An eleven-year tenure. Two Scottish Cups, one League Cup and six expeditions into Europe. 

It is an impressive curriculum vitae in its own right, but when you are notified that it belongs to a St Johnstone chairman it becomes all the more impressive. 

In a club announcement today, Steve Brown stated that he would be stepping down from his position as Saints chief at the end of the season, with vice chairman Charlie Fraser also deciding to call time on his eleven-year association with the Perth club. 

It was a move that was long in the pipeline, with Brown himself admitting that he had pondered walking away during the coronavirus pandemic that halted football at all levels. 

But instead of stepping aside during a time of need, the chairman showed the resilience St Johnstone teams have proudly demonstrated on the pitch during his time in charge of the club.  

"I had to stay because I had a responsibility to the football club and to stand by it,” he explained. “It was an extremely challenging period and we needed sustained stability.” 

Brown shared the traits of his father Geoff during this time, from whom he took the reins in 2011. 

The construction magnate took over St Johnstone in 1986 when the club was a far cry from the secure operation of today. 

Lingering at the foot of the Scottish leagues and heavily in debt, it was worrying times for those of a Perth persuasion.  

Brown the elder stepped in to steady the ship off the park and the appointment of Alex Totten moved things forward on it. 

In 1986 Saints were second-bottom of the Scottish Second Division and just four years later they found themselves mid-table in the Scottish Premier Division. 

This kind of meteoric rise is rare in any football era. 

During this time Brown oversaw the sale of Muirton Park to Asda as the Perth club moved to McDiarmid Park in 1989, which became the first purpose-built all-seater stadium in the United Kingdom. 

Two relegations would be the only black mark on a sustained period of success thereafter, but Saints were prepared and in a fit state to bounce back on both occasions. Without the leadership and business acumen of Geoff Brown, the club would simply not be where they are today. 

Saints have been a mainstay in the Scottish Premiership since 2009 and it was two years into this run that Geoff handed over the reins to his son, ahead of the most successful period in the club’s history. 

A first major trophy win came via the Scottish Cup in 2014, before the League and Scottish Cup double was landed in 2021, an achievement that had not been accomplished by a team outside Celtic or Rangers since Aberdeen back in the 1989/90 season. 

And it will likely be a long time before the Scottish game sees such feats again. 

Six European trips have also come during Brown’s tenure and Saints deserve credit for always fighting their corner. Never have the Perth team suffered embarrassment despite the sometimes huge gap in resource levels.

Instead, they have picked up impressive results and held their own against established European clubs like Rosenborg, Luzern and most recently Galatasaray. 

Only three managers have worked under Brown during his eleven-year stint at McDiarmid Park in the shape of Steve Lomas, Tommy Wright and current boss Callum Davidson. 

He deserves major plaudits for his handling of the football bosses and in this day and age, his lenient approach has been a refreshing style of supervision in comparison to some other clubs in the Scottish Premiership and beyond.  

St Johnstone are a club that promotes from within and they stick by the man in charge. 

You just have to glance back to last term as Davidson suffered a nightmare following the seasons of all seasons when he won two trophies in his first year in charge. 

Saints only managed to maintain their Premiership status via the relegation play-off, and it was an almighty escape given the standard of results and performances on the pitch. Brown and his board faced pressure from a large portion of fans who were calling on Davidson to be sacked, but they showed confidence that he could turn things around and it ultimately paid off. 

Brown faced blame himself last season as successes dipped following the almighty high of the previous campaign. As well as coming under fire for his commitment to Davidson, the chairman was criticised as the club sold their two prized assets in captain Jason Kerr and star man Ali McCann on the last day of the summer transfer window.  

The season crumbled from there as a number of poor-quality loanees were brought in and as a result, Saints were lucky to remain in the top division. 

Fans blamed the shock deadline day for the demise on the park and it certainly did not help matters for Davidson and his squad. From Brown’s point of view though, he secured a record signing fee for McCann and Kerr’s price tag will also have added to the club’s stability for years to come. 

His transfer deals over the years have been scrutinized by supporters, but his business-first attitude towards agreements has had the future of the club he loves at the heart of them, and fans will be appreciative of that as he heads for pastures new. 

One thing is for certain, Steve Brown will go into the history books as one of the most successful chairmen in Scottish football history for what he has achieved and going out while shining in the sun feels the right time for him to step aside. 

It remains to be seen who will take over, but they will pick up the Fair City club in a positive place financially and in a football sense. It would be no surprise to see Geoff, 79, step back into the position given his 25-year association as he has worked closely alongside his son during the recent glory years. 

But if indeed this is the end of the Brown era with the family deciding to sell, St Johnstone as a club will be forever indebted for what they have accomplished. 

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