Scott Brown and Hibs golden generation – goalscoring greats to drug bans, where are they now?
Celtic hero Brown was part of a collection of youngsters who went on to glittering things after graduating from the Easter Road academy
It's arguably Scottish football's equivalent of Manchester United's Class of 92.
Back in 2003 Hibernian had some of Scottish football's most exciting prospects on the books - all at the one time, and all having worked their way through the club's academy eager to make their mark on the senior game. Between them they would lift a host of top flight titles, play in the Champions League and English Premier League and earn 141 Scotland caps. Beyond that, one would even go on to become a Record Sport columnist - surely the pinnacle dreamed of by any youngster taking their first steps in the game.
But there were also plenty of bumps along the road; from part-time football to drug bans. Whilst Scott Brown was captaining Celtic through a period of total dominance in Scottish football some of his former teammates found themselves battling far tougher times and playing at far less glamorous venues. Record Sport takes a walk down memory lane to see what happened to Hibs' golden generation more than two decades after they burst onto the scene.
Scott Brown
It's easy to forget that Celtic hero Brown wasn't always a midfield enforcer. He actually started his career as a striker, and made a major impression early on with three goals in his first four senior games - which included a match wining brace against Livingston. Brown would remain at Easter Road until 2007 when Gordon Strachan shelled out £4.4m to take him to Parkhead. During Brown's time at Celtic, the club won ten Scottish titles, six Scottish Cups, and six Scottish League Cups. He captained the club to nine-in-a-row and successive trebles in 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19 and 2019–20.
Brown left for Aberdeen in 2021 but spent just as season in the Granite City before hanging up his boots. He moved into management with Fleetwood Town in 2022, but last over a season. He's currently in charge of Ayr United where he boasts a superb record as the Honest Men fight it out for a place in the Premiership.
1 of 8Steven Whittaker
A lifelong friend of Brown and another player who burst onto the scene back in 2003 is the versatile Steven Whittaker, who also remained with Hibs until 2007 when he made a £2m move to Glasgow - albeit to the blue side, where he would line up against Brown. Whittaker made himself an important player across five seasons at Ibrox, which included a sensational goal against Sporting Lisbon on the Gers run to the 2008 UEFA Cup final. He left in 2012 for Norwich City, spending five years with the yo-yo East Anglia side. Whittaker returned north to finish his career with both Hibs and Dunfermline, before becoming Brown's assistant at both Fleetwood and Ayr United. His son, Rory, is following in his dad's footsteps and already has 14 Hibs appearances to his name at the age of 17.
2 of 8Stephen Dobbie
Whilst Brown and Whittaker were fully homegrown Hibs stars, Stephen Dobbie was a product of Rangers' youth system - but it was at Easter Road where he was handed his first serious crack at senior football, having not played a competitive game at Ibrox. He scored six goals in his first season at the club but looked like he wouldn't live up to his potential as he struggled for form and fitness.
A move to St Johnstone in 2005 proved unsuccesful and, as Brown and Whittaker sealed major Old Firm moves, Dobbie found himself shipped to Third Division Dumbarton on loan. It was the move his career needed. 11 goals in 18 outings caught the eye of Queen of the South, where he netted 55 times in 105 games. That earned a big money move to Swansea City where he became a cult figure and made his English Premier League debut.
Spells with Blackpool, Brighton, Crystal Palace, Fleetwood and Bolton followed, before an emotional return to Queen of the South in 2016. A further 111 goals in 179 games for the Doonhamers cemented his place as a club hero, and he hung up the boots in 2022 after a spell with AFC Fylde where he became a coach. He's now on Steve Bruce's coaching staff at Blackpool.
3 of 8Tam McManus
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Tam McManus spent almost a decade as Hibs player after rising through the ranks, but found himself facing stiff competition for his place from the stars following him in graduating from the academy. After falling out of favour with Tony Mowbray, he moved to Boston United on loan in 2004. A permanent move to Dundee followed before spells with Falkirk and Dunfermline. He tried his hand stateside with the Colorado Rapids in 2008, playing against David Beckham, before a spell with Derry City. After moving between Scottish, American and Irish football he hung up his boots in 2016 after a spell with Junior team Gartcairn. Now he's a regular pundit and is a columnist right here at Record Sport.
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