THERE is more chance of Coca Cola releasing their secret recipe than of any Celtic player revealing what Scott Brown says to his men in the huddle.

But you don’t need to be in that inner circle to guess with some accuracy what comes out of the captain’s mouth in particular when it comes to addressing the troops minutes before they face Rangers, as he will do this afternoon

Whenever a television camera can find a gap in the huddle to Brown’s face, it’s obvious that every one standing there with arms wrapped around one another are being reminded of their respective jobs, what the game means and what their leader expects of them.

Read more: Craig Gordon: If Celtic play as we can then we will beat Rangers

This, of course, is done before every game; however, when it comes to this fixture, which remains THE game to play in, the huddle stays together just that bit longer, Brown becomes more animated and his words take on a new meaning.

And whatever is said, at least since Brendan Rodgers has been in town, it’s worked and then some.

“Scott’s always good, he’s always got a good thing to say, whatever game it is,” explained Craig Gordon. “He’s always there to make sure everybody’s ready to go, even at that last moment before kick-off. He can be quite animated, especially in these games against Rangers.

“Some of his performances in these matches have been outstanding. When he gets it right, he can absolutely run games. If he’s in the mood, and you see your captain like that, then it certainly is something that can inspire the rest of the boys.

“Scott can take a bit longer with his talk, depending on what he has to say. But it’s always good, making sure that everyone’s absolutely ready to go.

“I’m not going to tell you exactly what he says but it’s not the same all the time. It’s something that he feels passionate about and he delivers it passionately. It gets everybody going and ready for the game.”

It would be quite wrong to suggest Brown’s speech is about going at the other lot all hammer and tongs.

Read more: Matthew Lindsay: Graeme Murty will deserve a gong in the New Year's honours list if this Rangers side beats Celtic​

Celtic’s players don’t need to be pumped up as over 50,000 roar their heads off ahead of a fixture which still means the world at the time. Rather, Brown chooses some words of calm, a reminder that there is little point flying into unwinnable tackles for no reason.

And these days, regarding the captain, it’s a case of do what I say and also what I do.

“Scott has a controlled aggression,” said Gordon who quite fittingly will play his 67th game of 2017 this afternoon.

“Very, very rarely does he get it wrong. He’s strong in the tackle, but he doesn’t go over the top. He’s just a good leader on the pitch and that brings everybody with him, not only on the pitch but also all around the training ground, in the huddle...everything.

“If you’re ever looking towards anybody at the club then he’s the go-to guy for anything you want. When we’re on the pitch, when we need it, he’s the guy who will step up.

“I think his performances for the past few years have been outstanding. In these games he has been excellent and to play the amount of games he’s had in his thirties is exceptional.

Read more: Wes Foderingham believes attack could be the best form of defence against Celtic​

“I don’t how many he has this year, it won’t be far behind me, and this will be my 67th game of the calendar year which is crazy. He won’t be far behind. To play that amount of football, and in the role he plays as well, it’s a testament to how fit he is and how he’s got himself back into great shape to be able to cope with all that.”

Brendan Rodgers has yet to taste defeat against Rangers and only once has he not won. The Rangers interim manager, Graeme Murty, that day is now the Rangers manager. At least until the end of this season.

The two met on the school run not so long ago and actually go back a long time when they were both at Reading. There is a mutual respect.

“It was nice to see him,” said Rodgers. “It was a wee while back when he was still in that interim role.

“I go back to the times when myself and a few of the staff here worked with him at Reading when he was a player there and I was the youth coach. I didn’t have too many dealings with him but he was always a good fella

“It is a great chance for him, a great opportunity.”

Back to the business in hand and while Rodgers clearly likes Murty, he’s in no mood to make his opposite number’s life any easier.

“These games never lose their allure,” said Rodgers. “This is now the end of a busy schedule but it’s a really special match. We have a good record in the fixture and the idea is to maintain that. We want to win every game but these are special occasions for both sets of supporters.

“Our aim is to give our fans something to be happy about and something to sing about.”