A late-developer in Scottish football terms, Craig Brewster tells In The Winning Zone that enthusiasm and hard work are the only ways to unleash your sporting talent.
 
In the footballing lexicon, Inverness CT's new Manager, Craig Brewster is your classic ‘late developer’. Some meteoric careers are burned out long before this steely Dundonian striker got into his goal-scoring stride. He was 26 when he signed as a full-time professional footballer with Dundee United. It meant so much to him, playing for the team he supported since boyhood, that he relished every single moment of the experience. Everyday, when he pulled up for training, it was a “pinch-me-I’m-dreaming” moment.
 
But how could he survive in such a fickle world where injury, knocks, niggling aches and strains were the blight of many promising Scottish professionals?
 
“I’ve been a full-time professional footballer for 14 years now. I turned 40 in December and staying in good shape is the key for me. I’m still extremely fit at forty. I’ve never had pace, but my general fitness allows me to keep up with the rest of the guys,” he explains.
 
“There is one thing that is important,” he says with certainty. “That’s enthusiasm. This is a major factor for me still playing late on in my career. But there is no getting away from the fact that you have to put in a lot of hard work.”
 
Craig Brewster’s enthusiasm is coupled with his tactical sense which has helped him net over 130 goals since turning full-time. His first spell as player-manager at Inverness Caley Thistle, and then Dundee United, have only fuelled his desire to stay on top. Before Christmas he joined Aberdeen, before retaking the mangerial hot-seat in late August.
 
But he recalls his early days as a pro. “I’d been playing senior football since I was 18 and suddenly I was a full-time player. It wasn’t a chore. I don’t have to drive and hour there and back for training three times a week in the middle of winter, getting home at 10:30 at night. Suddenly, it was my full-time job. It was a massive change.”
 
“Unlike some younger guys who come straight out of school and don’t really know what they’ve got until it’s too late, I really appreciated what I had,” he says.
 
This sporting opportunity has had an immense impact on a player who had taken a series of jobs as a builder, cement mixer driver, a waste disposal truck driver and even a sports shop owner. More than anything, Brewster wanted to play top level football.
 
As a shining example, Brewster is keen to put people straight about life as a football professional. “Some people just expect things to happen when they step on a football pitch. But without the hard work you won’t get to the top. Of course, sometimes you might get lucky. But if you stay in good shape, you have the chance of playing to your potential – and playing longer.” 
                                        
There were no doubts early on that Craig Brewster was a talented player. He played part-time with Forfar Athletic, making 191 appearances. He was lured to Raith Rovers, knocking in 34 goals in 86 appearances, before heading to Tannadice, where he became a local hero, scoring the winning goal in the Scottish Cup Final against Rangers.
 
But seasons in the sun beckoned and a glorious five-year spell in Greece taught Craig a great deal about how the game should be played – and how to stay in shape.
 
“Actually the football in Greece was very similar, but the methods were different. In Scotland it was ‘Route One’ football, get the ball forward as early as possible. In Greece, it was a much more patient build up.  Keeping possession was more important than just lamping the ball up the park.”
 
But it was much more than playing style which opened up the footballer’s eyes.

“In Scotland we had our weight checked at the start of the season. But in Greece we had our hearts monitored, our diet and weight controlled and our conditioning done. There was much more care for the all-round fitness of the players – and more care taken in training.”
 
A lot has changed for the better since Craig Brewster returned to the Scottish game. Today there is far more awareness about the role of fitness, diet and conditioning.
 
“I’m glad it is changing. Football is much faster, so you need genuine athletes. All the big clubs now have proper fitness trainers and sports scientists and the proper processes in place to monitor and evaluate individual players,” he explains.
 
At the heart of this are properly organised training schedules. Craig Brewster believes this has to be highly structured to prevent the kind of injuries that harm a club’s performance and an individual’s career.
 
Brewster’s time as manager of Dundee United perhaps wasn’t his happiest spell, when his struggling side managed only two wins in 28 matches and heralded his departure after a 5-1 defeat to Falkirk in October 2006. But Craig admits he is still learning his craft, ensuring his teams are fitter and more able to compete.
 
“It is the slight injuries to players that can all add up, playing havoc with team selection. The calf and groin strain, the hamstring pull – many of these injuries are preventable with proper warm-ups and cool-downs."
 
Working with fitness coach, Peter Davidson, Brewster set up a proper fitness regime at Inverness Caley Thistle that was able to cut down the amount of needless injury caused by stresses and strains.
 
“I took Peter with me to Dundee United.  In those 10 months we had very few groin strains because the players were stretching properly. There were proper warm-ups and cool-downs before and after training. There was a specific structure to training which cut down on injury significantly. Preparation was everything.”
 
One thing for sure will be that his Caley team will be properly in shape and ready to make the most of their talent. “Above all, you need talent and ability,” says Brewster. “But you can get a long way with enthusiasm, application and hard work.”
 

KK

© In The Winning Zone, MMVII, All Rights Reserved