Mowbray appointed Celtic boss

TONY MOWBRAY has ended weeks of speculation surrounding Gordon Strachan’s successor as Celtic manager by signing a rolling 12-month contract with his former club.

Mowbray was given permission by West Brom chairman Jeremy Peace to open negotiations with the Parkhead club on Saturday after Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell eventually agreed to the Baggies’ request for £2million (€2.3m) compensation.

As expected, Mowbray agreed personal terms and will be joined in the east end of Glasgow by Mark Venus, his assistant at The Hawthorns, and Peter Grant, his first-team coach at Albion and a former Celtic team-mate.

Current Parkhead coach Neil Lennon will join the new management team but his role is as yet unknown.

Mowbray’s first job will be to assess his squad ahead of the first of possibly two tricky Champions League qualifiers at the end of July.

With the Clydesdale Bank Premier League fixtures being announced today, Mowbray will also discover who will be his first opponents in the forthcoming league campaign.

Despite Albion’s relegation from the Barclays Premier League last season, Mowbray brings with him a reputation for sparkling football forged, in part, during his time at Hibernian.

Celtic’s style of play became a sticking point for their fans under Strachan, despite his success in winning three consecutive SPL titles, three domestic cups and leading the Glasgow giants to the last 16 of the Champions League two years running.

Davie Hay, who was Celtic manager in the 1980s, pointed out that Mowbray will be under far more pressure at Parkhead than he ever was at The Hawthorns or Easter Road.

“There is more intense pressure from the fans,” he said. “The game means life and death to the Celtic fans.

“I’m not saying the West Brom fans don’t appreciate their team but it’s almost like a way of life for Celtic fans and I think that brings an intensity to the job that probably didn’t exist at West Brom.

“I think Tony knows that he will have to finish above Rangers and recapture the SPL title.

“But Tony has done well on the managerial front and I think he will have a successful time at Celtic.

“To be fair to Gordon Strachan, Gordon did well apart from his last season but there is always pressure on Celtic managers to do well, whether it was back in my time or in the modern day, and I think Tony is well aware of that.

“Tony will have the fans on his side and the way to keep them onside is to get a winning team.

“It has been the tradition over the years, when I played and when I was manager, that the fans looked for the team to win in a certain style.”

Albion chairman Peace will now turn his attention to finding a replacement for Mowbray.

He said: “Tony leaves with our best wishes for a successful future in football.

“We will now concentrate fully on the important task of appointing a new manager who can take the club forward.’’