of Ian Ure, Alan Gilzean and Gordon Smith would finish that season as Champions of Scotland. Sadly for Craig, he struggled to break into that stellar team, although, by common consent he was mostly the 12th man. It was at Dens Park that he received his life-long nickname of “Bleeper” - after he tried a bicycle kick in training and the ball went straight up in the air, so high, according to Scottish internationalist full-back Alex Hamilton, the ball “bleeped” like a Russian Sputnik.
Craig was actually Bob Shankly's first signing as Dundee manager, and also the last man The Other Shankly sold – to Falkirk, where he was Captain of the reserve team. This move came after Bob Shankly had decided he was getting out of Dundee and advised Craig to do likewise.
Sadly, Craig's knee problems continued to dog him and by 1967 he had to quit playing on medical advice – as a player he had played fewer than 40 games over his ten-year career.
However, after getting his PE diploma, Craig continued his education, being one of the first graduates of the Open University, where he obtained a BA in Education and, after teaching at various schools in Lanarkshire, where his father Hugh had been Special Adviser in PE, he joined the staff at Craigie College in Ayr. This brought him back to Ayrshire, where his formative years had been spent in Troon, although he was by birth, a Glaswegian.
Getting established in the education field meant Craig was all but lost to professional football – unless you count an 18 month stint as a Saturday football reporter with the Sunday Post. He did have a spell on the SFA Coaching Staff in the annual classes at Largs, but, was released after backing Eddie Turnbull, when the acting head of the course criticised one of Eddie's tactical innovations.
It was Willie, the eldest of the three McLean brothers, who got Craig back into the professional game, as his assistant at St Johnstone, then Motherwell
Ten years later, Craig would become a manager in his own right, when, in July, 1977, on the recommendation of old Scotland Schools team mate Billy McNeill, he succeeded the Celtic legend as Manager of Clyde.
Craig might not be Clyde's best-ever manager – over the years they have had some stellar names in charge. However, in his nine years as boss at Shawfield, be built-up a wonderful team spirit. His players from that time were and still are friends – while one or two, principally Steve Archibald and Pat Nevin, went on to greater things.
It could be argued, his time at Shawfield was his happiest in football, working with a small but dedicated board of directors who loved their club, indeed, they so admired Craig, he was himself appointed to the board. This gave him one of his funniest stories. According to Craig, on the Saturday after his elevation to the board was announced, as he made his way to the dug-out, a Clyde supporter suggested: “Haw Broon, see noo ye're on the board, can ye no get rid o' that useless manager o' oors.”
Craig Brown's life changed in 1986. Jock Stein had died and Alex Ferguson had been appointed caretaker Scotland boss. He invited Craig to be his assistant in what he described as: “A working holiday” for the duration of the World Cup finals in Mexico.
On his return, Craig, by now back inside the tent, was at the SFA coaching course in Largs, when Andy Roxburgh, having been offered the job of Scotland Team Manager, invited Craig to become his assistant and to look after the Under-21 team.
Craig accepted, although this meant having to give up the day job at Craigie College. Actually, he had a decision to make; at the same time, David Holmes, then in-charge of Rangers, invited him to return to Ibrox – as a director.
He was tempted, but, not yet ready to take a background role in football, so he opted for Scotland over Rangers.
The appointment of the Roxburgh/Brown team did not sit well with some of the great brains among the Scottish Football Writers of the time. They dismissed the pairing as nothing more than a couple of teachers who had perhaps been over-promoted and didn't have much to throw on the table when invited to: “Show us yer medals.”.
There was a touch of the Good Cop/Bad Cop about their approach. Roxburgh was seen as the ultra-serious driven coach, Brown much less serious, while one of his methods of integrating young players into the squad was to counsel them not to notice, far less comment on – Andy Roxburgh's non-existent wig. A wind-up, of course, but a great ice breaker.
A look at their record, however, tells a different story. Twenty years on from Craig Brown stepping down, the Roxburgh/Brown years and their record looks a lot better:
Roxburgh/Brown
1988 European Championships – two points off qualifying from group
1990 World Cup – Qualified for finals
1992 European Championships – Qualified for finals
1994 World Cup – fourth in qualifying group
Brown as Manager
1996 European Championships – Qualified for finals
1998 World Cup – Qualified for finals
2000 European Championships – Beaten in the qualification play-offs
2002 World Cup – Third in group
He was Scotland's longest-serving manager, in-charge for 71 matches, with a highly-creditable 45% winning record. These included a memorable Wembley win and beating the Germans in Germany. He guided the Under-21 team to the semi-finals of the 1992 European Championships, while he had famously coached the 1989 Under-16 team to the Junior World Cup, in Scotland, and a heart-breaking loss, on penalties, in the final at Hampden, to a Saudi Arabian team who clearly had several over-age players.
It could be argued, Craig's lengthy managerial spell with Clyde was excellent training for the Scotland job. His players were part-timers, all had day jobs and the football was an add-on – just as international football is an add-on to the club game.
Ever a football enthusiast, after Scotland, Craig Brown was quickly back in club management, at Preston North End, as a consultant at Derby County, then back in Scotland at Motherwell and Aberdeen.
After relinquishing the reins at Pittodrie, he joined the club's board, aged 73, spending the next decade as a much-respected elder statesman and ambassador of the game. He had been inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
Off the park he was a staunch advocate for Scottish football. It says much for him that, when he announced his resignation as Scotland boss, the news was greeted with genuine sadness by the Tartan Army – they recognised him as one of their own, at heart a Scotland fan.
His brother Jock was also well-known in fitba, as a commentator and as Chief Executive at Celtic. The Browns were a talented family – Craig a teacher, Jock a qualified lawyer and the third brother Bob, a minister.
Craig Brown was a terrific talking head on football, always great value for money when called upon to appear in the media and a regular guest on Off the Ball for instance. His autobiography is a terrific read.
He worked with some great managers and coaches, Bob Shankly, Willie McLean and Alex Ferguson, while his teaching skills were well-utilised at Largs. His former players love him, as he loved them. They are devastated at his death.
Craig Brown also had something of a reputation as a Ladies Man. He loved the ladies and they loved him. I recall one widow of my acquaintance telling me: “He didnae fancy me when I was at Craigie, which has always upset me slightly, but I view it now as a chance missed – for both of us.”
He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1999, I would suggest, had he been English, he would have been knighted. Today, Scotland has lost an icon of the national obsession with the Beautiful Game – his status such that his death made the main BBC Evening News, and was the lead item on the Scottish News.
Above all else, however, Craig Brown was a genuinely nice man – in every respect a Gentleman. We shall not see his likes again.
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