Scott Brown made following Rangers horrible and he was my scourge for nine years says Barry Nicholson

The sight of Scott Brown lifting silverware season after season routinely riled Rangers fan Barry Nicholson. That grin and the grip on the league trophy left Fleetwood’s first team coach fuming from afar.

Now Nicholson couldn’t be happier teaming up with born winner Broony - because he reckons that means surefire success for the Cod Army. Baz is part of the Fleetwood furniture having worked for a host of big-name bosses including Brown’s old foe Joey Barton. Chairman Andy Pilley loves a major profile manager and has landed another in the Celtic legend. Ex-Ger Steven Whittaker is No 2, assisted by Nicholson, while former Celtic defender Stephen Crainey is in charge of the development squad.

There’s harmony across the Old Firm divide at Highbury Stadium as Brown prepares to kickstart his managerial career at Port Vale on Saturday. Nicholson, a midfield opponent of Brown with Dunfermline, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock, said: “For at least nine years, a horrible part of following Rangers was watching Scott Brown lift that trophy every year. He was the scourge of me, he used to run the game all the time against my team.

“He was the mainstay in that Celtic side for so long. He still jokes now about just winning the ball back and giving it to better players. But we all know that’s doing himself a disservice, he was so good. I remember really good encounters between Aberdeen and Hibs when he’d just broken through.

“I played against him many times when he was at Celtic, too, he was horrible to play against. He never stopped going. In more recent years, I imagine Rangers players felt the same way I did playing against him. It’s going to be interesting here when that first Old Firm game comes around in September!

“Whitts had two