Built in 1914, the Paris Udvar Hotel in Budapest is an architectural gem. Just yards from the Danube, its ornate lobby with high ceilings and French champagne bar makes you feel like you’ve been transported back in time.
Outside, it’s searing hot, with temperatures touching 30 degrees. But inside, the marble floors help to cool you down. And as Tam Courts strides into the salubrious reception area, no-one in there looks more relaxed.
Talking about time. This is a long way from Kelty, in deepest, darkest Fife, where he started his managerial career. But it’s a sign of how far he’s come that Courts looks at home in his new surroundings. It’s been 39 hours since Honved’s 4-0 defeat to Fehervar. In his first job abroad, he’s been in charge for two competitive games. No points, no goals. He should look like a man with the weight of the city's Liberty Statue on his shoulders.
But, on the outside at least, Courts doesn’t show it. “As manager here, it’s like the graceful swan above water - but the feet are paddling like hell underneath," he says. But Courts isn’t the type to wilt in the Hungarian heat.
Throwing himself into challenges is what he’s done all his life. It's who he is. Whether it was a crunching tackle as a Junior player at Hill of Beath Hawthorn or quitting his day job to become a full-time gaffer, nothing appears to faze him.
There’s an inherent belief, desire and sheer single-mindedness to succeed. He could get taxis around Budapest to avoid the busy traffic. But no, the following day he got his 13th parking ticket since arriving here.
He’s learning about driving abroad, learning about managing in Europe. Most importantly, he’s learning about himself.
How many other Scottish coaches go abroad to test themselves? Court has got balls. After leading Dundee United to fourth place in the Scottish Premiership last season - and the Europa League - he could have stayed at Tannadice.
But the lure of going outside his comfort zone was too much. This isn’t an easy gig at Honved. They’re one of Hungary’s most historic clubs.
It’s a complex assignment for Courts. For the first time, he’s dealing with politics, as well as players. “It feels like you’re building the plane, while you’re flying it,” he says.
But that’s what drives him. He’s a 24/7 football obsessive, with a clear vision of what he has to do. Where does that come from? How do you walk into a multi-cultural dressing-room and talk tactics in a thick Lochgelly accent?
As he sips his Americano coffee in the hotel’s plush brasserie, Courts said: “People have said to me that it’s all happened so quickly for me over the last four of five years. But it hasn’t happened quickly for me.
“I remember sitting at two o’clock in the morning in a little portakabin in Kelty with a Calor gas fire on. I’d made myself unemployed to work part-time.
“I made some crazy decision at Kelty. I was in a well-paid job as a global resourcing manager. I remember sitting on holiday in Morocco with my partner Sammy and saying to her that I was going to resign when I got back.
“I wanted to be full-time at Kelty. The job was a two-figures per week salary and I had three kids. But to do it properly, I had to throw myself into it. That led to this crazy journey.
“I was out of the game altogether for a year after leaving there. That was a tough period. But sometimes inner belief takes over. Back then, it was a risky and bold move but it was one that paid off.
“I know this job at Honved is going to take me to the edge of my capabilities. But if I get it right, I’d have the confidence to be successful anywhere.
“So far, it’s been fast paced and all-consuming - but in a positive way. As a manager, you’re the guy everyone looks to for stability and direction.
“But when you move to a different country, stability is the thing you don’t have in your life. Obviously, I’ve become very aware of my communication.
“If I use a translator to speak, how many sentences do I speak before they talk? It’s about how I use my presence. How often do I talk - and do they feel an energy from me?
“How do I use the local people to convey my message? That’s part of the reason I wanted to come here. That challenge of being completely out of my comfort zone.
“It’s a complex experience but, so far, it’s one that I think I’ve handled well. I just need to make sure I don’t start talking in that rhythm (like Steve McClaren in Holland or Joey Barton in France).
“I don’t want any memes of me appearing online. The last thing I need is to be talking like a local Hungarian in a Scottish accent!”
The following day is Courts’ 41st birthday. Instead of spending it with family, he’s at work, showing Mailsport around the Bozsik Arena in Kispest. Only a year old, you can almost smell the fresh paint. Pictures of Ferenc Puskas adorn the walls. It’s a compact ground, with 8,500 capacity.
And Section B is where the vociferous, often hostile, Honved Ultras are based. Most managers would feel their pressure instantly.
But Courts? Along with sporting director Chris Docherty, he decided to go and meet the Puskas Army, face to face for an hour and a half. They even bought him a beer.
And Courts said: “We met 20 of the most prominent Ultras to explain what we inherited here, what the plan is going to be - and the need for patience. How did they react? There was a lot of energy.
“This is a club that has previously won the league. They’re proud of Honved. The people of Kispest are working class so they expect a certain type of performance.
“They will accept defeat but not a lack of effort. We wanted to go to their pub and tell them we understand what they’re looking for.
“We can’t guarantee it but we’re here because we think we can get there. I know their patience won’t last forever. This is a complicated job. When the team has lost 100-plus goals in two seasons and almost been relegated, you have to be decisive and make big calls.”Not long after that meeting, Courts sold Honved’s captain Bence Batik. It was another gutsy move, which caused a furore among the Ultras.
Courts’ coaching career is still in its infancy but he’s going to do it his way. He said: “I got down to the last two for a job in the English Championship and it’s crazy because everyone told me I had to go if I was offered it.
“But I actually wanted to come to Honved. The drive to work in Europe was so strong, even at this stage in my career.
“At 40 years old, after the season I had at Dundee United, I can afford to take a risk. I’ve had an ambition to move, live and challenge myself abroad for a long time - probably since my mid-20’s.
“There aren’t many British coaches who do it. I’ve got this inner drive to try something different, something that lets you see what you’re all about and whether you can handle the challenges that go with it.
“I feel really satisfied with this move. I feel weirdly motivated in this type of job. I knew from the start it was a big one. And nothing has shocked me. It’s a huge challenge but one that, in the fullness of time, I believe I’ll get right.”
