Scott Brown: Fleetwood sack manager after winless start to season - BBC Sport
Close menu

Scott Brown: Fleetwood sack manager after winless start to season

Last updated on .From the section Fleetwoodcomments248

Scott Brown won 19 of his 64 matches in charge of Fleetwood
Scott Brown won 19 of his 64 matches in charge of Fleetwood

Fleetwood Town have sacked Scott Brown as manager.

The Celtic legend, 38, departs after 16 months in charge following a winless start to the season.

The Cod Army have picked up just one point from their first six League One games, having been beaten 2-1 at Charlton Athletic on Saturday.

Brown's assistant head coach Steven Whittaker has also left the Lancashire club, who are second bottom of the table.

Fleetwood issued a statement to say that "Brown has left the club with immediate effect".

The statement added: "Following a difficult run of results the club reluctantly felt now is the right time to make a change to the first team management.

"Everyone at the club would like to place on record their thanks to Scott and Steven for their hard work and professionalism during their time at the club."

Fleetwood are yet to announce who will take interim charge for their next game, Tuesday's EFL Trophy home meeting with Tranmere Rovers, but they have a fortnight until their next league game, at home to Oxford United.

Next Saturday's scheduled home league derby with Blackpool was postponed because of international call-ups.

Scott Brown
Scott Brown spent 14 years with Celtic

Brown took the Fleetwood vacancy in May 2022 as his first job in management following the former Celtic and Scotland captain's retirement as a player.

They finished 13th in his one full season in charge, fading out of play-off contention late in the season.

Brown spent 14 years with Celtic during one of the Scottish top-flight club's most successful periods, in which they just missed out on 10 league titles in a row but won four consecutive domestic trebles.

He also won a League Cup with his first club Hibernian - and spent eight months as player-coach of Aberdeen, following his exit from Parkhead. But he left after manager Stephen Glass was sacked in February 2022 - and then returned to football with Fleetwood three months later.

His Fleetwood exit was announced just a couple of hours before the first Rangers-Celtic derby of the season.

Comments

Join the conversation

These comments are now closed.

248 comments

  • Comment posted by Walls, at 12:56 3 Sep 2023

    Really confusing this. In his first year got Fleetwood to a respectable 13th.
    Lots of issues over within the club over the summer which can't have helped.
    So the season starts and true to form team struggles.So they sack the manager and wait for sack him after the transfer window has closed.
    You couldn't write it . Should have been given more time . A ridiculous decision.

    • Reply posted by Eddy, at 14:05 3 Sep 2023

      Eddy replied:
      Some Fleetwood fans seem to disagree with you. They were hoping for the play offs when he joined so not sure they’d see 13th as respectable and pretty thin gruel so far this year.

  • Comment posted by Arjay, at 11:53 3 Sep 2023

    Looks so weird seeing him with hair

    • Reply posted by bacchus, at 12:03 3 Sep 2023

      bacchus replied:
      It's like he's put on a wig...

  • Comment posted by BMK, at 11:40 3 Sep 2023

    Fleetwood ‘sack’ Scott Brown and told him “Go Your Own Way”….I’ll get me coat!!

    • Reply posted by RichardRichard, at 12:34 3 Sep 2023

      RichardRichard replied:
      Don't stop.

  • Comment posted by frankie, at 13:18 3 Sep 2023

    Honestly the expectations of some people & some football clubs is pretty staggering , bearing in mind the budget Brown had the resources he had & tbf it’s not the easiest of places to attract top talent is it ?
    13 th in Lge1 last year & yet the likes of Notts county Stockport & Wrexham all been stuck in non league til recently Seriously the board must have been drinking far too much deludimol

    • Reply posted by Antonia, at 14:37 3 Sep 2023

      Antonia replied:
      Another clueless keyboard warrior who's never watched the Cods. He's had massive resources for Fleetwood's level. Stockley and Marriott didn't come cheap. He wasted Paddy Lane's talent and plays the most negative, boring football. His win rate is the worst of any FTFC manager since they been a league club. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

  • Comment posted by DavidHankey, at 11:48 3 Sep 2023

    Another ex-player who found the step up to great. Football is littered with them. Having a successful career as a player means very little in Club management.

    • Reply posted by Torrydee, at 12:12 3 Sep 2023

      Torrydee replied:
      It does seem like that sometimes.
      It may be that they've been given jobs too early as well.
      Most players serve an apprenticeship of sorts, out on loan etc.
      Some players go straight into management from playing and do well but obviously not all.
      Maybe that's why explayers who had short or not so distinguished careers do better as managers due to training kids and working up the ladder.

  • Comment posted by Magpie87, at 12:01 3 Sep 2023

    Fleetwood have been punching above their weight for years, but now that the owner has (finally) been exposed, it is difficult to see anyone maintaining them at this level for long.

    • Reply posted by stroke of genius, at 11:22 4 Sep 2023

      stroke of genius replied:
      As I've said before, Fleetwood Town FC are a separate business.
      Pilley's convictions are his own company....

      Read the Club's statement, please.

  • Comment posted by zoltan socrates, at 11:52 3 Sep 2023

    Please please please become the hibs manager Scott

    Kind regards

    Heart of midlothian

    • Reply posted by Gert Buster, at 12:03 3 Sep 2023

      Gert Buster replied:
      He could manage both Edinburgh clubs no probs, they're both equally garbage.

  • Comment posted by robbie, at 17:32 3 Sep 2023

    Sacking a manager two months after you give him a new contract and the day after the transfer window closes smacks of panic.

    You do have to wonder who is actually taking these decisions at the club nowadays.

  • Comment posted by Stephen, at 12:47 3 Sep 2023

    Should be a shoe horn fit for Hibernian with his record then .

  • Comment posted by Phil, at 12:02 3 Sep 2023

    The first of many in the next few months. Dunno what some of these owners expect.

    • Reply posted by Antonia, at 14:39 3 Sep 2023

      Antonia replied:
      A return on investment?

  • Comment posted by Kevin Doomlord, at 12:46 3 Sep 2023

    They need a Scottish manager if only so the press can use the term Fleetwood Mac incessantly.

    • Reply posted by CroftView, at 13:10 3 Sep 2023

      CroftView replied:
      I believe that's just a rumour.

  • Comment posted by Donald Duck, at 12:46 3 Sep 2023

    Brown should have kept shaving his head. There was no fear factor anymore from the players. That’s why he was sacked. Shave your head Scott and you will be fine 😂😂

    • Reply posted by Cod, at 23:47 3 Sep 2023

      Cod replied:
      After Joey Barton a shaven headed Scott Brown would have seen them with PTSD.

  • Comment posted by Word_Vision, at 12:03 3 Sep 2023

    I wonder if part of his management was fooling referees to get opposition players sent off 🤔...

    • Reply posted by Torrydee, at 12:12 3 Sep 2023

      Torrydee replied:
      Ooohhh naughty 😉

  • Comment posted by Pinonchicco, at 14:18 3 Sep 2023

    Is he articulate? There's always a place for snarky ex players in the commentary game...

    • Reply posted by Jim Morrison, at 14:24 3 Sep 2023

      Jim Morrison replied:
      Not sure about being articulate but he did have all the finesse of an articulated lorry as a player if that counts

  • Comment posted by PortersBar, at 13:33 3 Sep 2023

    Cheltenham are in a lot worse position than Fleetwood, and they haven't sacked their manager

    • Reply posted by john, at 15:53 3 Sep 2023

      john replied:
      Some clubs financially can't afford to sack a manager

  • Comment posted by kaiyo_penguin, at 13:00 3 Sep 2023

    How about a transfer window for managers? Not performing come January, let the merry go round begin, and then same come summer, start with a fresh head for the start of the new season if you didn't perform as well as expected instead of being sacked after a couple of games, players come and go, need time to gel, if you can't find your best team within 6 months, something is wrong

    • Reply posted by Mr Remarkable, at 13:06 3 Sep 2023

      Mr Remarkable replied:
      I'd love to see it but fear it's a non-starter.

  • Comment posted by Juststanninhere, at 12:49 3 Sep 2023

    Suppose Fleetwood was his level for his first management job, a backwater club struggling every season to just stay in that league, he had nothing to lose so it will be interesting to see who is the next fall guy at this unambitious club.

    • Reply posted by Eddy, at 14:06 3 Sep 2023

      Eddy replied:
      If they are unambitious why would they sack a palpably unsuccessful manager?

  • Comment posted by David McManus, at 12:24 3 Sep 2023

    Chairman fall for it every time, different skillset completely

    • Reply posted by Antonia, at 16:53 3 Sep 2023

      Antonia replied:
      Fleetwood have a history of give managers their first chance. Micky Mellon, Graham Alexander, Joey Barton and Scott Brown. They should be given credit not abuse.

  • Comment posted by 17PORTNMARITIME, at 14:47 3 Sep 2023

    Scott brown next Hibs manager

    • Reply posted by john, at 15:49 3 Sep 2023

      john replied:
      Relegation for Hibs then.

  • Comment posted by tony bailey, at 17:33 3 Sep 2023

    York City gave a novice who spoke in numbers, signed about 16 now got a squad of 30 and only 3 pts from 18. gone out the door shouldnt have sacked JOHN ASKEY.

Also in Sport

Elsewhere on the BBC