The former Dens Park and Rangers player was a surprise choice for the post following the departure last week of Barry Smith who left the club 15 points behind St Mirren at the bottom of the SPL.
Brown, 51, whose only previous management experience was with Clyde and which ended in 2009, will attempt to keep the Dark Blues in the league although the former Rangers youth coach bristled somewhat at the suggestion that it would be with a style of management which could described as traditional.
He said: "What is 'old school?' When Walter Smith offered me the under-18s job at Rangers he mentioned discipline, how the players appear and how they come in.
"In Gordon Strachan's first squad, the starting 11 (for Scotland) had four guys who have the discipline we put into them when they left school. When you leave school you have that two years to get a contract as a professional.
"Allan McGregor, Alan Hutton, Charlie Adam and Chris Burke. There are a number who have come through and gone on to international level. Rino Gattuso played in our reserve team after joining as an 18-year-old. We worked with him and he did fantastic things in his career.
"I am not taking all the credit for that but I think I can work with the players we have here.
"One thing about Walter Smith, and speak to all the managers including Sir Alex Ferguson, and they'll tell you if they don't have discipline you've got nothing. That, I would never change. On the coaching side, though, that has changed over the years. You moved forward and use the experience you pick up.
"I have been managed by a number of top-quality managers and have travelled all over the world to see a lot of methods and techniques.
"Hopefully, I can turn this from short-term into a long-term thing."
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