Aberdeen boss Stephen Glass claims Dons fans will quickly grow to love hate-figure Scott Brown.
Brown will move to Pittodrie in a player-coach role in the summer after 14 years at Celtic Park.
The midfielder has had a series of run-ins with Aberdeen players past and present such as Graeme Shinnie and Shay Logan, and wound up the Pittodrie fans who were never slow to tell him what they thought of him.
But Glass has known Brown since his formative years at Hibernian and believes he will go down well in the Granite City, on and off the park.
“There’s a reason most of the fans in Scotland don’t like him,” Glass told Red TV.
“It’s because he has been a huge part in beating everyone else’s team.
“Off the pitch, you see all the charity work he does, he doesn’t look for credit for a lot of the things he does. You probably don’t see 90 per cent of the things Scott Brown does for people. That’s the type of person he is.
“He’s from a great family, his wife and kids are great people, and the Aberdeen community is going to love him.”
Glass revealed he will involve Brown in all of his decision-making meetings with the staff and believes his on-field coaching role is something he had been doing for years.
“He’s a natural leader and he will continue to do that,” Glass added.
“It’s a natural progression for him to become a coach. He is totally committed to it.
“It’s not an easy decision to make for him to leave Celtic.
“I think it’s the size of the possibility we have got here. He knows what I am trying to do, he knows the staff here, he knows how ambitious the chairman is and he wants to be part of it.
“It would have been very easy for him to stay at Celtic. There’s a reason they want him around – he’s going to be a success. And we want that to happen at Aberdeen. I was really keen to have him part of it.”
Glass has kept in touch with Brown since their days at Easter Road but added there was much more to the appointment than linking up with an old friend.
“I knew him very well at Hibs,” he said. “The families were quite close. You keep in touch with people you get on with and you share ideas about coaching.
“It’s not about being a mate. It’s bringing someone I do have a relationship with that I know is going to be a success.
“He’s not leaving Celtic just because he knows me and gets on with me. He thinks this thing is going to be a success.”
Glass described the signing as a “huge coup” for the club.
“His experience will be invaluable on the pitch and he is someone who will help set the standards we expect at this club,” he added.
“A born competitor, with a strong appetite to win, his hands-on approach and desire to nurture will hugely benefit the development of the young, emerging talent we have here.
“Scott will be a big part of my coaching team and whilst his impact will undoubtedly be felt on the pitch where I believe he still has much to give, I am looking forward to assisting his transition into coaching.”
