Hoops skipper Scott Brown has insisted that Celtic are ready to prove they are the “best team by a country mile” over the remaining 14 league games of the season.

The Parkhead side have been pegged back in the league by Aberdeen who are level with Ronny Deila’s side on points, albeit that Celtic have a game in hand.

But Brown has called on his team-mates to show their character and remains insistent that a consistent run of form will see the Hoops stretch away from the Pittodrie side.

“I still believe we’re the best team in Scotland by a country mile so that’s why we just have to show it,” Brown told the Celtic View.

“That belief is just inside you. Some people have it and maybe other people don’t have it as much but it comes through maturity as well.

“Celtic is a big club and we just have to show that by results and the way we play that people need to be scared coming to Celtic Park. We have to kick on and make Aberdeen push us all the way because we know if we go on a run it will be hard for them to keep up with us.

“Don’t get me wrong, they’re a good team and have done well, but we will see when it comes to other games and how they perform. We’ll see what happens at the end of the season.

“We need to go and put it right. Now is the time we have to show our character.”

Brown has come back from a knee injury faster than anticipated but the past ten days have been difficult for him to take after Celtic exited the League Cup to Ross County and lost to Aberdeen three days later.

“I have not experienced it [losing two consecutive games] in a long, long time and hopefully I don’t experience it again because it’s not great,” he said.

“You come here to win games like semi-finals, rather than put ourselves under pressure, and although it’s making the league interesting for everybody else, at the end of the day we all know we’re going to be champions and we have to show how good we are.

“I’m used to that pressure now. I’ve worked under a few different managers here but everyone expects us to win and win trophies. That’s how I’ve managed to keep playing for so long because I keep getting that success. And as long as you keep getting that success and you out your heart into it, the fans are behind you.”

Meanwhile, Brown has also backed Colin Kazim-Richards to make an impact at Celtic.|

The forward signed at the end of the transfer window and netted his first goal for the club in the weekend win over East Kilbride as Celtic moved into the quarter-final of the Scottish Cup.

“He is a strong lad and he’s got a lot of talent,” said Brown. “He scored at the weekend and he’s definitely going to bring something to our dressing room. He’s got experience of Europe and high-pressure games. Some of the players we’ve brought in are quite young but he’s got that experience and it’s good to have.”