CELTIC PLANNING A TESTIMONIAL AS CAPTAIN FANTASTIC EYES TREBLE

CELTIC’S Captain Fantastic Scott Brown will make his 400th appearance in a Celtic jersey tomorrow night when he leads Celtic out to face St Johnstone at Celtic Park, in what is his tenth season at the club. Brown of course was completely unaware of this important milestone but would be happy enough to stay at Celtic for another decade!

“I didn’t even know to be fair,” the skipper said today. “It’s been a good nine and a half years so far and here’s hoping for another nine and a half years.

“It means so much to me to be here and to keep playing and enjoying my football. We are having a great season so far and we want to maintain that for as long as we possibly can.”

A win would see Celtic stitch the lead to a incredible 22 points in a season that only a late and largely undeserved equaliser up at Inverness in September has stopped Celtic having a 100% record in domestic football.

Domestically this is form that not even the Lisbon Lions can match – they lost 3-2 to Dundee United on Hogmanay 50 years ago whereas the class of 2016-17 were busy beating a different Rangers to the club that was around back in 1966-67.

That Celtic side won the Treble and a few other cups on top including the Glasgow Cup and of course the European Cup in Lisbon.

Today’s Celtic side is on the sidelines of European competition after failing to progress from the Champions League Group stages but domestically their focus is very much on a domestic treble.

The Betfred Cup is already in the Parkhead trophy room and the club’s sixth league win in a row is pretty much in the bag too. That leaves the Scottish Cup and after defeating Albion Rovers at the weekend, Rod Stewart pulled a home tie against Inverness out of the SFA’s ball bag.

The Celtic captain, who will complete his tenth season at Celtic in May, is hoping that the club can win its first Treble in his decade at Parkhead.

“It would be lovely,” Brown said today. “I have wanted it every season I have been here and if I could do it in the tenth it would be fantastic.”

Ten years and 400 games is remarkable for any player, especially in the modern game. Brown, a one time target of the old Rangers club, it would seem chose wisely in joining a well run and professional club and he is now in discussions with Chief Executive Peter Lawwell about a well deserved testimonial.

The Celtic captain confirmed this today when speaking to Celtic TV.

“We have been speaking, me and Peter and have been having a chat about it, so it could happen.

“But I’m in no rush whatsoever, here’s hoping I have another good few years left here. If they want to offer me another four-year deal I would be happy to accept.

“I have still got the legs and the love for the game as well, and that’s the main one. I feel as good as I have ever felt in a Celtic jersey.”

Brown is certainly enjoying his club football again and will have a decision to make pretty soon on whether to call time – for the second time this season – on his international career. But Celtic remains very much his focus and continuing the amazing domestic form in the league and Scottish Cup.

“We have a lot to play for and a there are still a lot of points there,” Brown said.

“The way we are playing just now is great to watch but pitches are all going to start chopping up now and it’s not going to be as pretty or as good football as it has been. But we can deal with that and we can play in all different ways.”

The Celtic support are sure to give their captain a particularly warm welcome as he sprints towards them when the sides come out tomorrow evening.

His testimonial will be well deserved too.