Former Celtic striker Scott McDonald has blasted his old manager Tony Mowbray for partially causing his Parkhead exit.
The Australian spent two and a half prolific years in Glasgow, but became disillusioned under Mowbray and joined former boss Gordon Strachan at Middlesbrough in January 2010.
And the 35-year-old has lifted the lid on his Celtic exit: “Tony Mowbray,” he told the Daily Record with a roll of the eyes. “Look, there was a lot of upheaval and change. But he didn’t really man-manage the players who were there. He lost the love in the changing room very early. What we had under Gordon was a lot of protection.
“Then this new guy comes in and as soon as things go wrong he starts blaming it all on the players. The trust was lost right away. Did I leave too soon? Yes, 100 per cent. But the money was too good to turn down. Simple as that. Celtic wanted the money, myself and Tony weren’t getting on and it felt like I was suddenly on the outside,” he finished.
OPINION
It’s seems that Mowbray upset a fair few people during his short stay in Glasgow, it’s quite impressive really. McDonald was lethal for Celtic and was in his prime, so it’ll be disappointing for Celtic fans to read that it was Mowbray who essentially caused his exit. He might have left anyway due to the amount of money being offered by Boro, but the chances of him staying would have been a lot higher had he been happy at the club. He most decidedly wasn’t under Mowbray, and by his own admission he left Celtic too soon as a result. Previously he’d been enjoying his time under Strachan and was thriving, but Mowbray’s arrival changed a lot of things at Parkhead. McDonald had a decent spell south of the border but he was never able to replicate the stunning form he had previously displayed in Scotland. It’s a shame that his Celtic career ended prematurely, but thats what happens in football sometimes.