Rivals have lit fire inside us, insists Brown

THE prime motivation to stay at the summit of Scottish football comes from within. In truth, however, the sight of Steven Gerrard checking in across the city as Rangers’ new manager is an additional — perhaps even welcome — incentive as the first few gruelling paces of pre-season training are taken at Lennoxtown this week.

Because, for all many of the green-and-white persuasion will claim a sizeable quality gap still remains between the Glasgow rivals, the more cautious among them will view a rival recalibrated under the Englishman as a viable threat to their ambitions of an eighth successive title.

Never one to shy away from a barbed dig at Celtic’s greatest rivals if the moment is right, Scott Brown’s respect for Gerrard the player extends to an appreciation of what Rangers might just become if the former Liverpool captain gets it right at the first time of asking as a manager.

‘There’s always motivation because he was a football player himself and he’ll want his team to play good football, just like our manager does,’ said Brown.

‘He worked with our manager and has seen how well it works. He will have his own philosophy and put his own style on it.

‘They’ve brought someone new in, but they’ve done that before and we’ve just kicked on and we’ll need to do that again now. That intensity has been there already in what we’ve done so far. The manager’s talk to us (yesterday morning) proved that he knows what’s happening.

‘We’ve got to believe in our own ability and the people in our dressing room — believe that we’re fitter and stronger and better than everyone else. We’ll push on and the main thing is our focus is on ourselves. It’s not about Rangers, Hibs or Aberdeen — it’s about how we play and whether or not we turn up.’ T Ry as the Celtic manager might to play down its significance, the prospect of Rodgers going toe-to-toe with his former Liverpool captain makes the forthcoming season the most eagerly anticipated in years.

But while keeping Rangers at arm’s length was, is and always will be one of the stated aims for any Celtic squad planning for what lies ahead, the drive to continually succeed is not just born from local one-upmanship.

‘We want more trophies,’ replied Brown when asked what drove his team-mates on. ‘We want to be better, stronger, break more records and go down in the history books.

‘That comes down to hard work in the gym and on the training park.’

There is sound reason to believe that the challenge from the chasing pack will be tougher than it was last season.

In Rodgers’ first season in charge, his side rather romped to the flag by some 30 points. Last year, with Hibs and Kilmarnock re-established as forces, the margin of victory was only nine.

Having ended the season 24 points worse off than the 106 they accrued a year ago, Brown appreciates the need for improvement.

‘Aberdeen, Hearts, Hibs will be stronger next season and Rangers will be stronger,’ he said.

‘It is going to be a harder league, but we do believe that we work harder than most teams.

‘We turn up, we work, we create more chances and, nine times out of ten, that usually wins you the game.’

It is unlikely to be a transfer window of huge upheaval. While Rodgers is set to prune a number of fringe players from his squad, the recent contract extensions signed by Kristoffer Ajer, Tom Rogic and Kieran Tierney have protected existing assets.

‘They are the core, to be honest,’ Brown offered. ‘Kieran loves the club and Tom has been fantastic in the five years that he has been here. He has been in and out, but he loves it here, even though he hates the weather!

‘He loves the games, he loves the training, he loves playing in front of 60,000 and, to be perfectly honest, I don’t see why more people don’t love it here.

‘If you get the opportunity to play here in the Champions League, if we get there, and we’re playing in front of a great crowd with a great manager.’ Time to go again: Brown at the launch of Celtic’s new double Treble DVD and the Parkhead skipper has targeted another haul of trophies next season

Without kicking a ball in earnest, Celtic’s intent has already been made plain with the record signing of Odsonne Edouard from Paris Saint-Germain.

A transfer fee that could rise to as much as £9million with add-ons is potentially a burden for the 20-year-old striker, but Brown is convinced it will prove money well spent in the long run.

‘It was great to get him signed because he’s done a tremendous job for us and shown his qualities,’ said the Parkhead skipper.

‘The record fee won’t bother him — there’s always a weight of expectation when you come to Celtic anyway because you need to win all the time while playing attractive football.

‘Since Odsonne came in on loan, he’s been fantastic. But he’s a very chilled-out guy who doesn’t worry about too much, so I don’t think he’ll be too concerned by what we paid for him.

‘He’ll only be bothered about what he does on the park on a Saturday when he runs out there in front of our fans.’

The only potential cloud on the horizon is hovering over Stuart Armstrong. About to enter the final year of his deal, the 26-year-old will shortly have to decide if he commits his prime years to Celtic or tries his luck down south. B ROWN understands the temptation to consider the latter. But he cautions the player against believing every option in England would necessarily further his career.

‘yeah, some players do that and some go on to bigger things,’ he said. ‘Virgil (van Dijk) did well at Southampton and then went to Liverpool for a record transfer fee, so there have been a lot of players who have gone on to bigger things.

‘But then there are players who stay here because they love winning trophies.’

Asked if he’d like Armstrong to stay, Brown replied: ‘Especially for Scotland — it’s good for top-quality players to be winning games and trophies and not being the forgotten man in England.

‘Stuart is a great man and a good character and, if he sees it’s time to go, then that’s for him but I’m sure he’ll have a good pre-season and he’ll start playing games.

‘We know he can score goals and he’s a strong, willing runner. He is a fantastic player for us in the middle of the park.

‘Him and Callum McGregor — for the Scotland players to be playing together can only be a good thing for the national team, as well.’