Mowbray's men must win with style

31 July 2009 09:56
Celtic's new manager Mowbray took over from the phlegmatic Gordon Strachan who departed after three successful years and a fractious fourth which saw him lose the championship to the Light Blues. Despite winning three SPL titles in succession, three domestic cups and leading the club to the last 16 of the Champions League two years running, Strachan was constantly harangued by a section of the support for not playing the 'Celtic way'. Failure to win his fourth SPL title was the tipping point for the former Southampton and Coventry boss and now the fans are looking for something easier on the eye under Mowbray, a former Celtic defender. He has brought with him to Glasgow his trusty sidekick Mark Venus and former Hoops team-mate Peter Grant, whose presence in the dug-out will appeal to the traditionalists among the Parkhead faithful. Mowbray would snatch at that same level of success as Strachan, no doubt, but he will have to start this campaign with a squad missing three first-team regulars from last season. Midfielders Shunsuke Nakamura and Paul Hartley and striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink have all left for pastures new. The signing of striker Marc-Antoine Fortune and the loan signing of midfielder Landry N'Guemo, both from Nancy, will go some way to plugging the gaps. However, to complicate matters further, skipper Stephen McManus will miss the start of the season as he recovers from a knee injury and midfielder Scott Brown is a doubt with an ankle problem. Fortune, who had a loan spell at West Brom under Mowbray, will probably be asked to partner the reliable Scott McDonald in attack. However, former Easter Road hitman Chris Killen, who notched a double in a 3-0 win over Brisbane Roar in their friendly in Australia, posted notice to Mowbray that he is looking to resurrect his career at Parkhead after a loan spell at Norwich. The Celtic fans have been crying out for a left-back to replace Lee Naylor but it does not look like the former Wolves defender is going anywhere soon. Before Mowbray's arrival the Parkhead club had lined up Dundee United goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska on a pre-contract agreement. However, if the erratic Artur Boruc settles into top form, his fellow Pole will have to be happy to with a role as able deputy. On the fringes of the squad, players like Koki Mizuno, Paddy McCourt, Darren O'Dea and Cillian Sheridan, back from a loan spell at Motherwell, have to look to make an impact. Youngsters such as Simon Ferry, Niall McGinn and Paul Caddis have been promised a chance by Mowbray although they may not get many. Celtic supporters will also look for more from players like Shaun Maloney and Georgios Samaras. Regardless of the permutations used to fulfil promises of flair and excitement, it is results that count at the Old Firm. The 16th man to manage Celtic in the club's 121-year history will find out soon enough that regardless of style, winning is all. Time will tell if the pressure to take Celtic on to a higher footballing plane will be a burden to the big Teessider. But perhaps not a lot of time.

Source: Team_Talk