AIDEN McGEADY will be the player most looking forward to working under new manager Tony Mowbray after the difficult year he has just had.

AIDEN McGEADY will be the player most looking forward to working under new manager Tony Mowbray after the difficult year he has just had.

It would probably be fair to say that, had Gordon Strachan not moved on, Aiden might have been looking for a way out of the club.

Now, with Tony in charge, it is a fresh start.

The new boss has already said he wants to see Aiden (below) light up his team. And, in the formation Tony likes to play, he could be given a new lease of life as a wide player in a front three.

There would not be as much emphasis on tracking back, and that would allow Aiden to show the aspects of his game which have real quality.

I don't think it did him any harm to learn the other bits of the job when he played wide midfield in Gordon's side.

But he definitely looks tailor-made for Tony's preferred system, and I am sure he will be looking forward to showing the new manager what he can do.

Like everyone else at the club, however, Aiden needs to prove himself. And Tony has already made it clear he is using the pre-season period to assess what each individual can bring to his side.

The problems Aiden had under the previous manager were well documented and reported, and you can be sure Tony will know all he needs to know about what happened.

However, it's a clean slate now, and everyone will hope Aiden can get back to focusing on playing the way he was when he won the Player of the Year awards the season before last.

Tony has already spoken to Artur Boruc to find out if the keeper is up for it, and he has been pleased with the answers he got.

As a new manager arriving at a club, it is important to know what players are thinking because, if they don't fancy it, they would have to move on.

I believe that in Lukasz Zaluska, Celtic have acquired a man more than capable of fitting into the side. And, if it came to the point where they felt it would be best to cash in on Artur and raise £6million or £7m for new players, then it might be the right thing to do.

Even allowing for the season he has just had, I still believe there would be clubs willing to pay that for Artur because he is a quality keeper.

Someone might chance their arm and come with a cheeky offer of around £3m, but I reckon Celtic could get much more for him if they ever decided to sell.

Selling your most popular players is never an easy thing to do because of the reaction of the supporters. But it only really affects them if the club isn't winning.

In my time as a supporter and a player, I have seen them come and go, including Kenny Dalglish and Charlie Nicholas.

Fans wondered how they would ever replace such important players, but they always have done, and will continue to do so. For now, though, Tony is more interested in bringing in three or four players, including Marc-Antoine Fortune.

He is realistic enough to know that English clubs can offer far higher wages than Celtic, but Tony might want to convince Marc-Antoine that moving to the Hoops and doing well can pave the way to a move to an even bigger club.

Hartley exit a surprise but I don't get Bobo

THE decision not to offer Paul Hartley or Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink new deals has surprised me, especially in the case of Paul.

I thought he still had another year in him at the club, but Tony Mowbray had different ideas.

There will be offers to stay in Scotland, but I think Paul will be looking to make a fresh start in England and he has enough quality to do a job for a top side in the Championship.

If Gordon Strachan had stayed for another season, Paul would probably have been given the chance to remain a bit longer.

In the case of Jan, I can only imagine Tony has looked over the DVDs of last season and noticed that he didn't see much of the big man.

He was out for long periods, and when you get injuries at this stage of your career, it can be difficult to get back to where you were.

With Tony keen on working again with Marc-Antoine Fortune, it was clear there was not going to be any room for Jan.

Bobo Balde is another to have finally left the club, though under very different circumstances.

The big defender had three or four outstanding seasons when he first arrived.

But the change of manager saw things turn for him.

The new contract he was given turned the situation into a real mess, and lessons must have been learned.

Perhaps it would have been better to offer him £28,000-per-week, then the opportunity to move out on a free that summer, but with the proviso that if he returned to see out the remaining four years of the deal - as he did - it would be on much reduced terms.

But no-one can blame Bobo for accepting the deal offered to him, or for hanging around to collect everything he was due.

Where I do have a problem is, as a former pro, I believe you would always want to be play, and Bobo rejected the chance to go and do that elsewhere.

Willie's fan dabi Dozsa ...

I HAVE got a lot of time for Willie McStay, and I'm pleased to see him getting the chance to become a coach in his own right with Ujpest Dozsa.

It's a great opportunity for him and for Joe McBride, who has worked well with him in the past.

Willie has a good track record. He was a success when he was player- coach at Sligo, and he has brought through many good players in his roles at Celtic.

Hungary is a bit remote for me, but Willie has been willing to take on the challenge and will be looking forward to adding a new dimension to his knowledge and experience.

He can return from this and get himself a decent job in this country.

While they are in Hungary, Willie and Joe can keep their eyes open for any potential talent which may be of interest to Celtic.

Tony Mowbray has already had success in that market, and it is the sort of area of the football world where clubs like Celtic need to be looking to find the players they can bring in and develop.

SPL can't afford to be bolshie

THE news that the SPL might have to settle for a TV contract worth around £40million less than they were due from Setanta is bad news for all of our clubs.

But they have to be realistic and accept that receiving an offer worth £100m right now is not to be sneezed at.

It's the same with the schedule slot ESPN or Sky might demand our live games take up. The fans don't like 6.05pm on a Sunday night, and I can understand why given the travel problems that brings.

But you have to dance to the tune the piper is playing.