Back in the groove: Scott Brown claimed his first goal for Celtic since December in the League Cup against Livingston on Tuesday

For Scott Brown, 2008 has been a trial. The death of a sister at the age of 21 from cancer would be a heart-rending event for any man.

When the individual in question is simultaneously trying to face down a barrage of expectations in one of the world's most intense football environments, then broad shoulders are required.

There will always be those who believe a £25,000-a-week pay packet to be some kind of bandage for whatever ills life brings.

While wrestling with family tragedy, however, the finances of Brown’s move from Hibernian have been used as a stick with which to beat the midfielder.

Money, in vast quantities, can occasionally be a curse. A £4.5million transfer fee, allied to the kind of wages Celtic pay only when they regard a footballer to be of the ‘special’ variety, placed a mountainous level of expectation on the 23-year old’s shoulders.

And, if truth be told, many of Brown’s 52 starts for Celtic have been nondescript - a mystifying contrast to the swashbuckling, dynamic energy which made him Scottish football’s next big thing at Easter Road.

We should be careful, then, before describing his fourth goal for the club against Livingston on Tuesday as a new dawn. We have been here before.

And yet, in recent games, Brown has shown occasional signs of bursting from his shell to make the forward runs for which he was once renowned.

Latching on to an inspired blindside pass behind the Livingston defence from Georgios Samaras, the Fifer simply lifted the ball into the net over the goalkeeper in a Co-operative Insurance Cup rout.

‘A goal from me is like a miracle,’ said Brown. ‘I’ve been told it’s my first since December and I’m delighted to get it. ‘I’d love to add more goals to my game and be a 40-goals-a-season man.

‘I haven’t had the best of times since December and haven’t played to the level people have expected.

‘Hopefully, from now on, there will be more goals to come. We’re scoring and creating a lot of chances, so it’s always good to play in a side like that.’

It was suggested indelicately to Brown by a reporter that perhaps his shooting ability may have been a focus in recent weeks.

Taking the implication in good heart, the midfielder responded: ‘It’s not a simple case of shooting practice to increase my goal tally. It’s probably more a case of being in the right place at the right time.

‘My shooting could be a lot better but it’s not the only thing. I scored nine in my last season at Hibs, which was my best tally. I got three last season, which isn’t the best, but I’ll get there.’

Scott Brown celebrates with Georgias Samaras on Tuesday night

The truth is that Brown has never been a prolific goalscorer. At Hibs, he scored one in every seven games. At Celtic, the tally has been even less.

Yellow cards have been easier to come by, a string of suspensions limiting his chance to make a major impression at Parkhead further still.

Against Aalborg in the Champions League, however, only a contentious offside flag denied Brown the final flourish and the chance to get Celtic’s campaign off to a brighter start.

Before that, his performance against Motherwell had some wondering if the strains of recent months were lifting from his frame.

Yet to those who believed Brown would be a star at Celtic, there are still too many
sideways passes, not enough goals and a lack of consistent end product.

‘I’m happy with my form but I can always do better, ’ he said. ‘The expectation is something created in the Press, based on my reputation, and I don’t really understand that.

‘Ultimately, it’s down to 11 people on the field. If we win as a team, I’m delighted. If I score, I’m even happier.’

Conforming to the needs of the team and a new manager has been a learning curve for Brown, who operated in a different system at Hibs.

Gordon Strachan has spoken of his pleasure at the return from his strikers yet central midfield has never been a reliable source of goals.

Massimo Donati’s return to the starting line-up against Livingston is likely to prove a
fleeting moment, leaving Brown to battle it out with Barry Robson, Paul Hartley and Marc Crosas for places in a five-man midfield against Villarreal in Europe next week.

At Hibs, Brown operated in a three-man central midfield, with Kevin Thomson as his
‘enforcer’.

In the Champions League away from home, as a support act for the main striker,
a chance exists for this marquee signing to show why Celtic paid so much for him.

‘Last year, we played a 4-5-1 in Europe and I bombed on,’ he said. ‘This year, I’ve sat back at times and pushed on at others.

‘If you want to be a good player, you have to adapt. The gaffer has told me to relax and take an extra touch.

‘Competition is good for the squad and, if you’re not doing well, the gaffer can put a fresh player in.

‘If you want to be a good player, you have to learn different formations.’

In Samaras, the Celtic midfield has a mobile and intelligent striker to feed from.

The Greek took his tally for the season to nine against Livingston and now looks to have shattered last season’s partnership between Jan Vennegoor and Scott McDonald.

‘When Georgios is on one of his runs down the wing, there’s no stopping him,’ said Brown. ‘When he’s scoring the amount of goals he is right now, it’s great for the club.

‘He’s exactly the same in training - he scores for fun.’