Rangers and Celtic heroes 'are not clowns' as rivals turned duo face mounting sack calls at current club
The former enemies now work together at Ayr United in the Scottish Championship.
Ayr United owner David Smith claims former Celtic captain Scott Brown and ex Rangers defender Steven Whittaker are ‘two of the hardest working guys’ he’s worked with despite calls from some fans for the pair to be dismissed.
The pressure is building on Brown and his number two at Somerset Park as his side remain winless in their last six matches in the Scottish Championship. Their latest disappointment came against Greenock Morton last weekend, where they lost in front of their home fans. After a strong start to the season, the recent fall from grace has led to the The Honest Men slipping down the league table out of the play-off spots and are now just two points ahead of eighth-placed Morton.
Celtic icon Brown took on the role of head coach in January 2024 and appointed Whittaker as his assistant after previously working with his old Hibs teammate at Fleetwood Town. Last season, the pair guided Ayr to third place, where they narrowly lost out to Partick Thistle in the play-offs. As reaching the same feat this time around becomes increasingly unlikely, Smith is sticking by his management team.
Smith sticks up for Brown and Whittaker
Speaking at the Ayr United Supporters’ Association (AUSA) launch event where supporters were allowed to ask questions to the board, via Voice of Reason, Chairman Smith said: “Contrary to what’s written online, Scott Brown and Steven Whittaker are not clowns. They are two of the hardest working guys I’ve met in football. The form is not great. But everyone is committed to making this better. There have been a couple of mistakes in recruitment and I’m happy to admit that. But we’re not in the place where we feel we need to make that change.”
Once again, the aim for United was to kick on from last season and be pushing for promotion, whether it be automatic or through the play-offs. While they could now realistically finish anywhere between fourth and eight given the competitive nature of the league, Smith admits the club ‘haven’t budgeted’ for finishing seventh or below.
Managing Director Graeme Mathie also claimed that sacking Brown and Whittaker would be the easy way out in the current circumstances. He added: “The easiest thing we could do is take heat off ourselves as a board and sack a manager. That doesn’t mean it’s the right decision.”
Brown on Morton defeat
After their defeat to The Ton, Brown admitted he’s hearing the fans frustrations, but ensures he and his staff are doing everything in their power to turn it around. He said: “People are angry and don’t want us at the club right now. But let me assure you, nobody is angrier than me at what’s going on – I’m raging. But it’s only making me work harder to turn this around. I know that we can. I’ve been at enough clubs and seen it with enough managers to know how two or three results can very quickly change the picture.
“We’ve been too soft and that needs to change. If it means being really nasty between now and the end of the season then so be it. The Board have been tremendous in their backing and are really supportive of the work we’re doing. When we came here the club was sitting ninth and I think they see the progress that’s been made. Obviously you hear the shouts coming but it’s on us now to turn that.”
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