MOGGA ARRIVAL EXCITES CELTIC by Craig Anderson

TONY MOWBRAY has finally returned to Celtic and the fans are positively salivating at the thought of their one-time hardman defender bringing his attacking brand of football to Parkhead.

The Englishmen has returned to Scotland after nearly three years at West Bromwich Albion, where he lost a play-off final, but won the Championship and entry into the Premiership, where despite the acclaim he received for his positive style of play, it wasn’t enough to stop the Baggies from plunging back into the second tier.

But Mowbray’s brand should be popular with the Celtic fans, but in fairness, any brand of football from any manager will always be more popular than predecessor Gordon Strachan’s style.

While the fiery Scot went for a more conservative and cautious style, he was also accused of not being “Celtic-minded”, an opinion that followed him around for his entire four-year stay since he replaced Martin O’Neill.

I’ve asked around for what that means and it seems to be defined as someone that knows the club and knows what Celtic fans want and if that’s the case, then Strachan is certainly guilty as charged, but you certainly can’t say that about the Middlesbrough-born man, who spent four years in Celtic’s famous hoops between 1991 and 1995.

He’s already got a talented squad at his disposal, with the likes of Aiden McGeady, Scott McDonald and Scott Brown in his ranks, but it’s looking like Shunsuke Nakamura is ready to move on and there have been question marks over Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink’s future.

But papers have already started speculating on who “Mogga” will bring to Celtic Park and West Brom players Paul Robinson, Borja Valero and Marc-Antoine Fortune have been linked with moves to Scotland.

Mowbray also brings with him his coaching team of assistant Mark Venus, who was recently linked with the vacant Hibs job until John Hughes was appointed and Peter Grant, Celtic’s former midfielder with 13 years’ service as a player and has coached at various English clubs, including Norwich, whom he managed for a year.

Neil Lennon will already be on the staff as well, so there will be some continuity at least among the backroom team, which will be a massive boost to Mowbray as he settles back into life at Celtic Park.

What Celtic have in their new gaffer is a manager who is experienced now after his two and a half years at Hibs as well as his three years on The Hawthorns so his knowledge of the SPL already gives him grounding.

Plus he’ll know the Scottish market and since he left Easter Road for the West Midlands, he’s taken former Livingston prospect Graham Dorrans down there and made him a Premiership regular, not to mention some of his former Hibs stars.

For the fans though, many will argue that “Mogga” was their number one choice and even though Burnley boss Owen Coyle and new Wigan manager Roberto Martinez, who did such a fabulous job at Swansea, were hotly tipped for the Parkhead, the appointment of their man may appease them.

However, as someone not “Celtic-minded”, I’m still having a hard time pondering the wisdom over the £2 million West Brom wanted for Celtic just to speak to Mowbray, plus the extra cost in hiring Venus and Grant.

The Baggies made it clear they were reluctant to see their manager walk out the door and demanded what they thought was a decent price, but I can’t help thinking Celtic have been the victims of a chancer in West Brom chairman Jeremy Peace and that money will have to come out of somewhere.  The transfer budget perhaps?

But I suppose if it yields success then that will be a minor issue, maybe even a forgotten one if Mowbray brings the SPL title back in his first season and/or not only reach the Champions League group stages, but progress even from there.

Whatever happens in the coming months, Celtic fans will be excited about their manager and will be looking forward to seeing their team, possibly for the first time since Martin O’Neill’s successful time at the club.

And as appointment’s go, Mowbray’s return to Celtic Park could very well be the shrewdest piece of business since Henrik Larsson signed for the club for £650,000 in 1997 and we all know how that panned out.

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