WeKnowSFA » Mowbray

Naivety was Mowbray’s Celtic downfall

WeKnowSFA — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 09:34:00 +0000

Mogga’s final comments were hard to accept

Quite often, the last comments made by a manager can say the most about their reign. Tony Mowbray’s comments in the wake of the 4-0 capitulation to St Mirren have painted him as a naive man.

Stating that the tactics he deployed were possibly not suitable for the SPL and that a negative outlook as favoured by Rangers, would have been better casts him in a poor light. Especially when his team never hit the heights that Rangers managed at times this season.

Mowbray is no stranger to Scottish football. He is no Paul Le Guen coming into a foreign culture and set-up. As a player, Mowbray played in a poor era for Celtic and managed Hibs for a moderately successful period. How can he claim to not know what is required for the SPL?

A massive reason for Mowbray’s failure is the way he allowed his midfield 2 to be swamped by the opposition. Other teams knew that they could nullify Celtic’s possession by outnumbering them in midfield and pressing hard. Even managers like Eddie May and Gus McPherson, who have looked tactical simpletons on other occasions, have worked this out.

At times, Tony Mowbray tried to alter this but in doing so, he alienated the striker and prevented Celtic from retaining the ball up front.

It is ironic that Mowbray’s other weakness was his defence. It was initially the same defence that Gordon Strachan deployed but he knew to play a defensive midfielder to protect them. A Paul Hartley or Neil Lennon defensive prowler does have a place in Tony Mowbray’s vision of how to play football.

Ultimately, it has helped to cost him his job.

There are many other topics to explore under the Tony Mowbray “where did it all go wrong?” debate.

Double substitutions disrupting the teams flow
Frequent team rotation
Publicly criticising players

There is also the idea that he was unable to motivate players. We don’t to be offensive about players but they maybe find some instructions too difficult to carry out. They respond better to encouragement, team unity and believing in someone and it seemed that the Celtic squad were not fully behind Mowbray.

The cliché of “running through a brick wall” for a manager says it all about the mentality of footballers. Perhaps Tony Mowbray never engaged them in a way that they recognised. There must be so much more to come out about Mowbray’s time at Celtic that you winder if the full story will ever be heard?

Most people will wish Tony Mowbray all the best but his dismissal was the best for Celtic and probably even for himself.

What now for Tony Mowbray?

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Celtic sack would be a blessing for Mowbray

WeKnowSFA — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 23:50:42 +0000

It has to come now doesn’t it?

Sometimes when someone or something is in so much pain, the most humane thing is to stop the pain. We’re not trying to draw a comparison to Tony Mowbray’s tenure at Celtic and people suffering a serious illness, football’s football but it isn’t as important as life and death.

The thing is though; the most humane thing you could do to Tony Mowbray is to put him out of his current misery.

He looks the most miserable man on the planet (barring those in the stands wearing green and white) and is a man who appears to be out of his depth.

It’s not his fault for taking the job, he applied and was deemed the best out of the candidates who remained in the running. Yes he has had some bad luck, yes he has been on the end of some strange refereeing decisions but ultimately, Tony Mowbray isn’t up to the task of managing Celtic.

The constant changing of tactics and formations, baffling substitutions, unsettled line-ups, an attitude perceived to be weak and some of the most bizarre decision making you will ever see on a football field have all made the managers position virtually untenable.

In his post match press conference, Mowbray was making the same old noises about taking it on the chin and soldiering on so perhaps it is time for the decision to be taken out of Mowbray’s hands?

His pride or financial motives may mean he wont resign but there doesn’t appear to be the hope of any improvement for the hoops under him.

Of course, is it a case of better the devil you know?

The issue is not really about getting rid of Mowbray, it is about who could replace him and do a better job?

Many Celtic fans may say “anyone” but it is never as simple as that. You would think the club carried out a full search in the summer and if Mowbray was deemed to be the best candidate then, who is going to be better now?

Celtic fans
a) Should Mowbray be relieved of his duties?
b) If yes, who do you want to replace him?

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Celtic on another collision course with SFA

WeKnowSFA — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 07:45:36 +0000

Video Review Panel causing concern

Another week, another matter for Celtic and the SFA.

Even the most hardened of Hoops fans will be thinking “again?” but even if you do not agree with the way that the Glasgow club seem to be continually in the press making complaints, in this instance, it is hard to argue with their sentiments.

There are many problems with video review panel in Scotland. It takes far too long for it to swing into power, far too long to announce its decision and there appears to be no consistency or transparency as to how players are referred to the panel.

Celtic boss Tony Mowbray was talking about it this week because it is likely his Danish striker Morten Rasmussen will be up in front of the panel. Kilmarnock defender Frazer Wright (the man who slapped Shunsuke Nakamura around the head to no punishment) has implored the panel to throw the book at the Celtic man.

And they probably will…and they’d be right to do so.

Video footage shows the striker elbowing the Killie man and regardless of the abuse Ra Ra Rasmussen took up to that point, you cannot react like that on a football field.

However, there have been many players this season who have elbowed their opponents, caught on camera, yet have not been hauled up in front of the panel. There have been assaults on the park in a number of games and yes, these players have avoided any punishment.

Therefore, let’s get away from the clubs involved and turn focus on the SFA.

Let’s get some transparency in the process. If an incident needs to be referred or nominated, how does this happen? Can anyone do it? Does it come from the television companies? Do Gordon Smith and George Peat sit down and decide what players and clubs shall be punished and which will get away?

We all know what Scottish football is like and having decisions shrouded in mystery and suspicion is just going to set certain parties off. If the SFA have a desire to improve the game, they will come out and tell everyone the criteria for these decisions.

If the SFA have no desire to improve the Scottish game, expect nothing to change.

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Barry Robson misjudges the mood of the Celtic fans

WeKnowSFA — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:38:57 +0000

One foot Barry gets his dig in

We’ve already had ex-Celtic player Scott McDonald coming out and slating Tony Mowbray, now is the time for Barry Robson to put the boot in. The midfielder did add that element of “dig” to the Celtic side and it has to be said, he has started brilliantly at Middlesbrough, with some Boro fans referring to him as the Ginger Juninho.

Okay…..

Anyways, Robson had this to say about his current boss Gordon Strachan in relation to Tony Mobwray;

“I think, if we’re being honest, the Celtic fans will be missing him too now because what he achieved in his time at the club was brilliant.”

To be honest Barry, most of them probably aren’t because it was time for a change.

The embarrassing capitulation which handed the league title to Rangers last season was all the fault of Strachan and much of the shaky foundations of Celtic’s season can still be laid at their former bosses door.

Don’t get us wrong, Tony Mowbray has got a lot wrong and there are serious doubts over whether he will be in the job next season. There are Celtic fans who want Mowbray out but it is a very small amount that would want Strachan back.

Which is still not very encouraging for Mowbray, it has to be said.

However, the tabloids are looking for big headlines and a great way to strike at the heart of Celtic fans is to try and sell off one of their big players. It’s a common tactic used by Scottish journalists but it is always a shame to hear players give them the lines they crave;

“There’s a good chance that Aiden will leave in the summer as well because he [Mowbray] wants to try something different so it will be completely Tony’s team soon. And it was obvious to me that was the way he wanted it.”

If Celtic do sell Aiden McGeady it is likely to be to offset the loss of Champions League money or because the player wants a new challenge. There has certainly been nothing from Mowbray to indicate he would want Aiden out of the door.

What Mowbray did in January was clear the dead-wood out of the club.

You know, the players who are so embarrassingly one-footed that they will turn in circles before using their weaker leg. That’s the sort of player a manager can happily lose in January, not a wide player who has the most assists at the club.

Like McDonald, it is a shame Barry Robson feels the need to speak out like this. Most fans will remember Robson for his part in the title run-in which saw Celtic clinch their third title in a row but comments like this will stick in some fans throats.

With Stephen McManus on loan at Boro, he will be unlikely to speak out about Celtic but can we expect any of the other ex-hoops to talk about their ‘Mowbray hell’?

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Was Skippy the Celtic mole all along?

WeKnowSFA — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:54:27 +0000

It’s good to talk…

You would have thought that the deadline day move to Middlesbrough would have seen the end of Scott McDonald bumping his gums in the media about Celtic and what is going wrong at Celtic Park.

At the weekend he was pontificating about how the replacements for the band of brothers who fled to England during the window have been replaced by inferior players.

Yes, Scott, your replacement is clearly an inferior striker compared to you.

Strewth!

And now today, he is back in the Evening Times with another Ronnie Cully exclusive, Ronnie certainly has the ear of some players doesn’t he?

Don’t get us wrong, it’s not entirely McDonald’s fault, it is not as though he phoned up the Evening Times asking for his opinions to be published. He will have been asked to give his opinion and has probably gave it as honestly as he can.

“Even with me not at the club, Tony Mowbray likes to make changes at that period in games, for reasons unknown to players who will question, if you’re having not a bad game, why are you taking me off?

It was not something I was completely happy about, and I’d be honest about it and say. But, he’s the boss and, accordingly, he does what he sees as right. You’re not always going to agree with it, though.”

The substitutions made by Mowbray have been questioned by many fans this season, some have worked, like away to Dynamo Moscow or Saturday at Rugby Park, whereas others have disrupted the team.

McDonald suggests that the team was not consistent enough in the first half of the season and that the signing of Keane was too little, too late. Again, it is hard to argue with this but some of the responsibility must fall on McDonald’s shoulders.

Too often McDonald looked uninterested playing under Tony Mowbray. Fair enough, you may not like the boss but if you are being paid handsomely by the club and McDonald’s new contract ensured that he was being paid handsomely, to put in so many below par performances came close to cheating the fans.

McDonald’s first season at Celtic, his goals were a massive reason in the side winning the league.

McDonald’s last season ended in disappointment but his all-round play and work-rate kept the side in the hunt. The Australian striker never had a partner worthy of the name for the majority of 08/09 and in WeKnowSFA’s eyes was Celtic’s best player for the season.

This season though, it was almost embarrassing at times watching an overweight McDonald bawl and moan at team-mates who at least were trying to work hard on the pitch.

Scott McDonald may have only been sold on deadline day but he checked out of Celtic Park a good while before then.

Continuing to make these comments will diminish the goodwill he built up with Celtic fans in his first two seasons.

It’s a shame but that’s modern day football for you.

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Its always comings or goings when Killie and Celtic clash

WeKnowSFA — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:45:31 +0000

Must-win tie for the hoops

There was a fair bit of hype going into the last time these sides clashed and this Saturday could be a pivotal fixture in the Scottish football season.

The last game was all about the arrival of Keane but a shock home win was the headline post match. The same result this time could see the exit of Tony Mowbray who has found that life is not easy being green.

Barring a miracle of Biblical proportions, Celtic are not winning the league this season. The ease of Rangers title procession has heaped pressure on Tony Mowbray and he needs continued progress in the Scottish Cup.

No one can guarantee a trophy win so the final in May has to be the minimum target for Mowbray.

Killie boss Jimmy Calderwood knows what it takes to Celtic at this stage in the cup. A 1-1 draw at Pittodrie led many to think Celtic would stroll through in the replay but a Darren Mackie goal won the game 1-0 for the Dons.

Of course, Jimmy Calderwood’s face was bright orange with embarrassment after the 4-3 semi-final loss to Queen of the South.

Atoning for previous cup disasters will be at the forefront of Calderwood’s mind at the moment and he will be desperate to progress.

The strike dup which put Celtic to the sword in February, Kyle and McGuire will be absent through injury and being cup-tied respectively. Manuel Pascali will also miss out but Craig Bryson and Simon Ford can return.

Celtic can bring back captain Scott Brown, who is not suspended for the Cup whilst Marc Antoine Fortune, Glen Loovens and Jos Hooiveld all have a chance of being fit.

Calderwood is set to exit Rugby Park at the end of the season. A home win could see Tony Mowbray escorted from office a lot sooner than that.

Will Celtic atone for Robbie Keane’s debut?

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Celtic and Mowbray: What Now?

WeKnowSFA — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:54:23 +0000

Luck not with Mogga…but is that all?

As the old saying goes; “It’s better to be lucky than good” and Tony Mowbray is not a man who inspires luck. There is the idea that at times you can earn luck by working hard and being upbeat and generally pushing for it.

We don’t know what goes on behind closed doors and we don’t necessarily believe a man has to jump and bawl to show that he cares. However, it is fair to say there are doubts over the suitability of Tony Mowbray for the Celtic job.

Very few managers would be able to cope with the vast amount of honest mistakes that SFA officials have made against Celtic this season but it has to be balanced by poor decisions, players letting him down and again, just bad luck.

A few weeks ago at Kilmarnock, Mowbray’s ability to change the team was nullified by three injuries to his defensive line with Hinkel, Hooiveld and Naylor all needing replaced. With only three subs allowed, every change had to go on replacing his defence.

Yesterday, Mowbray’s first sub was used in replacing the impressive Thomas Rogne with Darren O’Dea with yet another injury hitting his backline.

The last sub was used to place Ki Sung Yueng on the field to cover the loss of Scott Brown. Morten Rasmussen was in the process of being readied to come on when his captain was sent off, again depriving Mowbray of bringing on a forward option.

The other sub was perhaps the baffling one for Mowbray.

Aiden McGeady was very poor, not for the first time at Ibrox, and was deserving of being subbed. Mowbray later said that the winger had been ill all week, which begs the question why was he selected?

With Robbie Keane coming through a late fitness test, starting with two of the four offensive players being less than fully fit is bordering on lunacy. Yet again Aiden McGeady let himself, his club and his management down at Ibrox and if he felt unable to perform at his best, he should have said so.

With regards to the sub, Samaras is clearly bereft of confidence at the moment. Being shifted out to wide position and knowing that his manager has now brought in his own men hasn’t helped the fragile forward.

In fairness, Samaras held the ball up well at times, although he had no real impact on the game.

With the league all but out of their grasp, Celtic have to go all out for the Scottish Cup and a return to Rugby Park on the 13th of March could be the final act for Mowbray. Or it could be where Celtic exact revenge and give themselves a platform to take the Scottish Cup.

Or you know, it could be a draw, that tends to be the three options available for a football match!

Even when you exclude the loan signings, there are a few good players at Celtic Park and funds can be obtained through selling one or two new players so it may well be that a new man could come in and inspire more from most of the current crop.

Expect the rumour mill of Mowbray’s planned resignation to become a twice weekly event as opposed to the Friday thing it appears at the moment.

Should Mowbray be given to next season?

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Celtic: Foolish to use the full-backs?

WeKnowSFA — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 22:32:51 +0000

Mowbray may be forced into drastic measures

Last weekend, we made a joke remark about Celtic playing a weakened team at times due to including Lee Naylor at left back. Yes, that is a bit harsh on a player who undoubtedly tries his best but just isn’t up to the standard of what Celtic need.

Mind you, he has never pulled a stupid handball like Edson Braafheid did at Pittodrie.

Anyways, Naylor at left back is a major concern for Celtic fans.

Can you imagine what it will be like if Lee Naylor plays at centre half?

This could be the scenario as Tony Mowbray outlined, when asked if his defensive options would be limited to young centre half’s Rogne and Thompson:

“It might not be”

“It might not be a centre-half. I might play Mark Wilson there, I might play Lee Naylor there, we will see.”

“You can play full-backs at centre-half no problem, it’s been done many times, as long as they have a defensive mind and understand the danger.”

Given that Celtic have struggled with centre half’s in the centre half position, playing full backs there may not be the answer that Celtic fans are wanting to hear. Especially when you remember the two easy goals that United scored against at Tannadice.

Even when you take away the title race (if it still exists), Celtic need to give their fans something to cheer them up and playing a centre half may not be the best way to do it.

Then again, it is not as if Tony Mowbray has too many other options. With Darren O’Dea’s stupidity in giving Ian Brines the opportunity to send him off at Aberdeen, the Celtic backline is really down to its bare bones and the choice is:

A positional player with little experience
Or
An experienced player but not in that position

Tony Mowbray has not had the luck with injuries and his defensive line-up may see him get even unluckier this weekend.

Can Celtic survive and take all three points on Saturday?

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Celtic’s defence is killing their title bid

WeKnowSFA — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 20:03:34 +0000

Just not good enough at the back

Why do Celtic keep losing Hoopy the huddle hound?

Because they can’t hold onto a lead.

Well Celtic fans, if you can’t lie, you’d cry. Sorry the joke wasn’t funny enough to make anyone chuckle but fans of all the other clubs in Scotland won’t need any assistance to find the funny things in life at the moment.

Yes, Tony Mowbray is experiencing terrible luck when it comes to having fit defenders.

Yes, some of the decisions made by his backline are beyond comprehension.

However, regardless of who features for Celtic, the defence looks in a very shaky state and if it was not for Artur Boruc, more than the 4 goals would have been shipped.

The Polish stopper has looked sluggish of late but he made a number of excellent saves when Aberdeen exerted pressure on the Glasgow team.

Darren O’Dea has a cult following amongst the Celtic fans but that is no indication of being a reliable defender.

It is more to do with being Irish, being involved in an altercation with a Rangers fan after a night out in Glasgow and much like Thomas Gravesen and Derek Riordan, not playing made fans remember him as a better player than he actually is.

O’Dea had to step up and be a leader for Celtic today but he was poor yet again and at the end, he let the club and the fans down by earning a red card, which will see him ruled out at a time when he should be pushing hard to be in the first team.

His first booking came in the aftermath of Aiden McGeady’s goal which meant that his second booking was a very stupid challenge to make. No doubt there would have been an element of frustration in the defenders challenge but that is not the way to help the team.

As for the full-backs, dear oh dear.

Paul Caddis is not a full back and has been badly exposed in all of his recent games in that position. It is a definite shame for the player who has waited patiently for a run of starts but it is increasingly clear that Caddis’ role is further up the right hand side of the park and not as a full back.

On the other side, Edson Braafheid showed that any defender with the Heid moniker is likely to do something bizarre and his handball was the turning point of the game. Yes, the Celtic defence was shaky but at 4-2 up, Celtic should have been playing with confidence.

The bizarre introduction of Samaras for Keane when a more defensive minded player coming on would have been of more use didn’t help the hoops but when your full back decides to handle the ball when there is no need, how much can the manager do?

These sort of decisions have plagued Celtic defenders for a while and it is a big difference between themselves and Rangers. Everyone can have a laugh at Kirk Broadfoot and the fact that he is never going to win any Brain of Britain award but when have you ever seen him make a mistake like that?

Never, he knows his limitations and does his job. He also has a league winners medal at home and it is looking increasingly likely that he will have another by the end of this season.

Josh Thompson didn’t have his best game for Celtic but he was the only player in the back four to emerge with any credit and the youngster needs a lot more support to help his development.

Never mind “taking it on the chin and moving on”, Tony Mowbray needs to start chinning his defenders before they make his position untenable.

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Celtic at Aberdeen is marred by weakened team jibes

WeKnowSFA — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 18:00:38 +0000

Could McGhee offer up humble pie to many people post match?

It is surprising to see that Tony Mowbray has not been criticised for fielding a weakened team this season. After all, Lee Naylor has made a number of starts for Celtic and yet there has been no uproar in the media about this. Where is the integrity of the SPL if players like Lee Naylor are able to get a starting place in Celtic’s line-up?

Yes, the build-up to this match has been shifted from the typical pre-match build up by the controversy surrounding the team that Mark McGhee may select to face Celtic. Aberdeen have a cup replay against Raith Rovers on Tuesday night and with the Dons intent on reaching Hampden, McGhee has promised to consider his squad carefully to get the most from both games.

The Aberdeen team against Celtic is expected to line up: Leighton, McKimmie, Rougvie, Diamond, Mulgrew, Jarvie, Cooper, Stark, Jess, McDougall, Stavrum

Okay, we don’t know – all of this may be a ruse by McGhee, it may be a way of firing up those who start, it may be an attempt to give all three points to Celtic to aid their title bid. We will hold off until post game before we decide if the Dons boss was right or wrong.

And he won’t be the first boss to select the wrong team in the eyes of the fans.

Tell that to Tony Mowbray.

Many punters were dismayed to see Morten Rasmussen dropped to the bench for Wednesday’s game against Hearts but a 2-0 win showed that Mowbray was justified, especially as the returning Marc Antoine Fortune grabbed the crucial second goal.

Then again though, you would have expected Ra Ra Rasmussen to notch at least one of the chances that £65 a week man Robbie Keane missed. Wait, it is £65,000 a week isn’t it? Keane looked like a man who was trying too hard but if he can refind his composure, the goals will surely flow.

He had the beating of the Hearts defence on Wednesday evening and only the assured touch of the assistant referee prevented Keane from having more chances.

Yes, not only has Keane taken over Scott McDonald’s number, he has taken over the one-to-one working relationship with the linesman that the Australian striker had.

It is hard to predict the line-up for Celtic at the moment due to injuries and the new additions settling but you can expect them to start with Boruc and then a back four of Caddis, Thompson, Rogne and Braafheid. The Polish stopper has the experience but the rest certainly do not.

As for the more forward positions you can expect Brown and N’Guemo to be in there, Keane, McGeady and Fortune too. The last space in the line-up will likely be filled with loan signing Diomansy Kamara but Mowbray may opt to spring a surprise in his line up.

If Celtic win, they will be five points behind Rangers and the Ibrox club have a testing day on Sunday versus Hibs. An away win is crucial for the hoops to keep their title dreams alive and to prove the Scottish media right about McGhee.

Will Celtic cut the gap on Rangers?

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