Source: Team_Talk
Mowbray not a fan of summer football
Mowbray lost his first competitive game as Celtic manager to Dinamo Moscow in the first leg of their Champions League third-round qualifier at Parkhead on Wednesday, and there was worse to come for Scotland's Euro hopefuls.
Aberdeen suffered a 5-1 Europa League qualifying drubbing at home by Sigma Olomouc in the first leg of their third qualifier on Thursday night as Motherwell crashed 3-0 to Steaua Bucharest in Romania in the same competition.
In the previous round, Falkirk's first foray into European competition ended at their first qualifying hurdle with an embarrassing extra-time defeat by Vaduz in Liechtenstein.
Smith is a long-time advocate of changing the football calendar in Scotland as the possibility of a decreasing co-efficient threatens to make Scottish clubs' struggle in Europe an annual event.
However, Mowbray, who revealed fit-again midfielder Scott Brown will feature in Saturday's home friendly against Sunderland with a view to being ready for the return game in Moscow next Wednesday, believes the issue is resources rather than restructuring.
"Summer football is not for me," said Mowbray. "I'm more of a traditionalist.
"I prefer playing games under floodlights with an atmosphere in the stadium.
"We've been doing it for 120 odd years so I don't see any reason to change.
"I don't think it was a fitness issue the other night, we just played against a very good team.
"Three days earlier we had beaten Tottenham Hotspur, who have aspirations of breaking into the top six in England, with what was basically a reserve side, and we beat the African champions (Al Ahly) 5-0.
"Fundamentally Scottish football is lacking the funds of some of the teams in European football.
"Football is usually about resources.
"We played a Russian team which is awash with money from a league that is awash with money, as are some of the other leagues around Europe, like in England.
"Unfortunately the Scottish game at this moment doesn't attract the sponsorship or the money to bring better quality footballers to help the teams compete better.
"There are not huge revenue streams in the SPL (Scottish Premier League) and people are competing to the best of their ability and to their levels.
"What's the answer? To get better at the things that can make the marginal differences, as we try to do at our club, like recruitment, coaching and sport sciences.
"But good footballers win football matches, that's the brutality of the game."
Despite pointing out the disparity in resources between Celtic and Dinamo Moscow, Mowbray insists his side will be on the front foot next week in Russia.
"There is nothing for us to fear," he said.
"If we had a modicum of good fortune on Wednesday we could have
won comfortably.
"We had 44 crosses into their box, they had six, we had 65% of possession but unfortunately the stats don't add up to a goal.
"What they do tell us is that it was a game that we dominated and controlled for long spells.
"So I don't see why we need a more cautious approach .
"The evidence is there; by the nature of counter-attacking teams, they almost let you have the ball.
"We will have plenty of the ball in Moscow, it's about what we do with it.
"We will play as we do and make it a more open game and hopefully we will have the quality to score goals."
Mowbray, who insisted Hibernian midfielder Guillaume Beuzelin was training with the Celtic players at Lennoxtown only as a favour to the player he had at Hibernian, is boosted by the return of Brown after his ankle surgery at the end of the season, although Barry Robson has suffered a setback after recovering from a groin complaint.
Mowbray said said: "Guillaume is using the facilities to train
with our young players. We won't be buying him.
"Brown is available for Saturday, Robson isn't.
"Barry has a tight thigh. He trained for two or three days and by his nature he is totally committed to everything he does and he has probably overdone it a wee bit.
"We are erring on the side of caution."
