SCOTT BROWN is nearing the end of his eighth season at Celtic.

Of those eight campaigns, the Hoops skipper has rounded five of them off - including this one - with a league Championship trophy held aloft.

As Celtic prepare to celebrate their fourth successive championship, Brown has insisted it is a party of which he never tires.

While the loss of Rangers in the league has effectively meant a smooth journey to the title for Celtic, the 29-year-old midfielder has maintained the club still deserve credit for the manner in which they have sustained a standard and consistency that has earned them the mantle of champions.

Ronny Deila's side play Inverness Caledonian Thistle at Celtic Park on Sunday afternoon and will be presented with the Championship trophy in its aftermath.

Whatever happens on the field will play second fiddle to what goes on afterwards, and Brown has experienced enough in his time at Celtic to appreciate the requirement to savour the moment.

The Scotland internationalist has had only one season at the club - 2010 - where he ended the campaign empty-handed, but he also watched Rangers win three successive championships between 2009 and 2011, and he knows just how important days like Sunday are to the club and to the support.

"It is huge," he said. "It is not just about me being Celtic captain and winning the league. It is about winning, full stop. It is another medal for everyone to put in their cabinet and we have deserved it.

"Over the season we have played some good football and I think you can see we have got better as the season has gone on. There were a few days when we had to battle it out just to get the points, but we have really grown as a team.

"Days like Sunday are what it is all about. It never gets tired. You can never get to a stage where you do not enjoy winning things and lifting trophies.

"But it not just about the team. It is about the manager, it is about the guys behind the scenes as well and, of course, it is for the fans. They have been with us week in, week out, and this is a day for them to come out and enjoy as well."

"We are always expected to win the title, but you have to go out and do it. You have to earn the right to play football and earn the right to win. At the start of the season it was difficult. We didn't hit the ground running as a team, there was a new manager, there were new ideas to get used to and it was a tough time.

"But we got through that, which is the important thing, and we are delighted, of course, to win the league. People tend to forget that although we are expected to win, we also play far more games than other teams. We are often playing midweek games in Europe and then going back to the league at the weekend, and you do need to be able to cope with that."

Brown will enjoy the party on Sunday. He will not have too much time to indulge in a hangover since he is on Scotland duty against Qatar and the Republic of Ireland before then beginning preparations for Celtic's Champions League qualifiers.

Those games are the ones where it will be possible to give traction to the theory that Celtic have made great strides forward this season.

Successful navigation of the qualifiers will open the gate to the lucrative and prestigious environment of the Champions League, where the chance to compete against the cream of Europe awaits.

In Brown's first season at Celtic, the club qualified directly for the group stages of the competition after winning the league under Gordon Strachan, a glorious prize that already seems to belong in the dark and distant past.

But, essentially, Brown appreciates the challenge of simply getting into the group stages. As such, while Sunday will be a day to down tools and take some respite, he has maintained that he won't be resting on his laurels.

"Sunday is what it is all about," he said. "You do get a chance to enjoy it and it will be a great day. The families are all there, the kids are there and it is good fun.

"But after a few days you already start thinking that at a club like this it is all about what is coming next - and the next big thing for us is the Champions League.

"There are a few of us here who know what it is like to play there and what it brings to the club and to the season. It isn't the financial side, it is as players what it does to you to go out and play against the very best.

"The fans love it. The stadium is like nothing else on those nights. The whole place is jumping and we are desperate to make sure that we are in it again this season. That means being as ready as we can be for the qualifiers."

As such, Brown will look to use the games with Scotland against Qatar and the Republic of Ireland as preparation for Europe.

"I would rather keep playing and keep ticking over," he said. "It is a quick start to the season because our first qualifier is going to be mid-July and it is massive.

"It is hard to play down just how big these games are for us, so I am pleased that I will be away with Scotland because it keeps me fresh and fit."