Burley hits out at fans' 'ridiculous' criticism of Strachan

The Scotland manager George Burley claims it is "ridiculous" that Celtic fans are calling for the head of manager Gordon Strachan.

Strachan is under pressure after the 1-0 defeat against Rangers at Ibrox on Saturday left the champions six points behind their Glasgow rivals – who also have a game in hand.

Despite Strachan winning the Scottish Premier League title twice in succession after taking over from Martin O'Neill, and twice reaching the last 16 of the Champions League, many supporters refuse to cut the former Coventry City and Southampton manager any slack.

But Burley cannot understand those fans who would like to see Strachan out the door. "It's ridiculous," he said. "I think people tend to forget what Gordon Strachan has achieved at Celtic. The success he's had has been unbelievable, and there's still everything to play for in the League.

"Rangers have a chance of winning four honours – which is fantastic," Burley added. "But Walter Smith has already said there's nothing decided yet in the League, with two games still to be played at Parkhead.

"Celtic have played some tremendous football. I was at the Aberdeen game at Parkhead and Ibrox on Saturday, and they didn't take their chances. If you don't take the opportunities which come for you it can backfire – that's maybe happened the last few weeks."