Mates and colleagues of Craig Brown mentioned their goodbyes to the late former Scotland supervisor in Ayr on Tuesday.
Brown died at the age of 82 in hospital final month after a brief sickness and the remembrance service occurred at Ayr Racecourse, following a non-public household funeral.
Brown was the final man to guide Scotland to a World Cup finals, taking cost of the crew in France 25 years in the past.
Among the Scotland gamers who performed beneath him reminiscent of Jim Leighton, Tom Boyd, Gary McAllister, Murdo MacLeod, Tosh McKinlay, John Collins, Colin Hendry and Darren Jackson had been in attendance together with former nationwide crew managers Andy Roxburgh and Alex McLeish.
SPFL chief government Neil Doncaster and chairman Murdoch MacLennan had been joined by SFA chief government Ian Maxwell.
Derek McInnes of Kilmarnock, Aberdeen’s Barry Robson and Tony Docherty of Dundee had been amongst present Scottish membership managers current together with West Ham supervisor David Moyes.
Different well-known figures from Scottish soccer reminiscent of Willie Miller, James McFadden, Archie Knox, Jim Jefferies, Billy Stark, Jimmy Bone, Jocky Scott and Dick Campbell attended the service.
Brown is survived by his two sons, Hugh and John, and his daughter, Val, all of whom spoke eloquently about their father. In an emotional eulogy, Val catalogued her father’s life and soccer profession and his love of quoting statistics.
She additionally recalled his transient foray into the world of pop music when he was a participant at Dundee within the Nineteen Sixties.
With tongue in cheek, she mentioned: “Unusually, dad was very pleased with having successful single as one in every of 5 Dundee FC gamers who shaped the well-known pop group Hammy and the Hamsters. With their hits ‘She Was Mine’ and ‘My Dream Got here True’ I’m advised they had been the very best boy band this facet of Broughty Ferry.”
Son Hugh thanked the viewers for “the unimaginable love and assist, it’s overwhelming and heart-warming” earlier than he spoke with some humour about his father’s “powerful love”.
He mentioned: “I feel it could be honest to say we endured old-school self-discipline at residence so in all honesty we had been completely delighted when he decanted to his beloved Largs for the summer season (for SFA teaching programs) leaving mum and the three of us to get on with it.
“We didn’t have fancy holidays as children however we had good manners drummed into us – John has forgot some.
“Good grammar was essential however we had the very best sports activities gear. He was a soccer fanatic who couldn’t cook dinner, wash, iron or do something domestically and he struggled to loosen up actually till later in life – however a wonderful man. We had been all so pleased with him.”
Son John spoke about his father’s love of entertaining an viewers: “Dad didn’t let the reality stand in the best way of an excellent story. He would far slightly inform a phenomenal lie than a boring reality.”
Brown, a former schoolteacher, additionally led Scotland to the European Championship in 1996 and was concerned in a training capability at three different main tournaments.
The Glasgow-born former Rangers and Dundee participant managed Clyde earlier than his worldwide teaching profession, which additionally included main Scotland Beneath-16s to a World Cup ultimate and the under-21s to a European semi-final.
Brown was supervisor of Scotland from 1993 till 2001. He later managed Preston, Motherwell and Aberdeen earlier than changing into a director at Pittodrie.
