Celtic legend Scott Brown last night turned down the opportunity to become the new manager of Scottish Premiership side St. Johnstone.
Despite holding discussions with the McDiarmid Park side, the 39-year-old elected to stay at Ayr United amidst their promotion bid.
He could have reunited with the Hoops in Perth this Saturday night, but it is not to be.
Brown has instead put all his eggs in the Ayr basket as they look to return to Scotland’s top flight for the first time in over 45 years.
The Honest Men are delighted to be keeping hold of their manager, and the key reason why he turned the St. Johnstone job down has now been revealed.
Indeed, RecordSport reports that Brown didn’t want to get caught up in a competition for the vacant Saints post.
After speaking to Brown, the club was set to hold talks with two other candidates: Peter Leven of Aberdeen and Larne’s Tiernan Lynch.
The former Celtic captain didn’t want to be involved in a ‘beauty pageant’ with American St. Johnstone owner Adam Webb, so he has opted to stay at Somerset Park.
One can’t help but feel staying at Ayr is the right move for Brown.
As a young manager, he still needs to prove himself and staying with the Honest Men for a prolonged period should serve him well.
A return to Parkhead one day feels inevitable, but Brown still needs to graft at a lower level first.
