A COLD snap like the one which is currently enveloping Scotland delayed Don Cowie’s debut in English football and meant that when he finally made his bow the opposition was formidable.
“I don't think I got to the training ground during the first week I was down south,” said the Ross County manager yesterday as he looked back on his move from Inverness Caledonian Thistle to Watford back in 2009.
“The weather was awful. It snowed and they didn't know how to deal with it. I expected to be eased into things gradually. But there were postponements and I didn’t play for a fortnight.
“My first game ended up being against Chelsea in the FA Cup at Vicarage Road. It was an unbelievable match to be a part of. It was incredible to be on the same pitch as players I had watched and admired on television from afar. I was up against Frank Lampard and Michael Ballack.
“Watford shared their stadium with the Saracens rugby team at that time. It’s fair to say the playing surface wasn’t conducive to great football in February. But that helped us to be competitive. They weren’t able to play their normal free-flowing game.
“But, as the big teams always do, the kept going right to the end. Nicolas Anelka scored a hat-trick and we lost 3-1. They were just full of quality. It probably showed me the level I had to strive for if I wanted to get to the Premier League in England at a very early stage."
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Yet, the midfielder had still, despite his complete lack of experience of the English game, taken to the field that afternoon firmly believing he belonged in such exalted company thanks to the mindset which his rookie manager, a little-known individual who had only been in situ for a couple of months himself, had instilled in him during the build-up to kick-off.
Cowie is looking forward to meeting up with Brendan Rodgers, the coach whose attention to detail, personable manner and progressive playing style made an indelible impression on him during the brief time they worked together at Watford, once again when Celtic visit the Global Energy Stadium on William Hill Premiership duty today.
“It's always good to see Brendan and have a chat with him after the game,” he said. “He's very hospitable. He's a great person to get advice from and to learn from. Listen, I am a young manager and I am learning all the time. I feel fortunate that I can have those conversations with him.
“He was a very young manager when he was at Watford. He'd built up a really good reputation as a coach at Chelsea and he had got his opening. It was his first big job. But I really enjoyed playing under him.
“What was evident for me early on was that his man management skills were exceptional. He has a great personality and makes each player under him feel confident. He trusts you and gives you that belief you need to perform.
“He always made you feel that you were a special player. Not just me, everyone. It didn’t matter if you were starting or were on the subs bench. Everybody was very much treated the same way.
Could Cowie’s own managerial career follow the same sort of trajectory as one of his mentors in the years to come? It is far too early to say with any certainty. Still, the signs are promising.
He replaced Derek Adams in difficult circumstances in February last year with County languishing in second bottom spot and kept them up via the play-offs.
Jack Baldwin, Yan Dhanda and Simon Murray, his captain, most creative player and leading goalscorer respectively, all departed in the summer and it has taken time for his new signings, the likes of Noah Chilvers, Akil Wright and Ronan Hale, to settle and for his new-look side to gel as a unit. But they are certainly starting to do so now.
They go into their meeting with the league leaders and defending champions in buoyant spirits after recording consecutive away victories over Dundee, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock in the Premiership and making a little bit of history. It is the first time they have ever won three games in a row on the road in the top flight. Eat your heart out Philippe Clement.
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It should maybe be no surprise that the former Scotland internationalist recruited well in his first transfer window as a manager. He was given a revealing insight into the extensive work that Rodgers and his scouting staff did when they strengthened their squad shortly after he arrived at Watford.
“One of the first occasions that I spoke to Brendan was in his office there, “he said. “He had a book, a dossier basically, on his desk that was just about me. He knew everything there was to know about me, everything about my family. He knew all about my playing career, all about my personal history.
“It showed the amount of detail that went into signing a player, not just from him but from the club as a whole, at that level. It was a real eye opener for me and it has always stuck in my mind.”
The Northern Irishman would have been well aware that his new acquisition came from good footballing stock, that his father and namesake had starred for County in the Highland League.
Cowie Jnr grew up in Strathpeffer, attended school in Dingwall and cheered on his local team home and away on a Saturday as a kid before going on to play for them. He believes that both his lengthy association with and deep affection for the club are beneficial in his current role.
“Yeah, I think I've got a good perspective of things,” he said. “There's a realism in my thought process. I know where the club has come from and I know what we're doing right now, competing year upon year in the Premiership. I appreciate the challenges of that.
“It’s tough for us, but we don't shy away from it, we welcome it. We've worked so hard to get to this point. I'm the person right now that gets to lead that and try to maintain it so I'm thoroughly enjoying it. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I'm really proud to be part of things here.”
“He was the first team coach a Watford,” he said. “I think he liked the fact that a Scottish player had joined his football club. He definitely, without going completely over the top, made a real effort to make me feel at home in a new environment. I appreciated that.
“When Brendan left to go to Reading at the end of that season, Malky became the manager and I had two seasons under him there. I had a great time, played a lot of football and was able to break into the Scotland national team. He was a big, big part of that.
“He's a great person, someone I can speak to at any time. I've obviously spent a lot of time with him over the years. Look at what he's achieved in his management career. He’s a fantastic role model for me. Having someone like him that you can lean on for advice has been really important for me here.”
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His time under Mackay at Cardiff was perhaps the most memorable of his playing days. He started in the League Cup final against Liverpool in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley in 2012 and converted a penalty in the shootout.
He helped the Welsh club to bounce back from that excruciating defeat and win the Championship the following year and then ensured the promoted side enjoyed a positive start to life in the Premier League.
But he was conscious of the underlying tensions between Mackay and Malaysian owner Vincent Tan which ultimately resulted in his manager being sacked. He is grateful for the unstinting backing which he receives at County from their long-term benefactor Roy MacGregor.
“Players hear rumblings about how clubs are being run all across the world,” he said. “But I know I'm very, very fortunate here. I've got a fantastic chairman. This club means an awful lot to him. He's been very consistent with his support.
“On top of that, I have Steven Ferguson, the chief executive, who is an ex-team mate of mine. So I feel very, very lucky in terms of what I've got around me.”
The 41-year-old has, though, repaid their faith in him. He masterminded the 3-2 triumph over Rangers, their first ever against the Ibrox club, a couple of months after replacing Adams. Raith Rovers were then hammered 6-1 on aggregate in the play-offs and survival comfortably secured.
His men might be in 10th place in the Premiership at the moment, but they are, thanks to their current four match unbeaten run, just two points off sixth spot. Could they pull off another upset this afternoon and move further up the table? It will be a huge shock if they beat the best team in the country.
“It was a big thing at the time,” he said. “Being a professional footballer? Beating Celtic? Scoring the winning goal live on television? Those sort of scenarios are what you dream of as a little boy growing up.
“Beating Rangers in the manner we did last season, live on television when we were trying to stay in the league and were in a precarious position, was a massive moment for us too. We only got three points for it, but those sort of results can give you real belief and momentum.”
Belief is a recurring theme when you speak to Cowie. He feels that, more than the subtle tactical changes which he has implemented in recent weeks, has been the key to Ross County’s resurgence of late.
Every one of his charges will be confident, just as he was when he squared up to Chelsea after his move to Watford, they can upset the odds and deny Celtic victory when they emerge from the tunnel this afternoon.
“A lot of it's about mentality,” he said. “That's been a big aspect of the run we are on. I think the group took a lot of belief from the manner of the Dundee away win. It wasn't luck, it was a very good team performance. We played really well, scored three goals. Everyone has continued in that vein.
“For us to be successful as a club in the Premiership, we have to punch above our weight. It's a collective effort here. But the boys are in a good place and they're performing well now.
“We've finished 11th in the league and have been in the play-offs in the past two seasons. That is not something we enjoy. It's important that we keep striving to be better and try and maintain the run of form that we're on right now.”
