THE man who helped Scott Brown win a dream transfer to Celtic today predicted he is finally ready to become a key member of Gordon Strachan's side.

Tommy Craig had a wee chuckle to himself when he learned the midfielder had become embroiled in a heated altercation at the end of a pre-season friendly win over Porto on Sunday.

For that was exactly the type of the player the former Hoops assistant boss had known and loved during his time in the dug out at Hibs - explosive, skillful, direct and hard-working.

And Tommy, who was No.2 to Celtic legend John Collins during his time at Easter Road, is hopeful the 23-year-old is on the verge of recapturing his very best form at long last.

Craig said: "There are two factors which affected Scott's first season at Celtic. The first one is obviously the tragic loss of his sister.

"Nobody outwith Celtic will have known very much about that. Scott would have gone about his business as normal without advertising what was going on in the background in his life.

"To lose his sister at such a young age, in the throes of a massive, high-profile move to Celtic while he was still learning his trade, was very difficult for him.

"So it is no surprise that he has had his ups and downs. I thought at first he played some very good games and showed exactly what he is all about.

"He is strong, powerful and has good feet. On top of that, he is a glutton for work.

"But what a lot of people tend to forget is that he is still just a puppy. When it comes to playing in games he was on a steep, steep learning curve. Sometimes he failed to produce the goods.

"But Gordon Strachan was well aware of that when he signed him. I know he has got very high hopes for him in the future.

"Personally, I feel he adds a much-needed forward thrust in the middle of the park for Celtic.

"Scott is a great kid to work with on the training ground. But he is at his best when he isn't thinking. He is a doer not a thinker. But he has an abundance of great qualities when he is playing well.

"He just needs to perform on a more consistent basis at Celtic and I am confident that he will be able to do that in the months ahead on recent evidence."

Brown helped the Hibs side coached by both Collins and Craig end a 16-year trophy drought when they thrashed Kilmarnock by 5-1 in the CIS Insurance Cup Final last year.

His display in that match at Hampden, along with many others, convinced Strachan to shell out no less than £4.4 million to secure his services ahead of Old Firm rivals Rangers.

It was the largest sum of money ever paid between two Scottish clubs for a player.

Tommy, who moved from Aberdeen to Sheffield Wednesday for a club record £100,000 transfer fee in 1969, feels Scott has also found his massive price tag difficult to live with.

He explained: "The fact Celtic paid such a lot of money for him doesn't make him an established player overnight. He is still finding out about his trade.

"I know exactly what he is feeling. When I moved to Sheffield when I was 19 I didn't really produce anything like the form I was capable of for the first 18 months. People expected great things from me because of the amount of money I cost.

"So I would stress to people that the fee which was paid for Scott had nothing whatsoever to do with him. It was down to the two clubs involved. At the end of the day, he was still just a baby."

Tommy, who worked alongside Billy McNeill as Celtic won the League Championship and Scottish Cup double in their centenary year in 1988, feels being part of an established midfield will help Scott settle at Parkhead. Brown struggled to shine at times during an often difficult 2007/08 campaign when he was playing alongside the likes of Italian new boy Massimo Donati and Dutch teenager Evander Sno.

But Craig declared: "Now that Paul Hartley and Barry Robson, two very good, experienced players, are both automatic choices in the midfield I would expect Scott to settle far more and the team to gel better.

"Moving from a club like Hibs to Celtic is a big step up. It takes a lot of handling, a good bit of getting used to for a young lad like Scott.

"As well as encouragement from your own supporters, you get a lot of stick from rival fans when you are out and about in Glasgow.

"It happens on a daily basis. It can be a shock to the system.

"But as well as being a very good player, Scott is a very strong-willed, single-minded individual.

"It is only a matter of time before he starts to do the business week in, week out, for Celtic."