I understand Mowbray: Gordon Strachan says only he and Martin O'Neill can empathise with Celtic boss. Pic: © SNS Group
Middlesbrough manager Gordon Strachan has said the pressure on Tony Mowbray is greater than on some of the club’s previous managers due to the internet. The ex-Parkhead boss says only he and Martin O’Neill can truly understand Mowbray’s position and remembers the difficult times he endured during his time as Celtic boss.
Mowbray is currently plotting to overcome Kilmarnock at Rugby Park in the Scottish Cup this weekend as he aims to win a trophy in his first season. His Celtic side trail Rangers by 13 points in the SPL and media attention and talk on internet forums have added to the pressure the manager finds himself under.
Strachan said the increasing number of media outlets and sites for opinion mean only those who have occupied the hotseat in recent years can understand Mowbray’s frustration.
"It's only Martin O'Neill and myself who can truly empathise with the Celtic manager because the internet and other outlets now are so huge and varied," Strachan told the Evening Times. "It's maybe only since Martin's time in charge that it has got to be this huge monster.
"There are things which happen on the internet and in the media, and you have no real answer to them. You just have to sit back and accept it's there. There's no-one to sue a lot of the time.
"I would never go anywhere near this stuff. But it's not actually you that reads it on the internet, it's the media who see it there.They then bring things to the fore, leaving you to ask: 'Where did that come from?'
"As Celtic manager, you protect yourself by ignoring it. That's all you can do."
Strachan was in charge at Celtic Park for four years, during which time he won six trophies and took the club into the knockout stages of the Champions league. However, he revealed that the disappointments were difficult to bear and recalled one of his most difficult times in management.
"I know what it can be like right at the start," he said. "We drew 4-4 with Motherwell a few days after losing 5-0 in Bratislava, and I don't know if you can get any lower than that.
"In these moments, as anyone will find, it determines your character as a manager. Early in your career as a player, you will get these moments where you think, this is as low as it gets.
"But you come back from it. Somehow you get up and go again. You also do that as a manager."
