Strachan: I Was Forced Into Dugout By Celts Critics

Mar 9 2008 By Mark Guidi

GORDON STRACHAN has revealed his disastrous start as Celtic boss forced him to swap the stand for the dugout so raging Hoops fans couldn't accuse him of hiding.

The 51-year-old will be back in the technical area at Pittodrie today after serving a two-game ban for "unacceptable conduct".

The Celtic gaffer was ordered to sit in the stand following his bust-up with a Dons steward during a 3-1 SPL win in August.

Strachan returns to the scene of the crime this afternoon and admits - despite fighting the SFA all the way over the incident - that he wasn't actually bothered by the ban that was eventually dished out.

The Hoops boss insists he actually enjoyed his stint away from pitch-side and that he wanted to avoid the dugout when he took over at Celtic.

But Gord had to change his plans after the calamitous 5-0 defeat to Artmedia Bratislava in his first game in charge in July 2005 put him under huge early pressure at Parkhead.

He explained: "I quite enjoyed it up in the stand. I used to do it at Coventry all the time, sit up there for the first half.

"I would have done it at Celtic off my own bat and sat there when I took over but because it was so turbulent in the first few months I couldn't do it as it might have looked as if I was hiding.

"Back then I had to be in the dugout and take everything that was coming at me."

The Hoops boss will be calling the shots from the side of the park again today and looks likely to throw Dutch midfielder Evander Sno (far right) into the action at Pittodrie. The 20-year-old replaced Massimo Donati at half-time against Barcelona in the Nou Camp in midweek and played well.

Sno has made only three starts this term but with Scott Brown suspended for the Scottish Cup clash the Dutch star has every chance of getting the nod.

However, Sno, who is contracted to Celtic until the summer of next year, admits he may be forced to ask for a move if he can't nail down a first-team place.

He said: "I'm still young and still learning but there may well come a time to consider what is best for your own future and see if there are clubs interested in you, loan deals or whatever.

"You don't get the same enjoyment from football when you are not playing.

"It has been frustrating for me. All I can do is train hard and try to take any chances that come my way.

"I was happy to get on against Barcelona and it was good to test myself at that level.

"I just want more games and at as high a level as possible in Europe and in the SPL."

The former Feyenoord ace also has an outside chance of being included in Marco van Basten's Holland squad at Euro 2008 this summer in Switzerland and Austria.

He'd love to be involved at the glamour event and said: "The manager has liked my performances for the national team and I can still make the squad.

"It would be better if I played more often for Celtic but we will wait and see. At this moment I have not given up hope.

"We also have the Olympics in the summer in China and that is something I will look at. I'd like to play at that level but I will have to take many things into consideration such as Celtic's pre-season schedule and the games I will have at club level at that time.

"It is always a highlight to play for the national team and with Bert van Marwijk coming in to take over from van Basten after Euro 2008 I will face a new challenge."