Scott Brown: Fleetwood boss on ambition, managerial influences & growing his hair

For many years, Scott Brown was synonymous with Celtic - an inspirational and aggressive captain who wore his heart on his sleeve and led from the front.

The midfielder won 10 titles, six Scottish Cups and six Scottish League Cups in his time at Parkhead after signing from Hibernian in 2007.

After hanging up his boots last season with Aberdeen, he moved into full-time management with League One club Fleetwood Town in the summer.

In an interview with BBC Scotland, the 37-year-old talks managerial influences, trips to Lake Como and growing out his hair.

• Fleetwood lose at home to Bolton

It may have surprised some that Brown chose to move away from Scotland, where his reputation is greatest and where he was 55 caps for his country, but the Fifer has no doubts that moving to the Lancashire coast was the right call.

"I did have a couple of offers in Scotland," Brown says. "But I wanted a change of scenery and to put myself out of my comfort zone as well.

"It was a great opportunity. We have a fantastic training ground, we've got a new stadium with a great pitch. We are punching above our weight and it's a fantastic place to start.

"Don't get me wrong, I loved my time in the goldfish bowl. It was unbelievable. Playing for Celtic was probably the best time of my entire life. It was a fantastic experience, but that time is gone and I have to focus on Fleetwood."

Brown, whose side sit 17th after Saturday's 2-1 home defeat by Bolton Wanderers, is open about how he leans on the ideas and advice of those who managed him during his playing days, such as Neil Lennon, Alex McLeish, Brendan Rodgers, Walter Smith and Gordon Strachan, but it's clear that he wants to forge his own path in the dugout.

"I think you have to put your own spin on it", he says. "Gordon signed me for Celtic and I still speak to Gordon now. Walter gave me my first Scotland cap and then Big Eck as well.

"The training sessions I always liked as a player I would write down and say 'one day I will use that'. You steal little bits from every manager.

"I speak to Neil, I speak to Brendan. Brendan was brilliant for me, a big influence."

Leicester City's Rodgers was the first person Brown contacted after taking the Fleetwood job.

"Spoke about day-to-day activity, what you are going to need to do, how you are going to get organised," he recalls. "Small details that you maybe don't know about."

'The kids get to see their dad with some hair'

Scott Brown (left) played against former Celtic in one of his final games for Aberdeen

People wouldn't necessarily associate Fleetwood with trips abroad, but they have partnerships with two clubs in South Africa and another in Dubai, while chairman Andrew Pilley also owns Waterford in Ireland.

"I look forward to playing them all," Brown says. "In the International break, we were fortunate to have three players playing at under 21 level for Northern Ireland. The Irish market is huge for us. Having a club over there is a stepping stone.

"Another small thing is the chairman knows the owner of Lake Como. He says do you want to take the team over for three nights. I asked the lads if they wanted to go. 'Yip, yip, yip'. The chairman has booked everything, paid for everything. We end up going over and playing Lake Como, who have [Cesc] Fabregas there.

"That was another reason I came to Fleetwood. The chairman has ambition, I have ambition, the lads have ambition as well."

One thing that has changed from Brown's playing days is that he is no longer bald. The shaved head was central to his hardman/pantomime villain persona while at Celtic, but he is sporting a less severe short back and sides these days.

"It's mid-life crisis number two!" he jokes. "My kids always wanted me to grow my hair and show I could. It sort of grew in a bit during Covid, but I went back playing for Celtic then went up to Aberdeen, so I shaved it off again.

"As soon as I finished playing, I was always going to grow my hair back for the kids and they get to see their dad with some hair and not being that aggressive guy that used to play a little while ago. That part of my life has come and gone."

Listen to the full interview on BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound from 14:00 GMT on Sunday.