Mowbray demands more 'we can play miles better'

Smiles were back on the faces of the Celtic support after the 3-1 win over Aberdeen today but new manager Tony Mowbray is demanding more from his team.

A 3-0 half-time lead on the opening day of the season would have most bosses in a happy mood but perhaps highlighting his determination to be a winner Mowbray cast a critical eye over his team's finishing rather than praise the quality of their play.

A double from Aiden McGeady and a typical Scott McDonald strike secured the points for Celtic on the opening day but not the complete approval of their manager.

Mowbray said: "There was some good and some bad in our performance. I was frustrated at half-time that we didn't have a greater advantage, a truer reflection might have been one or two more goals.

"We had some great opportunities, got into great goalscoring areas but we didn't take our chances. I didn't have a blast at the strikers at half-time but I tried to gee them up a bit.

HAUNT

"At Cardiff in pre-season we failed to put our chances away, those days could come back to haunt you if you keep missing chances or getting into great areas and not scoring. I'm not 100% happy but obviously delighted to get a win away from home.

"We played miles better in both games against Moscow Dynamo. The shape of the team and the way that we moved the ball about was better in those games.

"There's lots for us to work on. I told the players that we'll have to be miles better on Tuesday against Arsenal, we'll be asked a lot more questions in that game."

Goalscorers McGeady and McDonald, who played against each other in midweek when Australia beat Ireland 3-0 in Limerick, were in agreement with their managers judgement of the game.

McGeady said: "The manager was disappointed that we never scored more goals in the first half, the boys felt the same.

CHANCES

"We did have a lot of chances, we put a few away but it could have been five or six. You want to win every game by as many goals as you can.

"A few of us were disappointed with the way that the second half went, if Aberdeen had got a goal it could have got quite nervy for us."

McDonald added: "It's good as a striker to get a goal but I would have liked a couple more, I could have scored one right at the start of the game.

"We probably should have got five or six in the first half. That's something that we'll have to get about our game very quickly and be lethal, especially on Tuesday night.

ARSENAL

"If we get one chance against Arsenal we have to take it. We believe that we can do the business against Arsenal, we've got them at home first and Celtic Park is a fortress for us."

It could have been much worse for Aberdeen manager Mark McGhee who has watched his side lose all three games since he took over at the club.

McGhee said: "I'm not going to get too upset with this, Celtic are a good team, they played well in the first half when their movement was too much for us. We lost the game to a good team."

Celtic finished the match with ten men but Mowbray has no worries over an injury to Shaun Maloney. The former Aston Villa midfielder looked to have picked up a bad knee injury but Mowbray revealed that it was just a spot of cramp.

AUDIO INTERVIEW WITH MALKY MACKAY

Away Away, the only way.

by Joe McHugh

Celtic are first out of the blocks today at Aberdeen and that's the way that the new season has to progress.

The second half of last season is still far too fresh, the miserable draws either side of losing at Aberdeen and cash-strapped Rangers, threw the SPL title away with a host of problems and issues raised.

Every away game was viewed with trepidation despite on paper having eleven players better than the opposition.

When was our last convincing win away from home?

Not so easy to recall, we snarled and scrapped, huffed and puffed, slugging it out with sides like Kilmarnock, Motherwell and Inverness Caley Thistle without stamping our authority and class all over the opposition.

MOSCOW DYNAMO

Today at Pittodrie it's time to get real, to outfight Aberdeen and show the class and style that sent Moscow Dynamo into the Europa League while we prepare to face Arsenal in two eagerly awaited clashes.

I don't think that Tony Mowbray and his management team are under any illusions. Once upon a time going to Aberdeen was a tough assignment, a draw was a reasonable result, defeat wasn't the end of the world. Times change.

We've had some wild early season fixtures up there before, in 1996 a last gasp goal from Andy Thom earned the ten man hoops a point in a 2-2 draw, two years later it all kicked off with a pantomime including two missed Celtic penalties and a Regi Blinker own goal giving Aberdeen a bizarre 3-2 win but a year later things looked better as John Barnes kicked off his brief Celtic reign with a convincing 5-0 win with Henrik Larsson, Mark Viduka and Mark Burchill scoring with ease.

Aberdeen have had a hellish summer, any decent player has moved on with Sigma Olumouc, a competent but unspectacular side, hammering them home and away in the Europa League.

Any talk of Fortress Pittodrie and it being a difficult place to go can quickly be dismissed as media myth.

There is nothing for Celtic to fear today if they play their way and don't get obsessive about the opposition.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Yes pay them respect, it's the first league game, they have a new manager, they may have a few spells of pressure but we are the side gunning for a Champions League place, not a hopeful mid-table SPL side going to Aberdeen 'hoping to get a result'.

We don't need to have an eye on the Arsenal game, winning the SPL is crucial for ourselves and to pile pressure onto Rangers as they ship off players like there's no tomorrow.

Tony Mowbray's pre-match thoughts were hardly inspiring, that's done in the dressing room.

PLATFORM

The players have the platform now to demonstrate their ability, the game in Moscow hinted at what they are capable of.

Before the rest of the SPL kicks off we should be purring with excitement, talking about McGeady, Maloney and N'Guemo as well as discussing the new look striking options.

Last season is best forgotten, the best way to try and put it to rest is to start with a new slate going off on the front foot and create some much needed excitement and momentum.

Malky Mackay audio interview

AUDIO INTERVIEW with Malky Mackay, off and running as Watford boss

By Joe McHugh

After a long apprenticeship and spells as first-team coach and caretaker manager Malky Mackay stepped out in his own right as manager of Watford on Saturday with a 1-1 draw with Doncaster Rovers.

AUDIO INTERVIEW WITH MALKY MACKAY

Malky started in 39 games for Celtic in the mid nineties before heading south to a successful career spent almost entirely in the Championship where he had the distinction of helping Norwich, West Ham and Watford to promotion in successive seasons.

.....MM SAID: "The first year that I came to the club we had no parachute payment... we're in a transitional phase as a club with a new board in place...we have to adapt to being a slightly different club but you go into every season aspiring to finish as high up the table as possible... I've been in this division for twelve years and it gets harder and harder every year"

Nothing has ever been handed to Malky on a plate, as a youth there wasn't much of a clamour for his signature but his attitude and 'professionalism' at amateur Queens Park earned him a move to Celtic.

.....MM SAID "You always get one team that surprises in this league, it was Burnley last season, before that Hull and Watford the season before...on any day bottom can beat top and that's the magic of this league."

Despite suffering a cruciate ligament injury early in his Celtic career he battled back to become a valued member of the first team squad, capable of scoring important goals, before moving on to Norwich for regular first team football.

Malky's career is a lesson to any young player, through his dedication he battled through the ranks to carve out a good career in the game while also keeping his eye on the coaching side preparing for the day when he'd have to hang up his boots.

.....MM SAID "It's not all sunny Saturday's on a bowling green at West Brom, there are wet Tuesday's in December at Plymouth followed by a five hour drive home then a trip up to the north west at the weekend... there are 46 games and a lot of Saturday/Tuesday's and the prize of £60m at the end of it"

Aidy Boothroyd brought Malky to Watford as the club took off in spectacular fashion, earning a place in the Premiership for the 2007/2007 season with a spectacular 3-0 play-off win over Leeds United.

After missing out on appearing in the Premiership at Norwich and West Ham Malky made 16 appearances in the top flight with Watford and although it ended in relegation they did reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup where they lost out to Manchester United.

.....MM SAID: "Tony(Mowbray) and Yogi (Hughes) both look a lot older than me, they have both did well and if I have the success that they have I'll be delighted... they are both really passionate men... they are two good friends that I had at Celtic."

By then the journey into management had begun in earnest. When Boothroyd was sacked in November 2008 Malky took charge on a caretaker basis for three weeks before Brendan Rodgers got the job.

When Rodgers quit to take charge of Reading Watford wisely turned in house to give Malky the job. The days of parachute payments are over at Vicarage Road with Scott Severin from Aberdeen and Don Cowie of Inverness CT amongst the club's recent signings.

.....MM SAID "At the Tommy Burns match big Billy even said 'What a dressing room I have here to choose from'... there was some great camaraderie and characters...it was a really good day to see so many people"

The Championship is apparently the fifth richest league in Europe and will come under the spotlight more than ever this season with Newcastle United getting the car crash treatment with supporters and media watching their every move.

Fighting it out for promotion will be a tall order for Watford with relegated Newcastle, Middlesbrough and West Brom looking for a quick return with upto a dozen others, including the well financed Ipswich and QPR scrapping for a chance in the top flight.

Owen Coyle's Burnley are the role model for Watford and others. Last season's impressive cup performances were matched by consistent league form that took them into the Premiership via play-off wins over Reading and Shefield United.

.....MM SAID: "From my time at the club there is a really good group of us that stay in touch with each other, when you go back and meet others from different eras there is definitely a bond there."

It's always interesting to follow the fortunes of former Celtic players whether playing or managing. As a player Malky showed all the qualities to make a success of management but the relentless Championship season of 46 league games is no place to ease yourself into a job that is unrelenting.

Video Celts will be following Watford closely with regular interviews with Malky.

AUDIO INTERVIEW WITH MALKY MACKAY

OFFICIAL WATFORD WEBSITE

Malky previews the new season in the Watford Observor

Mark Millar joins Ujpest Dozsa

Reserve midfielder Mark Millar has joined Willie McStay on a year long loan at Ujpest Dozsa and could play against Diosgyor this afternoon.

Millar was probably the Player of the Year for the reserves last season but was unlikely to make any progress this season due to the incredible competition for first team places in midfield.

The 21-year-old was competing with Charlie Grant, Simon Ferry, Teddy Bjarnason and Ryan Conroy for a midfield place in the double winning youth side of 2006 but through various circumstances has made more progress than the others.

Millar is an all action midfielder, the original box to box type. Despite his small frame he has a good physical edge to his play and is never afraid to mix it.

MCSTAY
Spending a season alongside McStay in a new environment where he is likely to get regular first team football is exactly the boost that his career needs.

"I saw Mark Millar play last year, and he was one of the eight players we had a look at." said Istvan Salloi, Ujpest Sports Director. "There are still a few places left to fill within the squad. We are purposefully asking for players from Celtic, and if we get an offer for one of our players, that will also influence the building of the team."

Millar said: "My first impressions are very positive, the stadium is impressive. I am happy to get the chance to work with Willie McStay once more, as he has a winning mentality. I hope that I will get the chance to play regularly in the first team. That was the reason I signed for Ujpest, and also to win trophies."

It'll be interesting to see how Millar develops. Without being outstanding he does have something extra to his game. Coming through the youth and reserve sides he linked up brilliantly with Paul Caddis who has made a favourable impression in his first team appearances.

MIDFIELD
Getting a place in centre midfield is going to ultra-competitive at Celtic this season with Scott Brown and Landry N'Guemo likely to be the first picks with Marc Crosas, Massimo Donati, Willo Flood and then Simon Ferry competing for places.

A season in Hungary, in a new environment but alongside McStay and Joe McBride, will give Millar the experiences and responsibility that he needs to develop his game further.

Breaking into the Celtic first team will be just as difficult in a years time but if it's not to happen for him at Celtic he'll be better placed to move on in the game and make a career for himself elsewhere.

AARHUS
Strangely this week Liam Miller and Mick Doyle have been in the news. Both of them benefited from a loan spell with Marc Reiper in Denmark with Aarhus before their careers took off in various directions.

Doyle joined Leeds Utd on loan from Coventry for a season while Miller will join the Irish international side to face Australia without a club. A few sides are interested in signing the former Celtic and Manchester United midfielder who knows that making the right choice could open the door to a place at the World Cup Finals in South Africa.

Look out for more Celts moving out to Hungary and reports on Ujpest through Video Celt