Craig Brown led Scotland to two major tournaments and was involved in another three but it was only later that his services were truly appreciated.
The former schoolteacher succeeded where bigger names would go on to fail by taking Scotland to both the World Cup and European Championship.
Brown also led Scotland to an Under-16 World Cup final and a European Under-21 semi-final.
With his Scotland side built on a solid 3-5-2 formation, Brown’s critics often called for more flamboyance but his approach proved even shrewder with hindsight.
Brown was born in Glasgow in July 1940 and, with his father in the RAF, spent his early years living along with his mother at his grandfather’s house in the city’s Corkerhill area, where air raids were common.
Brown’s father, Hugh, was a major influence on his future career choices. The former Hamilton player was a PE instructor and held several roles, including director of training at Jordanhill education college. The family moved around the west of Scotland until settling in Hamilton.
Brown was one of three brothers. Jock became a lawyer and football commentator who had a spell as Celtic general manager, and Bob was a Church of Scotland minister.
Brown represented Scotland Schoolboys alongside Billy McNeill and Alex Ferguson and had a trial with Celtic before joining Rangers aged 17.
He combined playing for Rangers reserves with PE and primary teaching qualifications at Jordanhill but the left-half’s first-team route was blocked by the likes of Jim Baxter along with a niggling knee injury, which blunted his potential.
He had the first of five operations on his left knee after joining Dundee in October 1960, although he won a league winners’ medal in 1962. Manager Bob Shankly delivered his bonus to his hospital bed, a gesture which helped inspire the respect Brown would go on to show as a manager himself.
Brown remained a peripheral figure at Dens Park and supplemented his income by working part-time as a teacher before joining Falkirk in 1965. He quit playing in 1967, weeks after joining Stranraer, after being diagnosed with a bone disorder and arthritis in his troublesome knee.
Brown moved up the teaching ladder, becoming a headmaster in Uddingston and lecturer at Craigie College in Ayr, but football remained a major focus. He coached school teams, had a role at the Scottish Football Association coaching centre at Largs, and a spell as a match reporter for the Sunday Post.
He became assistant to Motherwell manager Willie McLean in 1974 before becoming Clyde boss in 1977, retaining his lecturing post all the way. In nine years with Clyde, he twice led them to the Second Division title.
Brown accepted an invitation to form part of Ferguson’s coaching staff at the 1986 World Cup and remained with the national team when new Scotland manager Andy Roxburgh asked him to be his assistant as well as under-21 manager.
Scotland qualified for the 1990 World Cup and the European Championship two years later and Brown was named manager in November 1993 after Roxburgh quit in the wake of failure to qualify for USA 94.
With media and fans expecting a big-name appointment, Brown had some sceptics to win over but his team only conceded six goals in 20 qualifiers during his first two campaigns as Scotland reached Euro 96 and the World Cup two years later.
Scotland came within a goal of qualifying for the Euro 96 knockout stages, before a 3-0 defeat to Morocco consigned them to another early exit at the 1998 World Cup in France.
Brown led Scotland to victory over England at Wembley in 1999 but ultimately they lost out on the European Championship after an aggregate play-off defeat to Kevin Keegan’s side, and he resigned after missing out on the next World Cup.
Speaking in 2018, Brown said: “They might have sacked me, I don’t know. But I thought the fans were fed up with me, the press were fed up with the same old guy. I’d had a right good innings. I think I did the right thing, I think they needed something fresh.”
Brown managed Preston for just over two years before being replaced by assistant Billy Davies, with whom he later worked at Derby on a consultancy basis.
His club career looked long finished when Motherwell asked him to take over on a caretaker basis following the departure of Jim Gannon late in 2009. But he did so well he was offered the job on a permanent basis.
Within a year and at the age of 70, Brown left Fir Park following an approach by Aberdeen. He steadied the struggling Dons but could not lead them to the top six in his two full seasons in charge and stepped up to a director’s role in May 2013.
Brown had life-saving surgery in 2020 after suffering an aneurysm. He was on stage at the PFA Scotland awards last month to hand a Special Merit Award for Ferguson to the pair’s former colleague, Archie Knox.
Brown, who died in hospital in Ayr after a short illness, is survived by his two sons, Hugh and John, and his daughter, Val.
Veiga calls for patience during Maresca's Chelsea 'process'
New Chelsea signing Renato Veiga has urged fans to trust the process under Enzo Maresca after their heavy pre-season friendly defeat to Celtic on Saturday.
The Blues were thrashed 4-1 by the Scottish champions in Indiana, which followed a 2-2 draw with League One side Wrexham in their first match under the Italian.
Chelsea had 10 shots on target in their defeat to Celtic and struck the woodwork twice, but their only goal came from the penalty spot as Christopher Nkunku converted.
They have also struggled in defence, getting caught playing out from the back three times in those games, leaving Maresca with problems to solve ahead of their Premier League opener against Manchester City.
However, Veiga, who played his first minutes in a Chelsea shirt on Saturday, remains optimistic the club will soon see the results of Maresca's tactics.
"Of course, it's about results and in every football game you want to win," he said. "Chelsea especially has to win every game. But we are in pre-season. The most important thing is the process, the connection between each other.
"When the time comes [to play Manchester City] on August 18, that is when it counts and when we have to win for sure.
"He [Maresca] is a very direct manager, very direct in what he wants. You just have to enjoy and learn the maximum that you can in every training session, to give everything you can in every session — that is very important for him as well, and after, you can replicate it on the pitch."
Veiga signed from FC Basel for a reported fee of €14million earlier this month, penning a seven-year contract with the West London club.
The versatile 20-year-old is yet to be told if he will definitely be part of Maresca's plans for the upcoming season, but he is relishing the chance to represent Chelsea.
"How can you say no to Chelsea?" he added. "For me, they are the biggest club in England.
"They have a very ambitious project, not only for the present but the future as well. Right now, the most important thing is the present and I am very happy to be here.
"I am a very versatile player. I just can't wait to get more opportunities to play for this club.
"I was watching them [Chelsea] at home [when I was young], buzzing about Didier Drogba's goals and N'Golo Kante's tackles. I just want to be able to live those moments as well."
Lindstrom joins Everton on loan from Napoli
Everton have completed the loan signing of Jesper Lindstrom from Napoli, the club confirmed on Friday.
Lindstrom will join the Toffees for the 2024-25 season with the deal including an option to make the move permanent at the end of the campaign.
The 24-year-old becomes the fourth addition at Goodison Park following the arrivals of Tim Iroegbunam, Iliman Ndiaye and Jack Harrison.
Lindstrom arrives after a difficult season with Napoli, playing just 416 minutes in 22 league appearances for the Serie A side.
The Denmark international arrived in Naples from Eintracht Frankfurt where he scored 14 goals in 80 appearances, helping the German side lift the Europa League in the 2021-22 season.
“I feel very good. It’s amazing to represent Everton," Lindstrom said in his first interview with the club.
"This is a big club, with big history, a good stadium and, as I’ve seen, very good facilities as well. I’m very, very happy to be here and I feel like this is a good fit.
“I actually heard of Everton’s interest a while ago – not only from now but previously. England is very similar to Denmark so I will feel at home quickly.
“I’ve spoken to the manager. It sounds as though he likes the way I play football and I can be a good fit for the team with my speed, so now I want to deliver."
The search for another attacking option out wide had been the priority at Everton, having seen Arnaut Danjuma return to Villarreal following the completion of his loan deal, and the sale of Lewis Dobbin to Aston Villa.
Everton managed 40 goals last season, the second worst in the Premier League ahead of Sheffield United (35), and Dyche believes Lindstrom has a lot to offer in the final third.
"Jesper is a player with very good ability who can operate in a number of different attacking roles, which will benefit us heading into the new season," said Dyche.
"He joins us with a range of different experiences. He is hungry and eager to succeed with us, and that's a strong starting point as we look to add more productivity to our attack."
Maguire labels England criticism 'ridiculous' following Euro 2024 display
Harry Maguire has defended his England team-mates after their performance at Euro 2024, labelling the criticism as "a bit ridiculous".
England reached back-to-back European Championship finals but suffered the same outcome in Berlin as they did at Wembley three years ago.
The defeat against Spain saw Gareth Southgate become the first head coach in the history of the tournament to end up on the losing side in two finals.
Southgate called time on his eight-year tenure in charge of the Three Lions two days after the tournament ended, winning 59.8% of his 102 games in charge.
Despite this, underwhelming performances in Germany saw cups thrown towards the former England head coach as supporters jeered the players.
Southgate came under fire for his defensive approach, though only Walter Winterbottom (383) and Alf Ramsey (224) have overseen more England goals than his 213.
However, Maguire has come to the defence of his team-mates.
“Yes, performances might not have been amazing but it is tournament football," Maguire told BBC Sport.
"It is not as expansive. There are far less risks taken. You can’t afford to make mistakes or get caught going out in a full press. You saw throughout the tournament there were not many high-scoring wins.
“I just don’t know what the media or fans expected of this team. Was it to go and beat Serbia 4-0 in the first game and then beat Denmark 3-0? Did they think it was just going to be a walk in the park?”
Under Southgate's stewardship, England reached more major tournament finals in four attempts (two) than they did in their first 23 appearances at the World Cup and Euros (one).
Maguire played 63 times during Southgate's time in charge, a total only bettered by Harry Kane (81), Kyle Walker (70), Jordan Pickford and John Stones (both 68).
Maguire was forced to miss the tournament having picked up an injury in May, forcing him to miss Manchester United's FA Cup success against Manchester City.
Euro 2024 was the first major tournament he has missed during his international career, having become a mainstay in central defence alongside Stones.
Maguire's 17 appearances at major tournaments saw him keep seven clean sheets, but he insisted that missing out on Euro 2024 was difficult for him to comprehend.
"To miss out was tough," said Maguire.
“It has been really frustrating, working all season to get myself mentally and physically at the top of my game and be in a position to feel I could really make a difference for Manchester United and my country."
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