Gordon Strachan has admitted he did not feel like part of the Celtic family during his time as manager.
The former Hoops boss enjoyed major success in Glasgow, winning three league titles, domestic trophies and taking Celtic into the last 16 of the Champions League.
He was taking over from Martin O’Neill, a manager who had built a powerful bond with the Celtic crowd and delivered some of the most memorable years in the club’s modern history.
For Strachan, the start was very different.
Speaking about his arrival at Celtic, he said: (Midnite Sports), “My appearance there was, you could call it underwhelming. Brendan Rodgers got 20,000 people when he signed. I got about 20 and there was 10 of them going to the megastore just for some strips.
“So it was, I was not the popular choice, that’s for sure. Normally when you join a club people go, ‘Oh, that’s good, new manager.’ But at Celtic it was far from that.”
Strachan also admitted his past as an Aberdeen player did not help the way he was viewed by some supporters.
He added: “I thought they might have forgot after 20 odd years that I was kind of arch enemy of Celtic Football Club when I played for Aberdeen.”
That made the job even more difficult at the beginning.
Strachan had to follow O’Neill, rebuild the squad, reduce the wage bill and still win the league. He has spoken before about needing time to understand the demands of Celtic and how different the job was from others he had taken.
But even as results improved and trophies followed, he still felt he was fighting for acceptance.
Asked if things had started to turn after his first Old Firm win, Strachan said: “The tide turned about three years ago when I meet Celtic fans now. It’s great. They’ve been great.
“But no, at that time I still felt I was up against it as an outsider. I didn’t feel like part of the family, which they call the Celtic family. I do feel part of it now.
“But then again, as I said to you, it’s funny that you become part of the family because you win things and all the rest. I was working as hard when we were getting beat at the beginning of the season. I was still working harder than I ever was, but wins change it for you as a person.”
It is a revealing comment from a manager whose Celtic record has arguably been appreciated more with time.
Three league titles in a row, memorable European nights against Manchester United and AC Milan, and a squad that included players such as Shunsuke Nakamura, Artur Boruc, Scott Brown and Aiden McGeady should never be dismissed.
Yet Strachan has always been honest about the fact his relationship with the Celtic support was not straightforward at the time.
Later in the interview, he reflected on his overall spell at the club and admitted: “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world and I’ve got some great friends.
“The thing about it is, I’m now part of that family, this Celtic family, and I quite like that.”
Strachan may not have felt fully embraced when he was in the dugout, but he now sees himself as part of the wider Celtic story.
There is also a current connection through his son, Gavin Strachan, who has become a long-serving member of the Celtic first-team coaching staff.
For Gordon Strachan, the warmth may have come later than expected.
But looking back now, his Celtic spell stands as one of success, resilience and, in the end, acceptance.
I’m from Uddingston Seen gordon with his wife one Sunday afternoon on the main st when he was the manager and wished him a good day He totally blanked me Very rude person if you ask me
I actually experienced the same rudeness – inside Celtic Park, when I was once a guest at a Hibs match and Strachan was the Celtic manager. He is not a nice person at all.