Craig Brown said a flight to the USA ahead of France 98 provided his sternest test as Scotland manager
You'd be forgiven for thinking that Craig Brown's biggest challenge as Scotland manager was who to pick to face Brazil in the World Cup opener at France 98.
However, Brown has revealed that sorting out a flight headache over his Scotland squad during a trip to the USA before the tournament proved more taxing.
"We're preparing for the World Cup and we're going to America," Brown told the Sacked In The Morning podcast.
"We're at Gatwick waiting to fly out and the travel agent says: 'I have a problem, Craig. We only have 12 seats in business class, you'll have to half your squad'."
Brown, who enjoyed an eight-year spell in charge of the national side from 1993, said his airport dilemma put facing the famous yellow shirts of Brazil in the shade.
"I thought: 'This isn't a job for me, it's a job for the captain. So I called [captain] Colin Hendry and said: 'you and Gary McAllister, I have a problem for you.
"Split that squad and tell me how you've split it, because only half can get into the business class.' So, away they went and I asked them what their suggestions were. 'Oh, we had a team meeting,' they said.
'I told Rod Stewart he was excluded from playing'
"And the obvious suggestion was 'draw lots' and put names in a hat, but that didn't go down. The ones with the longest legs, they should go up there… the oldest… Then, they finally decided, sensibly I thought, that those with the most caps [should get the business class seats].
"When John Spencer is one cap below the number of most caps then you know you have a problem. The great thing was that we used to have a fun game at the end of training, and I used to pick the teams.
"I'd pick them based on various criteria, the tall v the small; defenders v attackers etc. Well, the best match I had was the economy against the business class.
"They were kicking lumps out of each other, you want to have seen this game. In fact, Rod Stewart joined us to train with the team that day and I told him he was excluded because it was economy v business class.
The Scots lost 2-1 to Brazil in the World Cup opener in 1998
"That was the hardest management problem I ever had."
To facing Brazil at the World Cup, Brown recalls a humorous moment in the dressing room before the game.
"I was always a great advocate of Carlos Alberto Pereira," said Brown.
"He gave a lecture, that was filmed, and it was the best lecture in football management that I'd heard on how he ran the Brazilian team, and why they held hands when they went out [onto the pitch before a game].
"They had lost in Bolivia in qualification for the World Cup. And they came back to play them in Rio, Carlos Pereira was encouraging the guys to 'make sure we make up for that defeat'.
"And Dunga [Brazil's captain] is going round all the players and saying: 'Come on, come on!' Carlos was shaking hands with them and thought: 'Why don't we just keep their hands together and go out that way?' They went out and they won 5-1 and so it became a superstition.
"So, we're in the dressing room [before facing Brazil at France 98]. I looked out the door and saw them going out hand in hand. I shut the dressing room door and said: 'Lads, I've just seen Brazil going out hand in hand; they're sh***ing themselves.' And the boys laughed."
