“No Time for Him” – Scott Brown Names Coach Behind Near Celtic Exit

Scott Brown has given a blunt verdict on former Celtic assistant manager Peter Grant while speaking about the offers he received to leave Parkhead.

The former Hoops captain revealed that Tottenham Hotspur made a bid for him after his second season in Glasgow.

Newcastle United later offered Brown a five-year deal as he approached the end of his first Celtic contract.

Brown stayed at Parkhead and went on to become one of the club’s longest-serving captains, but he admitted his future could have gone in a very different direction.

The midfielder said Neil Lennon’s arrival in 2010 played a major part in keeping him at Celtic.

“Then, to be fair, Lenny came in and we started winning games,” Brown told Open Goal.

“The momentum changed from when Tony was there.”

Mowbray’s time as Celtic manager had been a difficult one, with results and performances falling well short of expectations.

Lennon replaced him in March 2010 and quickly changed the mood around the team.

Brown then admitted that he may have left had Mowbray and Grant remained in charge.

“I think if Tony and Peter Grant were still there, I’d have been away straight away,” he said.

Brown was then asked whether he had a problem with Grant during their time together at Celtic.

His answer was direct.

“I had no time for Peter Grant whatsoever,” Brown said.

When asked whether the issue was with Grant’s coaching or man-management, Brown replied: “Man management. Personality. Zero.”

Brown did make clear that his relationship with Mowbray was different.

He said he got on reasonably well with the former Celtic manager, but his view on Grant was far less positive.

The comments give a clear picture of how unhappy Brown was during that period.

Celtic had signed him from Hibernian in 2007, and he was already attracting interest from England by the time Mowbray arrived two years later.

Tottenham made an approach during Harry Redknapp’s time in charge, while Newcastle later tried to bring Brown to St James’ Park on a long-term deal.

Brown joked that Newcastle’s nightlife may not have been the best place for him, but the change under Lennon gave him a serious football reason to stay.

He soon became captain and remained a key player through several different Celtic teams.

Brown eventually spent 14 years at the club, winning a long list of domestic honours before leaving in 2021.

His comments now show that his Celtic career came close to ending much earlier, with the change in management proving decisive.