Ex-Celtic and Hibs boss offers update following health scare as he sets management return date

The former Celtic and Hibs head coach was diagnosed with bowel cancer last year.

Ex-Celtic and Hibs manager Tony Mowbray has revealed he hopes to return to the game he ‘loves’ in the near future after his bowel cancer diagnosis earlier in the year.

The 60-year-old head coach replaced Wayne Rooney as head coach of Birmingham City in January, but was forced to take a ‘formal leave of absence’ from the Midlands club just eight games into his tenure, before officially stepping away from his role at the club completely in May due to ongoing ‘health issues.’

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Earlier this month, the former Easter Road boss revealed that he had been diagnosed with bowel cancer in an emotional interview, where he admitted it had been the toughest year of his life as he was forced to come to terms with his health fight.

Tony Mowbray hopes to return to football shortly.Tony Mowbray hopes to return to football shortly.
Tony Mowbray hopes to return to football shortly.

"When you get an illness like what I got, it's about the family, really,” Mowbray told the BBC earlier this month, before adding he was “not sure whether I was going to get through it or not, to be honest” and admitting he was “not 100 per cent ready for work”.

Now on the road to recovery after surgery, Mowbray has now revealed he is eyeing a return to management in the new year in a new interview.

“I hope I can stay fit and get back to work and do what I love,” he explained. “I just love working with young footballers and trying to inspire them to want to get better and improve and be brave with the ball and play but we'll see what happens as I say.

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“The new year is really in my mind when I start really thinking about what's out there. Is there going to be something out there? And it's almost sad football, isn't it, because I would never chase anybody's job, I'd never go to a game where the manager's under pressure.

Then Celtic manager Tony Mowbray meets fans in Australia ahead of the 2009 friendly against Brisbane Roar.Then Celtic manager Tony Mowbray meets fans in Australia ahead of the 2009 friendly against Brisbane Roar.
Then Celtic manager Tony Mowbray meets fans in Australia ahead of the 2009 friendly against Brisbane Roar. | SNS Group 0141 221 3602

“But the sad thing about football is you have to win games, and some people will lose their jobs, and some people will win leagues, and I will wait until the new year when I hope that my body's back to almost 100 per cent and from there, let's see what's out there and see whether I can get back to work and do what I want to do.”

The popular former Hibs manager won the Scottish Football Writers' Association manager of the year award during his spell at Easter Road before leaving to join West Bromwich Albion. After winning promotion with the Baggies, he then returned to Scotland when appointed manager of Celtic in the summer of 2009. However, lack of domestic success saw him sacked the following March. More recently, he led EFL Championship giants Sunderland to the play-offs in 2022/23.

Mowbray also spent time at Celtic Park as a player, where he appeared in 77 league games for the club between 1991 and 1995 before leaving to join Ipswich Town.

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