NO sooner had Scott Brown savoured his eighth top flight title in a row - all of them as captain - than the he was insisting he would never be fit to lace Billy’s boots.

Including one claimed under Gordon Strachan, this was Brown’s ninth league championship crown, and his 19th major trophy in all, but the 33-year-old insisted last night that “not in a million years” would he ever be held in the same regard as Billy McNeill and Stevie Chalmers, the two Lisbon Lions whose recent passing has provided such a poignant backdrop to the club’s 50th title celebrations.

The club’s pre-match preparations for Pittodrie had included the entire first-team squad and backroom staff attending McNeill’s funeral on Friday.“The two of them [Chalmers and McNeill] are absolute legends and to put any player at the club now in the same bracket, you can’t ever do that,” said Brown. “Never in a million years. For people to go and win the European Cup, its different gravy.

“What they did for Celtic – and what they were still doing for the club right up to their last minutes – was fantastic. What they did – especially all being from within 25 miles of Celtic Park – was exceptional. Their memories will live on forever with the fans. You saw the turnout for Billy yesterday. It was a great send off. All the players had to go and show their respects and we’ll do the same on Wednesday for Stevie’s funeral. They are absolute legends and icons for the club and great ambassadors.”

So frequently does Brown lift silverware he would be entitled to start losing track of it all. His eighth league title in a row was also the club’s eighth trophy in a row. By anyone’s best guess, this Celtic team are the first group ever to achieve that. His palmares also include four Scottish Cups and six League Cups.

As tempting as it was to look ahead to the quest for a record-equalling ninth title in a row, and then a ten, he was happy simply to treat this one on its merits. The role of a captain can be over-stated but Brown was a strong hand at the tiller who helped keep things on an even keel when Brendan Rodgers sent shockwaves around the dressing room and Scottish football by departing so suddenly for Leicester City in February.

“It’s always hard when a manager leaves but we had a fantastic manager come in to replace him,” said Brown. “The gaffer’s been brilliant, he’s enjoyed every moment of it. To get over the line means a lot to us and Neil as well. Especially in the week where we’ve lost two Lisbon Lions. To do it for them means a lot

“Every title gets more and more sweeter so this one’s special, especially as you get towards the end of your career,” he added. “You’ve got to enjoy the moment and I definitely am, that’s for sure

“When Brendan left, between myself, Lusto [Mikael Lustig], John Kennedy and the new gaffer we tried to settle everyone. Thankfully, it was short and sharp – one was out and another was in the next morning. So it worked out perfectly. The lads all know our style of play so there were no excuses there.”

Considering the intrigue over him potentially uprooting himself and his family to move to Western Melbourne in the Australian A-League in January, Brown last night was a man content in the fact he had made the right decision.

“I might still be looking for that long-haul flight to Australia in two years!” joked Brown. “No, there’s nothing more special than winning a title or a cup with Celtic. To have that feeling with the supporters every week is brilliant.

“At the time, I spoke to Peter Lawwell and Brendan who both persuaded me to stay. I was delighted to do that and I think I made the right decision for my career. If I’d have left I’d have regretted not having that feeling on days like today.

“It was just a matter of time before we got over the line and we fancied ourselves today,” he added. “The pitch was good, everything suited our style of play to win. We were feeling pressure but we get pressure week in, week out.

“It doesn’t matter if we’re home or away, going for titles, everyone expects us to win. Yet again, we’ve managed to do that this season and get another title on the board. It’s just about the eighth one for us. We have to make sure we remember how well we’ve done all season. We’re going to go back together as a team and enjoy the moment. The Old Firm game will take care of itself.”

With the exception of Odsonne Edouard’s late clincher, it was a day of unlikely goal heroes. First Mikael Lustig then Jozo Simunovic – with his second goal in a week – popped up with headed goals. “Lusto’s been fantastic this season, he’s brilliant in the dressing-room and he always pops up with goals like he did today,” said Brown. “That’s one of the biggest goals he’s scored for us. It was a great run and a terrific ball because no-one expected Callum to whip that ball into the back post. It just shows what top quality players we have at this club.”

As for Simunovic, the Croatian centre half has gone from being way out of the picture under Rodgers to being integral under Lennon. He now has four Scottish top flight titles by the age of 24. “It was nice to get another goal and win the title,” he said. “It’s always nice to score. I haven’t scored very often, and now I’ve done it two games in a row so the feeling is very good. It feels amazing to be part of this. First of all I appreciate that I’m in a team, and the goals are just the icing on the cake.”

Tonight for Simunovic too was simply about title No 8. “We’re still enjoying eight, you know,” he said. “Every title is special. Of course, season 2016/17 we were unbeaten which was also nice, but this is even better because it’s happening now. When the new manager came in, we just kept going, kept the hard work from the ex-manager. We showed it wasn’t such a big change.”