SCOTT BROWN believes he will find enough of a challenge driving Celtic back to the levels he enjoyed for the majority of his first seven years at the club without having to go in search of something fresh elsewhere.

Which is why, when it is put to the man who has just signed on at Parkhead for another four years, that Paul McStay was considered not to have fulfilled his potential because he did not test himself down south or abroad, the 29-year-old swats away any inferred criticism in the way he holds off an opponent on the field.

"Paul's situation was his own situation," the Hoops captain said before adding the caveat, "But I'm in the exact same boat as he was.

"I enjoy it here and Paul enjoyed it here. If you ask Paul, he wouldn't change his decision for the world because he was loved here - and he always will be."

Brown added: "It's a great challenge to stay here. You have ups and downs but you've got to fight in your career.

"You can't leave when something's not going your way. You need to focus, work on getting better and win trophies.

"That's what I want to do. I want to give a lot back to the Celtic supporters.

"They have been great over the last few years when there has been no Rangers, no competitive league.

"They have turned up in their numbers and 50,000 have backed us week in, week out.

"We want to collect trophies to give them something back."

For Brown, the best years of his career have been spent since he moved along the M8 from Hibernian for £4.4million in 2007.

And he hopes there are even more high points to come at the club where he has already won four league titles, three cup medals and jousted with giants in the knock-out stages of the Champions League.

More than that, however, it is the support the club gave him in moments of personal need - his sister lost her battle against cancer and there were other family health issues he'd prefer to keep undisclosed - which helped to convince him that accepting their offer of a deal which will keep him in Glasgow until 2018 was the right thing to do.

There have been overtures from other quarters where the financial rewards would have been greater. As captain of his club and country, and with his contract due to run out next June, that was only natural.

But what price happiness? In Brown's case, it's impossible to quantify.

NOW he is settling down to see out the rest of his playing career at Celtic, where a move into the coaching side is already being plotted as he cuts his teeth helping Stevie Frail and John Kennedy with the Development Squad.

Asked how he'd deal with a young Scott Brown, should he ever find himself in charge of such a beast, the grin widens as he splutters out: "We'll work on that one later. He wouldn't have a red Mohawk, anyway."

That embarrassed recollection of his own wild hairstyles as a kid was a reminder of how far Brown has travelled both as a player and as a man.

He admits he used to laugh when his 35-year-old Hibs team-mate Gary Smith spoke about taking his badges and moving into coaching.

For the young Brown, the game was just about playing and enjoying yourself.

But now he wants to become Celtic's answer to Steven Gerrard - an important player who had the option to move on from his club but knew that he had found his niche and stayed in it.

"Liverpool has fitted him for all of his career," Brown said of the Anfield legend. "He is happy there. He enjoys his football. I'm the same. I enjoy it here and don't see the point of moving to somewhere where I might not be happy.

"They have big squads down in England and they chop and change their teams. You could be unbelievable one minute then dropped the next. That' not somewhere I'd like to be at 29 years old."

Where Brown wants to be is precisely where he is

"It's good here," he explained as he prepared to fill the role of spectator today as he serves his one-game suspension in the home clash with Dundee.

"Celtic is a family club and I wanted to repay them - even though they might not be saying that in four years! But it is good to give a bit back. The way the fans are is great and my relationship with the manager and Peter Lawwell is also great."

BROWN continued: "I enjoy the Champions League, I enjoy the Europa League and I enjoy winning trophies. To go down to England and not win anything and be involved in a relegation battle is not something I want to do."

Not even the fact he locked horns with some of the cream of Barclays Premier League in this week's Scotland v England clash could turn his head.

He replied: "We play against the very best players and teams in the Champions League and you get that atmosphere here that exists nowhere else.

"Don't get me wrong, I would love to be playing against the best week in, week out.

"But I love winning trophies and playing in the Champions League as well. I will continue working on my game and improving.

"There is a lot more to come from me. There's a lot I want to give to this club."

So there will be no winding down for the man knocking on the door of 300 appearances and his third decade on the planet.

Brown added: "I could have gone down south and signed a two-year deal and become the forgotten man.

"But I want to finish my SFA B licence in coaching and get my A licence before I retire.

"I just enjoy coming in here, knowing that I'm lucky to be playing football.

"I can't see why anyone would ever walk away from this."