'Owning Rangers is the easiest job in the world' - St Johnstone chairman Geoff Brown

[ian1964 10,410]

There is a moment with Geoff Brown where it seems pertinent to ask whether he is looking forward to meeting Craig Whyte.

 

St Johnstone�s owner has yet to do so, having had two decades playful sparring with the previous Rangers chairman, Sir David Murray. That pair are cut from the same cloth: direct, uncompromising and hard. Two deal makers able to dominate a club.

 

So, before his St Johnstone host Rangers at lunchtime today would Mr Brown look forward to meeting Mr Whyte? A mischievous grin. ââ?¬Å?I look forward to meeting anyone whoââ?¬â?¢s prepared to offer me some money.ââ?¬Â

 

That�ll be the Murray Davidson issue straight on to the agenda, then. Rangers have offered peanuts for a 23-year-old who�s been in a couple of recent Scotland squads and Brown hasn�t been shy about saying so. He was also a bit miffed that the offer came by email from someone on the Rangers staff. That�s never been his way of doing a deal.

 

Brown is the grandee of Scottish Premier League boardrooms. In September, he will reach the 25th anniversary of the day he took over at St Johnstone and that makes him the longest-serving chairman in Scottish and ââ?¬â?? as far as he knows ââ?¬â?? British football. If few have served as much time, even fewer have been as single-minded and forthright.

 

He saw off prostate cancer in 2001 and has had no problems since an operation a decade ago. Today he looks in fine fettle. Although he trots out a familiar line about being willing to pass the club on, don�t hold your breath.

 

Rangers are always favourites to beat St Johnstone, but early last year they came to McDiarmid Park and were spanked 4-1. Brown chuckles at the memory. It�s always tickled him when one of the Old Firm get a bloody nose because the odds are stacked against his wee club ever being able to deliver one.

 

Some might think Whyte foolish for pumping his money into Rangers, with their high running costs and relentlessly demanding fanbase, but not Brown. ââ?¬Å?I donââ?¬â?¢t know enough about Craig Whyte so I donââ?¬â?¢t know if heââ?¬â?¢s this, that or the next thing. But owning Rangers is the easiest job in the world. If I couldnââ?¬â?¢t make it at Rangers Iââ?¬â?¢d say I wasnââ?¬â?¢t a businessman. F****** hell you have 50,000 people there. 50,000! Itââ?¬â?¢s an institution. If you canââ?¬â?¢t make that work . . .

 

ââ?¬Å?Mind you, I do think itââ?¬â?¢s ridiculous that the fans should be squealing like hell about him dipping into his pocket and putting more money in or whatever. Itââ?¬â?¢s a square business and he has to work it from there.ââ?¬Â

 

Whyte would doubtless argue that a bid thought to be worth �£150,000 rising to �£250,000 for Davidson was his idea of good business from Rangersâ�� perspective, but Brown wonâ��t put up with that even though he has never had a problem accepting that St Johnstoneâ��s best players will always be cherrypicked.

 

ââ?¬Å?In this particular case I was annoyed. Someone should have contacted me. If I was buying a player from a club it would be me phoning them to see if a deal could be done. That, for me, is business. Thatââ?¬â?¢s what business is about.ââ?¬Â

 

Years ago he bought Gary Bollan from Rangers after three days of telephone negotiations with Murray. ââ?¬Å?David wasnââ?¬â?¢t shy about swearing at anyone, but we eventually got a deal,ââ?¬Â said Brown.

 

Murray also wanted to flog him Tom Cowan for Ã?£200,000. Brown said no chance, prompting Murray to offer a bet that heââ?¬â?¢d get that much for him from another club. ââ?¬Å?I said he was on but Iââ?¬â?¢d need proof because I didnââ?¬â?¢t believe half of what David put out to the press. He sold Cowan to Sheffield United and when I asked ââ?¬Ë?how much did you get for himââ?¬â?¢ he said Ã?£200k. When I asked for evidence there was just a big smile . . .

 

ââ?¬Å?That was good craic though. I took great delight in winding David Murray up because David Murray is a wind-up merchant himself. That was one thing he quite enjoyed, someone giving it back.ââ?¬Â

 

Brown�s known them all. He took over St Johnstone even before Murray arrived at Rangers. Sir Alex Ferguson was still at Aberdeen and Scotland had just been at the 1986 World Cup.

 

ââ?¬Å?Iââ?¬â?¢ve enjoyed taking on other chairmen and clubs if necessary. Fighting our corner. You have your trials and tribulations. John Boyle will tell you that when he came into Motherwell I took him aside and gave him a bit of a lecture. I had a good relationship with Fergus McCann. When we were at a meeting Fergus would always come and sit beside me. There have been plenty of characters.ââ?¬Â

 

Had there been anyone he couldnââ?¬â?¢t hit it off with? ââ?¬Å?Your man at Gretna [the late Brooks Mileson]. Heââ?¬â?¢d turn up here with 30 cronies and sit and eat pies. He wouldnââ?¬â?¢t pass the time of day with you.

 

ââ?¬Å?Generally you go to most clubs and you get a good welcome, although I would say that if thereââ?¬â?¢s an area of football that has deteriorated over my years, itââ?¬â?¢s the boardroom. Theyââ?¬â?¢re not the private areas they used to be. There are too many hangers-on, sponsors or whatever. I used to think you could pick each otherââ?¬â?¢s brains and find out what was on the go about players or managers or whatever. I think thatââ?¬â?¢s been lost.ââ?¬Â

 

Brown�s been both a rock and a source of exasperation for St Johnstone fans over the years. He took them from muddy old Muirton Park to trim McDiarmid and lifted them into the top flight and the Uefa Cup. They finished third in the first season of the Premier League.

 

Any exasperation stems from his unbending insistence that the club lives within its means, which has inevitably cost them when it comes to holding on to players or signing others.

 

Brown�s retort is simple: St Johnstone will never be in financial trouble under his watch.

 

Actually, when reminded that they were on their knees when he took over, he put it like this: ââ?¬Å?Theyââ?¬â?¢re f****** on their knees again with losses striding up and a manager signing too many players!ââ?¬Â But seriously? ââ?¬Å?For a club with the fanbase we have, it has to be said weââ?¬â?¢ve done okay.ââ?¬Â

 

There�s plenty of energy in him. While sitting in the main stand, he ribs a couple of visiting policemen for charging the club a fortune for nothing, and tells someone else that there�s a cleaning job to be done: he�s spotted pigeon droppings all over the place. He�s not on the Scottish Football Association�s new professional game board but he�s still an interesting thinker on the game. Dealing with climate change and preventing female supporters from drifting away are issues on his mind.

 

There is also a serious health issue worrying him, although thankfully not his own. ââ?¬Å?I was operated on in 2001 for prostate cancer and I have to say I see things in a much different light than before that.ââ?¬Â He gets enormous satisfaction from owning racehorses but two of his stable have died in the past 14 months from grass sickness, a little-known but usually fatal equine illness. He wants to raise money for research into the condition.

 

At the Grand National in April he was part of an event watched by a worldwide television audience of 600m and bristled that he had to pay Ã?£2800 so his horse, Silver By Nature, could run in it. ââ?¬Å?And as an owner you get absolutely nothing. Crazy.ââ?¬Â

 

He owns thoroughbreds but gives a dismissive snort at the idea of ever putting a bet on. No chance: too many jumps, too many other horses in the field. ââ?¬Å?Betting on a horse is like being the owner of a football club. Absolutely crazy.ââ?¬Â

 

http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/st-johnstone/owning-rangers-is-the-easiest-job-in-the-world-st-johnstone-chairman-geoff-brown-1.1114822

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Another example of Michael Grant flashing his 'credentials'.