McAvennie would welcome Mowbray appointment

NEWS: WBA confirm Celtic approach for Mowbray

Although Gordon Strachan's four-year reign at the club was extremely successful, with three league titles and significant progress in Europe, his style of football was often a source of discontent for the Celtic faithful.

McAvennie believes that the attractive football that Mowbray has become renowned for will have the fans salivating. "I think Tony will get the ball down," McAvennie told PA Sport. "The fans love to see fast-flowing football and I'm looking forward to it."

The former striker contrasted the football Mowbray's teams play with that seen under Strachan, who quit just under three weeks ago after winning six major trophies in four seasons. "I don't think anyone will say it was nice football. The fans weren't happy with the way the game was getting played. I don't know if it was Gordon's fault or the board's fault but it was not good to watch."

McAvennie had two spells at Celtic, between 1987-89 and 1993-94. It was during the second of these stints that McAvennie noticed his team-mate's burgeoning managerial ambitions. "With Tony, it was obvious that was what he was going to go on to."

After an interim appointment at Ipswich, Mowbray cut his managerial teeth at Hibs, whom he led to successive top-four finishes before switching to West Brom. Now, it seems, he's heading back north to take charge of one of the three clubs he served with distinction as a player.