Strachan takes over at Celtic but unable to celebrate

New Celtic manager Gordon Strachan said he was unable to celebrate securing the job yesterday after taking over from Martin O'Neill, who stepped down to care for his sick wife.

"The Strachans know the O'Neills well and it's hard to celebrate when the situation that's brought me here is not a great situation," former Scotland international and Southampton manager Strachan said.

"If I could swap places and with a healthy Geraldine I would do that, so it is very hard to celebrate, but I am very excited about the job."

O'Neill, whose wife Geraldine has cancer, bowed out by lifting the Scottish Cup on Saturday, his seventh trophy in five years, with his last game at Celtic on Sunday for long-serving defender Jackie McNamara's testimonial.

Strachan, 48, joins Celtic Park on a 12-month rolling contract.

He said O'Neill would be a hard act to follow.

"I am proud to be asked because obviously the board know it is a hard job to take over from Martin.

"If you had asked me five or six years ago to do it then I would have known it was too much for me. But now I know it is not too much for me and I look forward to it, it's exciting."

Asked of his targets, Strachan said: "I just want to win. This is a fantastic opportunity to become a better manager. I now have to test myself on that European front.

"When I left Southampton I felt I had done my apprenticeship at that level and now I have to stretch myself on a European level and that will be good. I'm looking forward to it. European nights are special nights."

Celtic, who finished second in the Scottish championship behind Rangers, will compete in the Champions League qualifying round.

Strachan said he wants to keep McNamara and Neil Lennon.

"Jackie McNamara must stay at the club. When you bring people along to Celtic you have to have examples of how a Celtic player behaves on the pitch. I can tell them about it, but they have to have an example."