Gavin Strachan vows to be his own man in coaching role at Celtic

Gavin Strachan has vowed to be himself in his new role at Celtic after revealing his father never gave him any advice about going to the club.

Celtic’s new first-team coach witnessed some big nights at Parkhead when Gordon Strachan was in charge and got an insight into the pressures of managing in Glasgow.

But the 41-year-old never sought or received any fatherly wisdom before making the move from Peterborough assistant manager to become part of Neil Lennon’s coaching team.

When asked if his father had given him advice, Strachan told Celtic TV: “He hasn’t, he would never do that. He never does that anyway.

“I was lucky enough to be there in some of the big nights during that period. I remember Nakamura’s free-kick against Man United in the Champions League, a night I was lucky enough to be there, and also Vennegoor’s winning header against Dundee United to secure the title, I was there as well.

“So I know the atmosphere, I know what it means to everybody.  I am just excited to try and bring more of those nights to the fans and the club.

“It’s the motivation for anyone joining the club to be part of those big nights and big nights of pressure. Just feeling the stadium when it’s like that is such a pull and such an exciting part for anyone involved in football.”

Strachan, who has replaced Damien Duff, added: “I hope to be myself, and not try and replicate anything that has been before, and just add ingredients to the management team.

“Everyone has got their own characteristics, and hopefully me being myself will be a positive addition to that team.”

Strachan’s previous coaching experience has mostly been as assistant to Darren Ferguson, the son of his father’s former Aberdeen, Scotland and Manchester United manager.

“You have to challenge yourself, you’ve got try and come out of your comfort zone, which is clearly what I’m doing,” he said.

“It’s not lost on me just what an important year it is. I could have shied away from that and carried on in a job that was very comfortable and I was very happy with. But I’m really motivated and excited by the challenge ahead.

“My remit is, obviously, all about winning at a club like Celtic. But there’s also a development side to it as well.

“We are very keen to develop our own players, and that’s a big part of my background in coaching and that’s something that I’m very, very keen to do. The challenge is to align that within a winning culture and a winning philosophy.”