Source: Team_Talk
Mowbray ponders personnel options
Celtic conclude their failed campaign with their final Group C game in Austria before returning to face Hearts in the SPL at Tynecastle on Sunday.[LNB]The Parkhead men travel with confidence after Saturday's 3-2 victory at Motherwell registered their fourth win in a row for the first time this season, which kept them two points clear of Old Firm rivals Rangers at the top of the SPL table.[LNB]Significantly, perhaps, for the first time since he took over in the summer, Mowbray stayed with the same starting XI for the second league game in succession.[LNB]However, arguably the biggest boost the former West Brom manager received was the sight of £3.8million summer signing Marc-Antoine Fortune coming off the bench to score a second-half winner - his first goal since a double against St Johnstone in August preceded a two-month spell out with a knee injury.[LNB]The Celtic boss will spend the next few days considering whether to keep with a winning team against Rapid - or go back to tinkering with his line-up.[LNB]"I will sleep on it," Mowbray said.[LNB]"It's whether we keep the same sort of team going, keep the belief and confidence of the side and hopefully continue to win or whether we totally focus on next Sunday at Tynecastle.[LNB]"It's not the time to let you know my thoughts but as I say next Sunday is my main focus, not Thursday.[LNB]"At the moment we are doing well so Marco has to bide his time.[LNB]"But it's good that we have a striker like him who can hurt the opposition, sitting on the bench.[LNB]"It concentrates the mind of the two strikers who are playing."[LNB]In an absorbing encounter played in freezing fog, Georgios Samaras' 14th-minute opener was cancelled out before the interval by goals by Lukas Jutkiewicz and Well skipper Mark Reynolds.[LNB]Aiden McGeady levelled in the 51st minute with a wonderful strike before Celtic midfielder Barry Robson had his weak penalty saved by Motherwell's impressive on-loan keeper John Ruddy.[LNB]Mowbray might have been angrier at yet another missed spot-kick had the former Nancy striker not come to the rescue with an unstoppable drive from the edge of the box moments after replacing Danny Fox.[LNB]As it was, the Hoops boss said: "That's three or four we have missed and now it is an issue in my mind.[LNB]"We need to nominate a penalty taker now and I want to see him practising in training every day so there is a confidence about it."[LNB]Ruddy, who is keen to extend his loan move from Everton until the end of the season, was impressed by Celtic's title credentials, especially in the second half which they dominated.[LNB]"If they play like they played in the second half then I think they will stretch ahead," he said.[LNB]"They are a difficult team to break down, they are very good at the back and going forward they are frightening.[LNB]"To bring a £4million player off the bench is not a bad thing to have so I think they will do very well.[LNB]"But we will move on from this and look to next week."[LNB][LNB][LNB]
