John Brown: Celtic's appointment of Brendan Rodgers shows they fear Rangers

Brown, who played for the Gers from 1988-1997, thinks the appointment of the former Liverpool boss is a signal that the Parkhead club are taking the threat of their neighbours seriously.

The Ibrox outfit knocked Celtic out of the Scottish Cup at the semi-final stage and also earned promotion back to the top-flight in 2015/16.

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Brown believes that the good work done by Rangers manager Mark Warburton and his players has pushed the Bhoys into spending big on the Northern Irish tactician.

"I don't think it's just me that is excited about next season, it's the whole Rangers support," he said.

"The new manager came in and did well last year and he's has already started adding to the squad for next season.

"I think you can see by what Celtic are doing across the city, bringing in Brendan Rodgers, they must be really worried by having Rangers back in the Premiership.

"Celtic have downsized the last couple of seasons. They cashed in on their big players because Rangers weren't in the top flight.

"There was only ever going to be one winner of the league when Rangers were in the lower divisions and that was Celtic. Forget Aberdeen. Derek McInnes has done a great job but he's not got the budget to really take it forward.

"I think that Celtic have brought in Brendan Rodgers because they see a real threat in Rangers.

"Celtic fans are looking to make it 10 in a row, which I don't think they will achieve. Rangers have been out of the league for a while and it's been pretty easy for Celtic. Now they have brought in Rodgers to keep the momentum going.

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"I think he's a very good manager. He will improve Celtic, so Rangers will have a big fight on their hands next season."

Brown has also been encouraged by the signing of Joey Barton and believes he will add much-needed aggression to the Rangers squad.

"I think he will give us a bit of steel that we perhaps lacked last year," he said.

"If you speak to the fans, they'll say we haven't got any hard players who put in tackles.

"Joey has got great experience but he's not a thug. He must be a good footballer or else he'd never had done what he has so far in his career.

"He will bring stability to the dressing room and the right experience.

"Rangers fans are buying tens of thousands of season tickets to see the team winning games and hopefully the title. We'll need guys like Joey Barton to calm it at the right time and keep everyone's feet on the ground."