New Celtic signing opens up about life at the club

One new Celtic FC arrival is starting to settle nicely and getting to know his players well ahead of the 10-in-a-row campaign.

It’s never easy joining a new club and getting used to how things work and of course the new set of players you have to adjust to, especially at a huge club like Celtic. We’ve seen the likes of Marian Shved apparently struggle with moves, so when it starts well, that’s a really great sign for the future.

Talking to Glasgow Times Celtic’s new first team coach Gavin Strachan seems really pleased with his early days settling in at the club. He’s getting to know the players and used to the new role.

He sees the forthcoming French friendlies as great for the team spirit and getting match experience pre-season at a quality level. Clearly the team will have excellent opposition in Lyon, Nice and Paris Saint-Germaine, but the time the squad will spend together will also be invaluable. As a coach the French trip and matches will also help him settle in and get to know the players even better. Though he feels he is off to a good start so far:

"“It’s amazing how comfortable I feel already. It’s only been ten days of actual training so far but I feel like I know all the guys quite well already.Strachan takes about observing how it all works at Celtic and seeing a real continuity of approach, well practised drills and routines for the training sessions. He’s definitely impressed with what he has seen so far and likes the attitude and set up that’s in place already.“It’s been great, I’ve really been enjoying it. I think for anyone joining a new club of this magnitude, in these times, would tell you it’s a bit of a whirlwind. You need to get used to a new way of working.“But everybody has made me feel extremely welcome. The players and the staff have been excellent and as the days have gone by I’ve been able to do what I do. The players have been able to figure out what I’m all about and that makes it a little bit easier.”"

Settling in is something he is very used to, both as a player and then as a coach. He saw similarities with when joining previous clubs Doncaster and Peterborough where he coached. It’s a big step up to take in joining Celtic and he knows that, but also reflects that the basic work is about football, so there is some commonality.

Strachan brings new ideas and experiences, although he replaced Damien Duff who built a terrific reputation as a coach over a short period, Strachan has the potential and the network to do likewise with Lennon and Kennedy there to provide support where required.