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Page last updated at 11:50 GMT, Thursday, 13 August 2009 12:50 UK

Celtic: season preview

LAST SEASON'S REPORT CARD
Celtic

League placing: 2nd
Scottish Cup: quarter-finals League Cup: winners

PERSONNEL CHANGES

Ins: Lukasz Zaluska, goalkeeper; Marc-Antoine Fortune, forward; Landry N'Guemo, midfielder; Daniel Fox, defender.

Outs: Shunsuke Nakamura, midfielder; Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, forward; Paul Hartley, midfielder.

WHAT THEY SAY
Celtic manager Tony Mowbray
Tony Mowbray
Celtic manager

I'm looking forward to trying to give the supporters a team they can be proud of.

We want to win along the way as well as, hopefully, entertaining them.

Ultimately, we'll all get judged on the results and the performance of the team. I'm looking forward to that challenge.

WHAT WE SAY

Former Celtic midfielder Murdo MacLeod
Murdo MacLeod
BBC pundit and former Celtic midfielder

Rangers got a massive boost by taking the title last season. They showed a spirit Celtic didn't have, finishing really strongly to claw back a seven-point gap.

But I think Celtic threw the title away themselves - and now they have a great chance to win it back.

You always like a new face or two to come in just to enhance the squad. Rangers haven't added, they've let seven players go, and I don't think that's a good thing.

Tony Mowbray's brought in a few new players. I was very impressed with Danny Fox in Moscow and Landry N'Guemo looks like a good signing so far.

I think he and Scott Brown will form a good partnership in the middle of the park.

The only one who's yet to convince is Marco-Antoine Fortune, although it may take some time for him to settle in. He doesn't look like an out-and-out striker and, if you cost nearly £4m, at Celtic you need to be a goal-scorer.

But, on the plus side, Scott McDonald is scoring goals right now. He'll be the main striker and the role of his partner is up for grabs.

For me, you're still looking at Gordon Strachan's team. You can't go into a new club and change the side's way of playing straight away.

So I think it'll take two or three months to see the influence of Tony's style of playing.

The main difference I notice is that, now that Shunsuke Nakamura's gone, there's more pace down both sides.

I foresee this season being the same as every other in that Celtic and Rangers will be favourites for all three domestic trophies.

It'll be tight, but I'm going for Celtic to win the title because they've added good players.

WHAT YOU SAY

Last season our team was on its knees and we still took it to the last day. If Mowbray has any ability at all (which he does - winning the Championship) then we should take this title fairly easily.
ciarante

I suspect that it will be tough in the head-to-head matches against Rangers and we might also struggle at times if other teams take an agricultural approach. But if we can actually dominate a number of games (something we rarely did under Strachan - even against poor opposition) and show signs of real progress as a team then I'll be happy. This may be the first season since Henrik left that we don't go backward as a team.
superflyweight

MY SPORT: DEBATE
How will Celtic fare this term?

With N'Guemo and Brown, we will have the strongest midfield that we have had in years. With Donati, Robson and co as back-up, we will prove too strong for the rest. It will be coming home in style Bhoys.
The Legend that is Peter Grant

I think we will win the league fairly easy this year as I don't think Rangers have it in them to win two in a row. So my predictions are first in the league, a good run in Europe and a cup would do nicely.
TimMalloyPaddy



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see also
SPL - Scotland's standard bearer
14 Aug 09 |  Scottish Premier
Aberdeen: season preview
13 Aug 09 |  Aberdeen
Dundee United: season preview
13 Aug 09 |  Dundee Utd
Falkirk: season preview
13 Aug 09 |  Falkirk
Hamilton Accies: season preview
13 Aug 09 |  Hamilton
Hibernian: season preview
13 Aug 09 |  Hibernian
Motherwell: season preview
13 Aug 09 |  Motherwell
Kilmarnock: season preview
13 Aug 09 |  Kilmarnock
Rangers: season preview
13 Aug 09 |  Rangers
St Johnstone: season preview
13 Aug 09 |  St Johnstone
St Mirren: season preview
13 Aug 09 |  St Mirren


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