Mowbray has moved quickly to rid himself of Gordon Strachan's signings
By Chris McLaughlin
The man who spoke of his determination to change the style of play when he arrived at Celtic Park in the summer, seems equally determined to change the personnel.
Could it be that shipping out is as important for Tony Mowbray as shaping up?
Gone are the men who delivered for Gordon Strachan - Gary Caldwell, Paul Hartley, Barry Robson, and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink.
They have been replaced by Danny Fox, Laundry N'Guemo, and Marc Antoine Fortune.
Few fans have voiced concerns at the decision to sell on, but for most, the jury remains out on the quality of the replacements.
It's not surprising to see a new manager make his mark on a team with his own players.
At the moment results are disappointing but I'm convinced Tony will get it right
John Hartson Former Celtic striker
In this transfer window, shoring up a shaky defence has been the priority so far, with the acquisitions of the Dutchman Jos Hooiveld and, more recently, Thomas Rogne from Norwegian club Stabaek. The pair join Korean midfielder Ki Sung Yeung.
But the scale of Mowbray's clear-out tells its own story.
Twelve players have gone since the summer - eight of those as soon as the manager arrived and the other four since the start of this transfer window. More could follow.
One man who knows all about dressing room changes is the former Celtic striker John Hartson.
The Welshman was moved on by Gordon Strachan soon after he took over from Martin O'Neill.
"It can certainly upset things when you make drastic changes," Hartson told BBC Scotland.
"Tony obviously wants to do it though and do it quickly, but he's the manager and that's his choice."
Mowbray explained recently that he's experiencing a "transition within a transition" as he looks to move on and bring in.
Scott Brown has been the subject of transfer speculation
"That buys him some time with the supporters," continued Hartson.
"They will put up with it for six weeks maybe or until the end of the month, but then they'll want results."
What the manager wants is to bring back the flair but he's just as keen to keep it.
Aiden McGeady won't be sold at any price according to Mowbray and he has embraced the talents of Pat McCourt and Niall McGinn in a way that his predecessor never did.
"It's good news but you also need fighters," said Hartson. "It's that type of league. It's not all pretty, pretty.
"Ultimately, it doesn't matter how you play in my opinion. Not many people cared about the style of Martin O'Neill's sides because we put trophies in the cabinet."
Mowbray's transfer trends also seem to be following a certain pattern - sell those you don't want, then do your best to replace them.
Cash comes in before cash goes out. Not an exact science, but it seems to work that way in the main.
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
Bookmark with:
What are these?