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Celtic are firmly rooted at the bottom of Europa League Group C following a defeat in Israel, to Hapoel Tel Aviv, and dropping five points out of six at home to Rapid Vienna and Hamburg. Although with just a little bit of luck in front of goal the table could have looked so different manager Tony Mowbray won't dwell on the 'could have been'.
"I am philosophical." said the Celtic boss. "I understand all about the games we have played in Europe this season and how they have panned out. I learned from our first game against Hamburg that we can compete with them. On another night, we could have got a result. And that's probably been the story this year for us in Europe. We have generally been in every game we've played for long, long spells."
"I wouldn't blame luck but things have not fallen our way." he said. "We have had some bad fortune in some of the goals we've lost. These are the fine lines in football. Maybe we'll come back next season and things will fall the right side of the line for us. We could have been sitting here with six or seven points but we are sitting here with just one. We have to accept it. I've enjoyed the games in Europe but not enjoyed the results at the end of them. My hope is the team improves over time. I'd like to get to the stage where our European experiences are something we look forward to with great confidence and enjoy."
"I've enjoyed the football because of the learning process it has brought along the way." continued Mowbray. "I'd hope I'd continue to develop as a coach until the day I've had enough of coaching. I'm sure Sir Alex Ferguson would say he learned something from watching his team against CSKA Moscow on Tuesday. I have learned from watching my team in Europe this season. I am still learning and we must get the balance right against Hamburg."
Celtic really need a victory tonight to keep alive their slim hopes of qualifying for the next round but boss Mowbray refuses to contemplate such thoughts, preferring to fully concentrate on tonight's ninety minutes before studying the bigger picture. "We are not bust and I wouldn't talk about a win-or-bust game." he said. "It's a game we come into conscious of the quality of the opposition. I'd have liked to have had Scott Brown, Shaun Maloney and Artur Boruc fit. But we must show resistance against a team that has been pretty free-scoring and we must also create chances for ourselves. Celtic have a responsibility to try to win every match. I don't think you could accuse me of selecting weakened teams in Europe. We try to win every single game we play and the team is trying to adjust to the new demands of how I want them to play."
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