FRANCE 98 – General Media News Template

While Scottish club football has declined in recent years, Craig Brown has succeeded in ensuring the national team remains a force in world football despite limited playing resources.

Scottish football is no longer blessed with an embarrassment of talent and the influx of foreign stars into the country’s leading clubs has restricted the development of young home-grown players. But Brown, a former professional player as well as a schoolteacher, has moulded a solid and efficient, if unspectacular, team that has proved very difficult to beat. There are few star names in the squad but Brown’s tactical astuteness and sound organisation as well as a robust defence and an excellent team spirit have kept Scotland in the world’s elite.

Brown, a genial and popular figure, recently signed a new four-year deal and he will be 62 when the contract ends after the 2002 World Cup. He is also Scotland’s technical director in charge of the country’s coaches and the youth development programme. Scotland Skipper Gary McAllister, who is recovering from a severe knee injury that will see him miss the World Cup this summer, is delighted Brown is remaining at the helm.

“It goes without saying that Craig has the respect of all the lads in the squad. His record is very impressive,” says McAllister. “But not only has he got the right results when needed, he has also raised team spirit.” Talk to most of the lads and they will speak about the club spirit in the international side. A lot of that is down to Craig. “

Brown was appointed Scotland manager in November 1993, succeeding Andy Roxburgh and his most notable achievements have been to steer them to Euro 96 and this year’s World Cup finals. Brown arrived at the SFA’s headquarters in Park Gardens in August 1986 as understudy to Andy Roxburgh after 10 years at second division Clyde and two seasons as assistant coach at Motherwell.

His team were part-time and so was he, combining his post with his role as physical education lecturer at Paisley University’s Craigie Campus. He started out at Rangers, then moved to Dundee, where he won a League championship medal, but his career was curtailed by a serious knee injury which required five operations.