KEVIN Thomson was never much of a drinker during his playing days.

The former Rangers and Hibernian midfielder wasn’t tee-total but you were never going to find him being thrown out of a nightclub.

He was way too sensible for all of that, except for one year when, and this is true for many of us, he strayed off the rails. 

Just a little bit.

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This was when he and Scott Brown shared a flat. The bold Broony did like a night out and would drag his best pal with him as they hit the hot spots of Edinburgh without a care in the world.

Thomson would later recall how he would be lying in bed the next day, cursing his stupidity and would hear a noise.

“Scotty would be crashing about the flat first thing in the morning, absolutely fine, ironing his T-shirt and you wouldn’t know he’d got in at three. And I would be under the covers.”

Broony would then meet up with his pals for a drink on his day off. And the next day at training, guess who would be leading from the front, as he did in every session.

The word is that this old school attitude was a big reason why Gordon Strachan moved to sign the midfielder from Hibs for £4.4m in 2007; a fee which remains a record between two Scottish clubs.

Although there were one on two in the Celtic dressing room back then unsure about why so much was being spent on a kid who was, in their minds at least, just okay.

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For all that he was a disciplinarian, Strachan saw a bit of Bryan Robson in the skinhead lad from his neck of the woods, in that he was someone who partied almost as hard as he worked, and the Celtic manager needed a bit of such devilment.

The news of Brown’s move to Celtic came out long before the end of his last season at Hibs – where he won the League Cup – and his final game for the club he supported was against Celtic, of all teams, at Easter Road
Brown scored and Hibs won, he angrily squared up to Darren O’Dea, his soon-to-be team-mate, and generally spent the 90 minutes being an almighty pain in the backside. 

The dressing room critics were won over.

He hasn’t changed. Not really. Brown is Celtic captain, he has led his country, has won it all, became a father, but in so many ways he remains the daft lad with way, way too much energy who likes a night out.

Brown, however, always had more about him in terms of brains than he’d allow folk to see. He was always kind with many unreported acts of charity taking place, and a hugely popular bloke. In short, Scott Brown is a nice, if slightly mad, guy.

It came as no surprise to me when Brown announced that some proceeds from his testimonial against the Republic of Ireland will go towards Liam Miller’s family. Anyone who thinks this is a publicity stunt isn’t really thinking.

This is a good man we are talking about. Sure, he’s made mistakes – we all have – but the snarling, nasty image so many have of him is a million miles off reality.

He won’t like me saying this but Celtic’s captain is actually a bit of a softy. He goes out of his way to get to know any new signings at his club, he did the same with Scotland, and he goes out his way to help with the charity side of things.

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Brown is a millionaire and so doesn’t need the money which his testimonial, which is sure to be a sell-out, will generate, so it is hardly going to break him to give away so much money. But he doesn’t have to do this and there are plenty who simply wouldn’t even consider being so generous.

For me, that is way more important than kicking a ball.

And speaking of which, Brown has done that better than any other player in the country for the past two seasons and if there is any justice he will be, for the second time, named Player of the Year because he is that by some stretch.

Not only that, but he lightens up our game a great deal – you would love him in your team, let’s be honest – and the fact he has chosen to help out Miller’s family says all you need to know about him.  He’s the man of the season.

I’m sure many of you can’t stand the guy but Brown is honestly one of the good guys who makes Scottish football a far more interesting place. We will miss him when he hangs up his boots.

AND ANOTHER THING

I WAS always incredibly fond of Fernando Ricksen during his days as a Rangers player.

He was great fun to interview, even if for his own sake you would leave out half of what he said, and he didn’t seem to take life too seriously.

Sure, he could be a rascal, on and of the field, but a bit like Scott Brown, the Dutchman added some welcome colour to Scottish football.

He was a hard man not to like.

This all makes the pictures of Ricksen, who has MND, all the more difficult because of the force of nature he was as a player.

Ricksen has battled this awful disease for five years and with great dignity and courage.

He doesn’t seek sympathy but rather he continues his public appearances to raise awareness if this incurable condition.
Fernando Ricksen is a hero.