The sprouting of angel wings and the clutching of a few vials’ worth of fairy dust would be as much a giveaway as the Jimmy Nail drawl.

Little wonder the Celtic manager adopted a policy of unwavering modesty, to the point of sounding downbeat, after ending Celtic’s long, lamentable wait for their own version of VE Day with an invigorating win against Dynamo Moscow in the Arena Khimki on Wednesday night.

The hectic rush to pass judgment has left the new man a little bewildered, not least because of the broad brushstrokes applied by a curious and ever cynical media, combined with the utter thrall of the 19 supporters who joined Celtic on their charter to Moscow. It is as though his previous stewardship at West Bromwich Albion and Hibernian had never happened, or just been blithely ignored.

In truth, there is an element of snobbery attached to the outpouring of shock at the sight of his Celtic team swaggering about a district of one of Europe’s most intimidating cities: that it is permissible to play so fancifully at the Hawthorns and Easter Road (heck, they ain’t going to win the big prizes, are they?) but not Celtic, not amid a financial recession and subsequent qualitative downturn.

Mowbray has displayed a healthy contempt for the doom-laden prophecies surrounding a rather grubby and unedifying Scottish football environment. Since the first-leg defeat to Dynamo at Celtic Park, he has been equally dismissive of the anxieties and concerns of those -- this writer included -- who dared to broach the subject of tactical pragmatism in Russia or perpetuated the tedious, week-long debate on Scott Brown’s readiness.

Wednesday night was the validation of all he has said and done. Brown, as he had hinted, was never going to start. It will take a while for those accustomed to Gordon Strachan’s forked-tongue approach to the pythons of the press to get used to such openness without suspicion. His players had better not get too comfortable, after he revealed that following three years of studious renovation, only two players who had welcomed him to West Brom were still there to say goodbye.

The early signings at Celtic have been encouraging, though it already appears unlikely that Marc Crosas, Willo Flood or Koki Mizuno will play any kind of meaningful part in the grand plan. Both Dr John Reid, the chairman, and Peter Lawwell, the chief executive, made special mention of the men who cost money this summer in their own post-match assessments. Landry N’Guemo, who cost a £100,000 loan fee for the season, already looks a gem. Mercifully for Lawwell, he secured a fixed price with Nancy for any future transfer of a player whose reputation enhances with every appearance.

Danny Fox, at this early stage, makes a mockery of Strachan’s stock answer that it would cost around £8m to find a suitable replacement for Lee Naylor. Then there is Marc-Antoine Fortune. Described as “of a type”, the £3.8m striker has quickly proved himself to be a neat link-up man, a fine athlete, but most certainly not a prolific goalscorer. Many a manager would dissuade him from being so unselfish, and restrict him to the perimeter of the penalty box to justify the outlay in more tangible terms, but not the Celtic manager.

There will be pitfalls ahead and Mowbray was only half-joking when he said defeat to Manchester City on Saturday would send the pendulum swinging back towards crisis mode. He is prepared for the setbacks ahead but in the event of repeated failings, he will -- within the financial parameters -- be more inclined to change faces than shapes. He has stated his intention to remodel his squad over the course of the next three transfer windows. Having earlier promoted the idea that one of the club’s assets may have to be moved on to strengthen other areas, negotiating the final hurdle to the Champions League would effectively eliminate such a scenario.

It is widely stated he needs another striker, a more natural goal-getter than Fortune and a swifter alternative to Scott McDonald. Such all-round expertise costs the kind of money beyond Celtic’s means but the beauty of Mowbray’s management skills is his ability to manipulate the raw materials. Georgios Samaras was a figure of ridicule at Manchester City and has improved to erratic enigma at Celtic Park. The poise and precision displayed inside the penalty box in the final minutes in Moscow show that the Greek has more to his game than he is given credit for. He is also only 24, well within Mowbray’s catchment age for remodelling.

Defensively, Gary Caldwell has responded with typical diligence to the new approach, one that places a heavier emphasis on the often exposed centre-backs. The way he shepherded his full-backs, Andreas Hinkel and Fox, into position in Moscow was a lesson in football intelligence. Whether Mowbray regards Glenn Loovens or Stephen McManus as suitable long-term partners for the new leader -- though Mowbray has yet to decide on his captain -- is yet unknown.

Today, he will discover the next challenge to his ambitions as Celtic manager. Wednesday’s result showed there is more substance to this Parkhead era than simply keeping up appearances.