SCOTT BROWN has insisted Ronny Deila's side have been worthy winners as the club celebrated its fourth successive Premiership title.

The Celtic skipper acknowledged the fraught start to the campaign under the Norwegian, but believes the Hoops have subsequently underlined their credentials as champions since then.

"It's been a great season for all of the lads," Brown told the club website. "We started off quite sloppily under a new manager, but we've just kicked on and gone from strength to strength.

"Everyone was talking about Aberdeen catching us, but we've been under no pressure and we just had to keep winning and that's what we've done.

"We've shown our class on the pitch and we've played great football at points as well, and this squad is just getting stronger and stronger.

"The manager wants to play football and we enjoy that. I think the fans are enjoying that, too, because they're coming out in their thousands week in, week out."

And chief executive Peter Lawwell was equally delighted with the title win.

Deila has praised the support he has received from Lawwell this season, and the Celtic powerbroker was delighted to see the club confirmed as champions.

"We are the champions and I'm absolutely delighted for everyone at the club - Ronny, his backroom staff, the supporters, the players," Lawwell said.

"It's a fantastic achievement and that's what we set out to do at the beginning of the year - we set out to win the league and, in his first year, he's done it. So I'm delighted for everybody. It's four-in-a-row and hopefully we can add to that in the coming seasons."

And Lawwell was keen to mention the contribution he believes the Hoops support have played.

"Times are not easy and they've stuck by us," he said. "At the moment we've still got the third-highest season book numbers in the UK, after Manchester United and Arsenal, and what a fantastic achievement that is.

"So the supporters over the past number of years have been magnificent, particularly over the past two or three years. They've stuck by us.

"We have had transition, we have had change and I'd like to thank every one of them. They've been absolutely magnificent."