opportunity knocks for bhoys

David Friel
TONY MOWBRAY has told every member of his squad that it’s up them to show they have the ability to play a leading role in his Celtic revolution.

With the silly season of transfer speculation in full flow, the Hoops have been linked with countless players from all over the globe and will be doing everything possible to add new signings over the coming weeks.

However, the Celtic manager has pledged to give every current player the chance to shine over the course of the pre-season campaign and convince him that they are worth a regular place in the team.

He said: “As a coach, you continually try to make every department better on the pitch. At the moment, it’s up to the players here to show me that their particular department doesn’t need improving – because they are doing the job week in, week out.

“The quality of the squad is there for all to see. They won three championships in succession and took a fourth to the last day. The quality is there, but every manager wants to improve things further and make it better.

“We’ll wait and see how much needs changing but at the moment, the players are in buoyant mood and looking forward to the season.

“At present, I’m trying to build a rapport with the players. They need to know my character and vice versa. I want to know who will dig in during pre-season and see how they react in different ways. I’m just getting to know them as individuals.”

On the subject of possible new signings, the manager stressed that there is major work being done behind the scenes as he seeks to freshen up his squad.

“We’re all working very hard to try and make things happen,” he said. “It’s not easy just now because a lot of people are just coming back from holiday.

“We’ve put markers down but we need to wait and see what happens. At the moment, the press are saying we’re going to sign various players. Well, we can’t sign them all or we’d end up with 70 players.

“We’re making enquiries but we have options. If one doesn’t come off, then we pursue someone else.”

In a bid to assess the qualities of every member of the Celtic first-team and reserve squads, the manager has currently combined both pools and revealed he will be using the young players in the coming weeks.

He said: “I look at the pre-season schedule and it’s a very tough schedule. We’ve got a lot of games and that will mean younger players get the chance to come with us and play some football.

“It will give me a chance to watch them and assess their qualities. Hopefully, as the weeks go on, there will also be one or two signings that the fans get excited about.”