Tony Mowbray's Celtic may not win the SPL but they will win league of nations

IF POINTS were awarded for the number of nations represented in a starting line-up, the Celtic team being hastily assembled by Tony Mowbray would be reeling Rangers in fast.

The 11 picked by Mowbray to start Tuesday's crushing defeat to Kilmarnock consisted of two Dutchmen, a pair of Irishmen and one each from England, Poland, Germany, South Korea, Senegal, Cameroon and French Guiana. It did not contain a single Scot. Only two, Scott Brown and Paul Caddis, were on a bench populated by players from Poland, Denmark, Greece and China.

It would have been Mowbray's fifth team selection in a row without a Scot had Caddis not started last week against Hibs and is a measure of the massive transformation the manager is imposing on the squad he inherited from Gordon Strachan.

Centre-backs Gary Caldwell and Stephen McManus, who have both captained the club, departed during the transfer window along with another Scotland international, Barry Robson. All three were mainstays of Strachan's team, and if Mowbray's policy of recruiting players from all over the world is going to work it will take time. Lots of it, if Tuesday night is anything to go by.

The 1-0 defeat at Rugby Park was the 11th in 36 competitive games since Mowbray took charge and leaves Celtic ten points behind Rangers with 15 games to play in the SPL.

The captaincy was passed to Dutchman Glenn Loovens on Tuesday. For the past few weeks, the armband has been worn by an Irishman, Darren O'Dea, who spent the first half of the season on loan at Reading, where he hardly played. Brown's return from injury on Tuesday – he came on a left-back – gives Mowbray a Scottish option in midfield, but he is another of Strachan's signings.

As they struggle to keep up with Rangers, former Celtic midfielder John Collins believes the current team needs Scottish leadership. "As a manager and a supporter you would always want the spine of your team, your key players, to be local lads and to come through the system. That's the ideal scenario," said the former Hibs manager.

"Celtic fans love nothing better than to have a local hero but at the same time they love a superstar foreign player, eg Henrik Larsson.

"I'm sure they're working behind the scenes looking for the next young Scottish player that's going to lead the team. That is what they're missing: a real leader on the park to galvanise the team and drive them forward."

Robbie Keane was one of two debutants in Tuesday's starting XI, which featured just five players who were at the club last season.

But according to Mowbray's marquee summer signing, Marc-Antoine Fortune, the huge turnover of personnel "is not a problem." The French Guiana striker said: "We need time, but, as I say, it's only top players in the team. We know what we have to do, so we will do it."

Even if Celtic were to win the last two Old Firm derbies of the season, they would still need Rangers to slip up badly to win the title race. "Now we have to win every game that is coming," says Fortune. "It will be difficult but we can do it. Why not? We've shown that we are a big team, play very well and have a lot of chances. We have to complete that with goals and not conceding. We will do it, I'm confident about that."

Tuesday's defeat came less than 24 hours after Celtic's title hopes appeared to be reignited by the signing of Robbie Keane. The on-loan Tottenham striker had a debut to forget at Rugby Park, but Fortune backed the man who has cost a combined 70million in his career to come good.

"Robbie's a top player and he showed it," Fortune added. "We are very happy that he's signed for Celtic. He will bring something more for the team and he's a good signing."

He added: "To win the title you need a lot of character. We have to show that we want to win."

Mowbray's misery on Tuesday was compounded by injuries to Andreas Hinkel and Jos Hooiveld and a booking for Aiden McGeady that sees him suspended for the 20 February clash with Dundee United.