if you read the mainstream press, and give it any credence - and despite the fact that west brom have denied that any move has been made - it's a foregone conclusion that TM will be managing at parkhead next year. i'm not sure what to make of this. mowbray himself has said nothing; the west brom website has not posted anything in the last 4 days; jeremy peace has denied that celtic have approached him or the club and that mowbray will be back managing west brom at the beginning of this next year's championship campaign. the only thing that i've read that seems authentic is an article i found online, saying that the source of the story is based on information leaks from the glaswegian club, that are premature and as such, have reflected badly on the celtic organization. other than that, i can only see this as another oddity of football in the modern world, and possibly an indication of the deteriorating ethics and the desperation for success at any cost, as the game gets both faster and richer, and the power concentrates more and more every day towards the top and at the highest levels.
from what i can see - from the international perspective - and what i think is being reflected here, is the power of the "big four" in england, and the "old firm" in scotland, to bulldoze what they want by forcing the issue in the most public of forums, the news-media. these teams have become so powerful and have enough money at their disposal, that they pretty much get things merely by clapping their hands and making them so. i don't know enough about the process of sports-media or managing football to know what the full ramifications of these actions actually are; but when i see the celtic chairman - careful not to address that any deal has been made, or even approached yet - is in the press saying what a good manager tony mowbray is going to make when he takes over, and hails the advent as a "new dawn" for the glasgow club - he's talking up his advertising directly to his subject and those who have vested interest in it - attempting to force individuals into situations that they will be unable to (for whatever reason) resist or pass up.
perhaps, for example - it would, at this point, and among the general public - appear to be a poor professional move on TM's part not to take the celtic job if it's there, as it would affect - in no small way - any future employment opportunities that might be destined to come his way. if, let's say, mowbray wants to eventually manage a "big four" team - and i have always personally thought that manchester united will be looking at him when sir alex eventually retires - then the celtic bigwigs are putting him on the spot in the biggest way. because, make no mistake about it; while the albion are a huge club in their own locale - and surprisingly so, celtic are internationally famous and their colours and traditions have been transplanted all over the world - through the british immigration of the 1950s to the advent of champions league football as a major international TV attraction. while the comparison of the albion with celtic is much more favourable to the midlanders from a UK perspective - outside the country... the albion are next to non-existent and celtic are famous like manchester united, real madrid, inter-milan or barcelona... not that that justifies any of this, but it does show us that integrity is lost and the biggest of the clubs in britain are not above public bullying and employing the meanest of cajoling tactics on us all through their use of the media to pave the way for their ever increasing ambitions.
personally, i hope mowbray stays and honours his commitments to the baggies and shows all these top-flight teams what integrity looks like. i am a mowbray supporter, though - and i do believe that in some ways, his problems this year had a lot to do with the fact that he did not have a team that was as good a team as he is a manager. i also think that he is popular with a majority of the supporters - but for those who still haven't gotten over gary megson leaving, and for whom mowbray is a dour, complex and introspective individual, these stories are going to do nothing except cause rifts and confusion amongst the faithful; as well a thousand and one ridiculously inappropriate suggestions as to who should be at the helm for the baggies. in this regard, celtic have behaved abominably.
as for the gaffer himself, this is probably unexpected and while a welcome opportunity - from a professional point of view - is something that is really going to be difficult for a man of such high ethical standards and integrity. on the one hand - you've got european football guaranteed at celtic; as well as your job of winning the league title; and perhaps a cup or two just to pad out the CV and give the supporters a little extra icing. so the expectations are simple and clearcut and judgment of your success will be straightforward and clearly evident. while at west brom - gaining promotion aside - the challenges are more long-term and perhaps even abstract in comparison.
even as i write this, newspaper stories are showing up online and it is definitely beginning to appear, that in this case, the glaswegian giants have managed to pull off their coup and the media war is swinging in their favour. it has turned up in the times-online in the form of an article about all the close ties and traditions associated with mowbray at parkhead; and how it was in the latter part of his playing career and he was hampered much of the time there by a recurring hamstring problem... pure emotional kind of stuff about his first wife; his personal dignity and his natural leadership capabilities that (presumably) took him into management.
another story on GOAL.com is much more specific and says that the deal has been signed, with a 1.4 million compensation package, and he is ready to be introduced to the press.
A compensation fee of £1.4 million has reportedly been agreed between the Glasgow giants and the West Midlanders, with the unveiling of the new manager at Parkhead anticipated to occur on either Monday or Tuesday.
they are citing their source as the times.
it is my hope, that if we all wake up tomorrow morning to find tony gone, the club does the smart thing and rushes out to try and secure the services of john hughes from falkirk before swansea snap him up.
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