THE Celtic dressing room into which the quietly-spoken Amido Balde, and the other new arrivals expected to be acquired this summer transfer window, will enter is packed full of character – and winners.

Claiming back-to-back titles, and adding the league and cup double last month, gives each and every one of Neil Lennon's squad the right to stand loud and proud.

However, when it comes to outspoken personalities, this ostensibly young group still have some way to go before they can rival the battle- hardened Hoops team of a decade ago.

Lennon and his assistant, Johan Mjallby, were two of the figureheads in the team that won repeatedly under Martin O'Neill. And the pair recognise how important it is to replicate the kind of atmosphere in which they thrived, where everyone gives as good as they get and bond as a result.

When scouting players, the Hoops management team look not only for ability, but also the personality to be able to hold your own and thrive in such an environment.

Mjallby said: "It has always been important for us to bring in this winning mentality we used to have.

"And it is there, even if with this young team we have sometimes been a bit naive and a bit inconsistent."

Huge steps in drawing some of the quieter players out of their shells were taken in last season's Champions League run and the current crop have grown closer as a result.

Mjallby believes a character-full dressing room translates to strength on the field – and the Swede has been delighted to see a number of the players new to the club in the past couple of seasons start to emerge as real personalities.

The 42-year-old said: "When I was playing, we had Neil and the likes of Chris Sutton, John Hartson, Henrik Larsson, myself and Bobo Balde. Joos Valgaeren was a character as well.

"So there were a lot of different characters, guys with strong personalities and strong mentalities. There was a lot of experience in there, a lot of international players. That was probably a trademark."

For Mjallby, the perfect marriage would be the experience and mentality of O'Neill's side and the footballing quality and potential of the team built by Lennon.

"If I compare the team I work with now, it probably sometimes plays better football than we used to do," he admitted.

"However, we were good at grinding out results, even when things were really not going for us.

"We always found a way to win games, and that is probably proof you were playing for a very strong team."

Mjallby collected three SPL titles, two Scottish Cups and two League Cups with that stellar group, not to mention competing in the 2003 Uefa Cup final against Porto.

Nevertheless, he knows other trophies were allowed to slip through their fingers, as has happened with the current crew – like the League Cup in the past two seasons.

And the former defender is trying to instil into this group the need to be utterly ruthless when prizes are on the line.

Mjallby said: "I was involved in a very good and successful era for us, and I was immensely proud to have had the chance to play for that team.

"At the same time, I always had some regrets we did not do more in Europe because we actually had a team that should have done more there.

"We should also probably have won more domestically.

"We won a right few trophies, but you always have this little regret we could have done more as a team. It was a successful era for the club, but that is what we expect here."

It is this expectation which can smother some players who try to integrate into the Celtic side. And again, this is where strength of character is so important – as Balde will quickly discover.

Mjallby told Celtic TV: "If you play for a club like Celtic, you are expected to win things.

"That's a pressure you should be proud to have. It is great because it means you are going to need to get really strong, mentality-wise, and always be ready to sacrifice yourself to win things."

Fresh from helping Vitoria Guimaraes win the Portuguese Cup, Balde is reputed to be a 22-year-old who likes to do his talking on the pitch.

But with men like Scott Brown and Charlie Mulgrew waiting to greet him, he will soon discover being one of the Bhoys begins in the dressing room.