SCOTT BROWN today warned the SPFL's newcomers they face a nervy battle to survive in the top-flight next season.

 

And the Celtic skipper also said he's unfazed by the prospect of locking horns again with Rangers in the league - if the Ibrox club haul themselves out of the Championship via the play-offs.

Brown's fighting talk came as Rangers gear up for do-or-die clashes with Queen of the South as the first of a possible six games that will decide their fate for next season along with second-place Hibernian. Runaway Championship winners Hearts clinched their Premier League place automatically.

But one team from the top-flight - most likely second-bottom Motherwell - will also face a battle for survival in the Premiership play-off final.

Brown is pleased that Hearts are back at the first time of asking, but forecast that whatever team joins them faces a huge struggle to avoid the drop next season.

The 29-year-old midfielder said: "We will see what happens. It will be hard for whoever comes up.

"Hibs have got two or three weeks off so they will need to keep training and playing bounce games. It will be difficult.

"Hearts is a good place to go. It's a great wee stadium and their fans are, well, different. They love us, which helps the atmosphere!

"Am I bothered about the Old Firm? Not in the slightest. If it comes back it comes back, but if it doesn't then it doesn't."

Speaking at the launch of a new Celtic kit, Brown paid a warm tribute to his manager Ronnie Deila whose faith in the player has been rewarded with a fine season by his on-field leader.

Celtic's captain has been a rock for his team since recovering from an early-season injury and he has enjoyed working under a man he had never heard of a year ago.

Brown said: "When the manager came in no one really knew who he was.

"But slowly everyone started to follow him and you can see now he loves the club.

"He is enjoying life in Scotland and not many foreigners can say that.

"He wants me to sit and then push on. We have spoken about how other teams are playing and what we should be doing.

"There will be times when I am sitting and Stefan Johansen will push on and others will sit back.

"It's great to learn these things from him because you never know, one day I might need to pick up the phone to him.

"When he came in he could have just taken me out to win me over. When he came in I was on holiday but he gave me a phone.

"He was positive right from the start about how we were going to look and play. He wanted to change a few little things here and there, but not going in all gung ho.

"It has worked. The lads are all enjoying it and are following the way he wants to do things."