John Brown (footballer, Born 1962)

John Brown (born 26 January 1962) is a Scottish former professional footballer who also worked as a manager. Brown played for Hamilton Academical, Dundee and Rangers, primarily as a central defender but also as a left full-back or defensive midfielder.

Brown was a first team regular for Rangers as they won eight consecutive Scottish League championships between 1988 and 1996. After retiring as a player, he became a coach and has managed Clyde and Dundee. Known for his combative playing style, he is often referred to by the nickname "Bomber".

Playing career

Early years: Hamilton, Dundee

Born in Lennoxtown, Stirlingshire and raised in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, Brown started his career at St Mirren Boys Club before signing for Hamilton Academical, where he played part-time whilst working as a welder. One of his most notable contributions with the ''Accies'' was scoring a hat-trick in a 9–1 win over Berwick Rangers while playing at left back, of which none of the goals was a penalty: he became the first defender in the Scottish League ever to achieve this; he stated that John Blackley, who was his teammate then manager at Hamilton, was an important influence on his early career.

In summer 1984, Brown became a fully professional player when he moved on to Dundee, signing for manager Archie Knox for a fee of £40,000. At Dens Park, Brown often found himself featuring in an attacking midfield role. He quickly endeared himself to the supporters with the winning goal in a Dundee derby match which finished 4–3. In February 1985 he scored the goal which saw Dundee eliminate Rangers from the 1984–85 Scottish Cup in Glasgow, and in November of the same year he scored all three in a 3–2 league victory over the same club in Dundee. At the end of that season he was part of the ''Dark Blues'' team that defeated Hearts 2–0 on the final day (setting up the first goal with a typically committed aerial challenge), allowing Celtic to overtake the Edinburgh club to take the title.

Shortly after he had netted a winning goal against Rangers for a third time in September 1986, Hearts made an approach to sign Brown, but he failed the medical examination having undergone several operations on his cartilage. He also endured disappointment on the field that year, as Dundee United prevailed 3–2 over their local rivals in the semi-final of the 1986–87 Scottish Cup. Over three-and-a-half seasons with Dundee, Brown scored 39 goals in 135 appearances, and won the Forfarshire Cup.

Rangers

25-year-old Brown was signed by Rangers, the club he supported in childhood, in January 1988 for £350,000; he had played against the Glasgow club days earlier and been involved in a confrontation with player-manager Graeme Souness during the match. He went on to feature in 278 games for the ''Gers'' in several positions, scoring 18 goals; along the way, as a squad player he managed to collect eight League titles, three Scottish Cup