Former Scotland boss Brown takes Aberdeen job

Former Scotland boss Craig Brown was named as the new manager of struggling Scottish Premier League side Aberdeen on Friday after a bitter parting from rivals Motherwell.

The 70-year-old Brown, who led the Scots to Euro 96 as well as the 1998 World Cup, has taken his assistant Archie Knox with him to Pittodrie after both men resigned from Fir Park late Thursday.

Motherwell accused Aberdeen of a “gross discourtesy” and chairman John Boyle called for the Dons to delay the appointment until after the two teams meet at Pittodrie on December 18.

Brown met Milne on Tuesday but soon categorically reaffirmed his allegiance to Motherwell, who also released a statement on Wednesday announcing their management team were staying.

But Brown publicly wavered later that day and admitted he would reconsider before resigning late Thursday night, when Aberdeen first made contact with the Lanarkshire club.

Brown told BBC Scotland: “I can be faulted there because the Aberdeen chairman said to me – we were having a relatively informal meeting – ‘I better phone Mr Boyle’.

“I said ‘I don’t think there’s any need for that unless there’s a likelihood of us continuing with you’. I dissuaded him from phoning Mr Boyle because quite frankly, I didn’t want us not to go there and Motherwell people to think we were touting for other jobs which we never, ever have done.”

Brown and Knox will be officially unveiled on Monday, with caretaker bosses Neil Cooper and Neil Simpson remaining in charge for Saturday’s Premier League clash against Hearts at Tynecastle.