Remember Scott Brown the all-action goal-scoring Celtic midfielder? Guess what, he's back

This was a footballer who always seemed to be struggling with fitness, form and where he was being asked to play at Celtic, and Scotland for that matter. It wasn’t a case of him being completely written off, but the pens, if not the knives, were out for him.

And in all honesty it was the Celtic supporters who tended to be a lot harsher on the man wearing the captain’s armband than any journalist. In their eyes, and later in Brown’s own words, he was for too long at 70 per cent at best and couldn’t last much longer than an hour of a game.

Read more: Celtic skipper Scott Brown blasts Ronny Deila and credits Brendan Rodgers for team turnaround

It didn’t help that Ronnie Deila wasn’t any sort of a manager for such a strong character. The Norwegian indulged him, allowed him to play when rest was the obvious priority and playing on was the worst thing for a body that had been put through a lot.

Is it any wonder that so many of us felt that Brown’s time at Celtic skipped autumn and had entered its winter years?

Read more: Celtic skipper Scott Brown blasts Ronny Deila and credits Brendan Rodgers for team turnaround

Even in Slovenia during the club’s two-week training camp, he was heard to remark, while carrying balls out of training, that such menial chores were all he was good for these days.

Maybe it was a daft throwaway remark. Maybe he meant it. Such gloomy thoughts have been utterly banished this season.

Brown has been magnificent, arguably playing the best football of his career, and his past two performances sums up the change in the man.

Getting yourself up for playing Manchester City in the Champions League at a packed Parkhead is easy, and Brown was outstanding in that match. However, it’s not so easy to reach the same level three days later at Dens Park in front for a crowd which didn’t break the 9000 mark.

If anything, Brown was even better against Dundee.

He has developed this move of changing direction in a blink of an eye which buys him space to begin attacks from the centre of midfield, dare I say reminiscent of Paul McStay, which is some compliment.

He got the goal against Dundee because what we were now seeing is the Scott Brown of many seasons ago in that he kept getting onto the box. Remember that guy?

There were no lost tackles, rare misplaced passes and from first to last minute the No8 was the best player on the park by a distance.

Brendan Rodgers has done a lot in just a few months and his influence on the captain is perhaps his greatest feat so far.

Read more: Celtic skipper Scott Brown blasts Ronny Deila and credits Brendan Rodgers for team turnaround

This Celtic team revolves around Brown. If he was the player of last season then, simply, it wouldn’t work.

“In terms of his energy levels, you can see him breaking into the box now – you saw that against Manchester City in midweek, too. It looks like he’s being encouraged to be more of an attacking threat,” said Paul Hartley, the Dundee manager, who was a team-mate of Brown’s for two seasons.

“I think he always had that drive and determination but I think he’s getting better with age. The new manager coming in certainly appears to have given him a new lease of life. Possibly retiring from the international scene has helped, with the schedule being a bit easier for him.

“He will probably feel better. He’s had a tough European game, a domestic game – and now he can probably have a rest for a week, instead of playing another two international games.

“It has probably prolonged his career a bit – and he looks like the Scott Brown of old.”

Hartley believes that Rodgers coming in has been the biggest difference in his pal.

“I think you need a manager who not only believes in you, but can see something a bit different in you,” said Hartley. “Brendan has obviously done that with Scott. You can see his drive and determination.

“After the tough game in midweek, could he have played a big game again two or three days later last season? Maybe not - because he was playing through the pain a lot last year. He looks reborn again.

"Scott is a terrific boy and a fantastic leader. I spoke to him after the game and told him he’s playing as well as ever. He got the goal against us, which we were disappointed to lose – but it shows you how he’s playing.”

Brown now sits deep, breaks up-field when he wants and it is a role he could do for years to come. Certainly, the way this Celtic side play is a huge advantage. Even with their legs collectively tired after their excursions against City, they controlled this win at Dens Park, a forgettable game but it’s these wins as much as the ones by five or six goals that are going to win the league.

Celtic are going to win the league and by some distance. The new signings have more or less worked, players such as James Forrest have been given a new lease of life along with Brown and it will be interesting to see how Jozo Simunovic does from now on because the defender is a player and he not leaving in August could well turn out to be a great thing.

Saturday wasn't a great day for football; however, it was another winning one for Celtic and there is still so much to come from them.