Brown tells Celts to turn up the heat

SCOTT BROWN has urged his Celtic team-mates to harness the intensity of a big European night in Glasgow and make Ferencvaros feel as if there are 60,000 home fans lined up against them. The Hoops skipper will lead his men into Wednesday night’s one-legged Champions League qualifier knowing that the Hungarians will be relieved to be playing behind closed doors. But Brown is determined the Scottish champions won’t be found wanting when it comes to desire, aggression and inspiration. ‘Celtic Park can be unbelievable for us, especially on European nights,’ he said. ‘But we need to make sure we deal with that (no fans). We

take full responsibility when we go on the park. ‘We need to press like there are 60,000 people there. We can hear each other shouting, we know the demands we place on each other — and that’s one good thing we take away from the situation. ‘But we always miss the fans, they’re the 12th man, especially in these games early in the season. ‘We definitely have to make it intense for Ferencvaros. We’ll sit down and study them, work on our game plan and how we’re going to approach it.’ Meanwhile, Stiliyan Petrov has been cast in the unofficial role of Celtic’s European scout ahead of Wednesday’s clash. A comprehensive win over KR Reykjavik last week saw the first of four qualifying hurdles cleared with ease before the step up in class that awaits against Ferencvaros. Neil Lennon’s former team-mate Petrov saw the Hungarian champions impress against Swedes Djurgardens in the previous round. And the Bulgarian, wellversed in football in central and eastern Europe, has already been telling the Celtic manager exactly what lies in wait. ‘I watched snippets of it (Djugardens game) but we will watch it more in depth on Sunday and Monday,’ said Lennon. ‘They are a good side and I was speaking to Stiliyan Petrov about them last night and they are quite a strong team, particularly away from home. ‘They are difficult to break down and good on the counter-attack. We are under no illusions it will be a very tricky tie. ‘Stiliyan was giving me a few wee titbits on players and how they will play.’ Managed by Ukrainian legend Sergiy Rebrov, Ferencvaros have won the Hungarian title 31 times and are now looking to win it for a third straight season. Although they have struggled to come anywhere near recapturing the European success they enjoyed in the 1960s and 70s, Lennon senses they will pose a real threat. He said: ‘They were excellent against Djurgardens, and we know they’ll play with freedom, with no real pressure.’