TONY MOWBRAY has brought the respect campaign north with him to Celtic Park.

TONY MOWBRAY has brought the respect campaign north with him to Celtic Park.

The new Hoops boss has laid down the ground rules to all of his players, and left them in no doubt that respect for one another, for him and for every member of his staff - right down to the laundry ladies - will be a yardstick for all they do.

Mowbray believes this will create unity from which will grow strength, two vital qualities essential if they are to succeed in their challenge of regaining the SPL title and progressing to the group stages of the Champions League.

If he has been half as impressive in his initial discussions with his players as he was when detailing his plans to the assembled press, there seems little doubt everyone will buy into the programme.

Mowbray understands the restraints placed on him in terms of cash to compete with clubs from the league which he has just left, and even the one below that.

But he believes that utilising to the maximum what makes Celtic unique can counter this imbalance.

Whether that will be enough to entice Marc-Antoine Fortune to bypass the more lucrative offers placed before him by clubs down south, and accept the opportunity to become the first signing of the man who gave him the platform to display his talents at West Brom, Mowbray expects to discover soon.

But, if the Nancy striker says non', the Celtic boss will reluctantly move down the list of options he has carefully compiled in the couple of weeks since he won the race to succeed Gordon Strachan.

Mowbray revealed he spent that time making calls enquiring about possible signings and fielding calls from agents offering the perfect solution to all that ails his side.

The pinch of salt with which this has been taken is a staple diet for any manager at this time of year.

In the meantime, the players he already has at his disposal are getting on with trying to impress him. And that means following the rules.

Mowbray places as much importance on the quality you show as a man as the quality you show on the field, a point made during an early conversation with his players.

Mowbray explained: "I do expect high standards. I don't like lazy or slovenly. I like things done professionally.

"Training starts at this time and stops at this time. When I'm talking, listen. Just be good men. Don't make the kit man's life hard or the laundry lady's life hard.

"Respect everybody. Let them do their jobs and we'll all get on fine. My first impression of these lads are that they are decent men."

Mowbray is happy to include Artur Boruc in that assessment after a one-to-one discussion with the man who has more big issues than a homeless street vendor.

The manager revealed: "I try to base my relationships on mutual respect, and I told Artur this when I spoke with him.

"He understands my job and I understand his issues or problems. If he has any, he has got to make me aware of them.

"There's no good keeping them to himself and just judging him on his performance.

"If he's got other things going on in his life that he needs to talk about, then I think we'll be fine."

Boruc has already shown a commitment to work as hard as the manager demands, and Mowbray considers him his first choice going into the pre-season games, with new recruit Lukasz Zaluska made to wait for his chance to shine.

At the moment, the Bosman signing from Dundee United is the only new Bhoy.

But if and when more new faces arrive, Mowbray has very fixed ideas on how they must fit in with the existing squad. That even extends to salaries.

At West Brom he took a stand not to unsettle the harmony of the dressing room by having a huge disparity in earnings, a philosophy which influenced his signing policy.

Some observers, though, would argue that strategy left his side short of the quality required to survive in the English top flight.

However, Mowbray explained: "I don't really like superstar footballers' getting three times as much as anyone else. I don't really buy into that.

"I think they should all win together, they should all earn together. If they are successful, they get it. If they are not successful, they don't get it.

"But I can't come into this club from day one and tell very experienced people how to work things. I'd never try to do that."

For now, he is happy to survey what he has inherited, and initial findings are positive.

Mowbray said: "The quality of the squad is there for everyone to see. Every manager wants to try and improve things and make them better, and I'm no different.

"But I've got some good players, and I'm looking forward to finding out how good as we move on.

"I'm trying to develop a rapport with the individuals. They've got to know what my personality is all about, how I talk to them and interact with them. And vice versa.

"If they're running and think they can't do any more, I need to see who digs in and keeps going and who drops to their knees, who reacts to a little bit of cajoling.

"They are human beings, and the best way to get the best out of them is to know which buttons to push."