Celtic legend Gordon Strachan asks why managers must answer to people ‘wearing masks & punching police’ amid short reigns for Wilfried Nancy & Ange Postecoglou

In an era where supporters can air their grievances louder than ever, as social media is often used as a measuring stick for in-house discontent, short reigns in the dugout are becoming ever more prevalent.

There have been instances of that on both sides of Glasgow in 2025-26, with Nancy being ushered through the exits at Celtic Park a matter of weeks after his arrival from MLS, while Russell Martin was sacked by Rangers in October after 17 games at the helm.

In England, Postecoglou failed to win any of his eight matches in charge of Forest - with the Reds also moving through Sean Dyche and onto their fourth manager of the season - while Graham Potter and Thomas Frank are among those to have been dumped by West Ham and Tottenham respectively.

Ex-Manchester United and Leeds midfielder Strachan knows all about the pressure of coaching at the highest level - having worked in club and international management - and is concerned about how much influence supporters now have on decisions that are made at boardroom level.

He witnessed ugly scenes at Ibrox on Sunday as fans from opposing sides of the fierce Old Firm divide invaded the pitch and became embroiled in scuffles that have been branded “despicable”.

Speaking in association with Covers.com soccer betting, Strachan - who spent four years in charge of Celtic between 2005 and 2009 - told GOAL when asked if owners are bowing to supporter pressure as they do not want to become targets of anger themselves: “It could be that, but you also get impatient owners too, so it really depends on the individuals in charge of clubs.

“On the topic of fan pressure – we saw supporters from both Celtic and Rangers enter the field on Sunday and cause violence. These people running on the pitch are the same people who are on social media demanding managers and chairmen to get sacked. They’re the people us as managers have to answer to. Honestly, just think about that for a second – those are the people who are questioning our ability to be managers, wearing masks and punching police.

“When journalists get together to write about managers and members of a club’s board, and they say, ‘the fans are unhappy’, are you talking about that group of people who were almost fighting each other on the pitch? It’s a mad world we live in that we have to answer to those people. I find it really difficult when someone says, ‘the fans are thinking this’, because we’ve just had a brief glimpse of the type of people they really are.”

Celtic are back working under the guidance of Martin O’Neill, as he takes charge on an interim basis for the second time this season. There will be a permanent role to be filled there over the summer, while the likes of Spurs and Manchester United are also in the market for full-time head coaches as they seek to deliver on the expectations of demanding fan bases.