Celtic board is right behind me, says Tony Mowbray

Mowbray allowed stalwarts like Gary Caldwell and Stephen McManus to go on loan to Middlesbrough in the January transfer window but says the club's executives "understand the process of change we are going through".

Mowbray said: "I speak to my board every week and to me it comes down to intelligence.

"They understand the process of change we are going through and they are fully supportive of what we are trying to do.

"Nobody likes change but change needed to happen.

"I wouldn't want to get into any arguments with our supporters.

"They are right to want and expect the team to win and yet we are going through change.

"When I arrived as a player the club was going through change and sometimes change is for the better.

"Fergus McCann arrived and could you argue that the five-year plan benefited the club in the long run?

"It probably did. He built the stadium and gave the fans ownership of the club.

"I understand that it is difficult for people to see the long-term, they react in black and white, like a lot of journalists react in black and white, they think the result today is the only result that matters.

"My job and responsibility is to look beyond that."