THEY were first thrown together under a World Cup-winning legend.
Now, 20 years on, Mark Wilson just wishes they had listened a little bit more.
Mark Wilson and Scott Brown were team mates at Celtic[/caption]
But before that, they worked under a German World Cup winner with Scotland U21s[/caption]
The ex-Dundee United ace and Hibs teen Scott Brown first became pals in Rainer Bonhof’s Scotland Under-21 squad.
They were later reunited as title-winning Celtic team-mates.
Wilson freely admits neither of them showed the slightest hint of becoming bosses back in 2005.
But as the Partick Thistle No 2 prepares to face Ayr United gaffer Broony across the Firhill dugouts today, he regrets not picking the brilliant brain of German legend Bonhof.
Wilson, 40, said: “Rainer was a lovely fellow, but we were awful under him. Just terrible!
“It must go down as one of the worst Scotland Under-21 teams of all time. When we were first called up, we had the likes of John Kennedy and Shaun Maloney in the squad.
“They moved up to join the full squad and left a decent bunch behind. But we were just dreadful in the games.
“I was still at United and didn’t move to Celtic until January 2006. Broony joined us in May 2007.
“We go back a long way and have been pals since then.
“We were 19 or 20 back then with the Under-21s, and probably not at the stage of thinking about a future career in coaching or management.
“And if you call Broony and he says he was into coaching at that time, he’s talking rubbish. He was just running around like a mad man!
“I was probably about 26 before I started thinking about coaching seriously.
“I wish I could go back and ask Rainer more about coaching and about the game.
“He was a World Cup-winner with West Germany in 1974, and I wish I could remember a lot more of the titbits he gave us.
“I was just so focused on getting up the ladder as a player that I didn’t think further ahead.
“I didn’t really pick his brains and it’s something I regret.”
Brown and Wilson on a Scotland senior squad camp together in 2011[/caption]
Wilson is unbeaten in three games alongside Brian Graham, after the Jags axed Kris Doolan a month ago.
They remain clear in the final promotion play-off place — but are 13 points behind Brown’s title-chasing Honest Men.
Wilson is eagerly anticipating a reunion with his old Hoops team-mate today. He added: “We were close in our Celtic years and I loved sharing a dressing room with him.
“We met again at Stephen Dobbie’s testimonial last year and caught up. We had a good laugh.
“Even then, I didn’t think we’d go up against each other so soon in a game like this.
“Broony has done really well. His first start in management was full-on in England at Fleetwood Town.
“I thought it was a brave move for him to go in at Ayr last year.
“Plenty of managers with his name would have waited for a Premiership club.
“But his team has been playing some really good stuff this season.
“I’m looking forward to seeing him and Steven Whittaker in the dugout on Saturday. Whitts was also involved in the Under-21 squad and the ‘A’ squad with me, and of course, we played against each other a few times.
“It will be interesting to go up against them.”
Brown is now making his mark as a manger with Ayr United[/caption]
And Wilson is on the coaching staff at Partick Thistle[/caption]
Thistle’s 2-0 win over Queen’s Park at Hampden last Tuesday lifted them seven points clear of the chasing pack.
It convinced Wilson that the players are ready to embrace new ideas and push towards a successful end to a roller-coaster campaign.
He said: “It was a brilliant win for us in midweek and we were really good.
“It wasn’t end-to-end stuff. It was more controlled.
“It’s what we have been trying to instil, rather than being more direct and going up to Brian all the time.
“We were more controlled in possession and in our build-up.
“It helped that we got an early goal. Logan Chalmers’ strike was an absolute stunner. We were never under threat at all and it could have been more. We hit the post, had a goal chalked off and had another few chances.
“The players have taken to it. For 45 minutes, they got it against Airdrie.
“Against Livingston, we got it for 60 or 70 minutes before they tired.
“But against Queen’s Park in midweek Tuesday, they did it for the full 90 minutes.”
Wilson is back in a first-team dugout after spells in charge at Airdrie and then Brechin City.
He worked with the Jags’ youths, before being united with top scorer Graham in the wake of Doolan’s dismissal following three defeats in four.
The Firhill board have granted them an extended stay to prove their worth as they consider permanent successors for the job. And the ex-Hoops ace believes his time with the kids has been the perfect preparation for a return to the firing line.
Wilson added: “I got back in the dugout with the Under-18s and was involved in reserve games. This is just scaling it up again. It’s nothing out of the ordinary.
“Working with the Under-18s allowed me to coach and manage with the pressure of chasing wins.
“You can get short-sighted when your job is on the line and you’re chasing your tail. You focus on the wrong things.
“Working with the Under-18s allowed me to take a step back. You could lose games, but also see what works and what doesn’t work.
“Now I can take that to the first team and work with the players while Brian concentrates on playing and training.”
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