‘Hardest job in British football’ – What’s it like to manage one of the Old Firm?

In a city where football is everything, escaping the spotlight is nigh-on impossible.

Many Celtic and Rangers managers of the past have elected to live outside Glasgow – Souness stayed in Edinburgh – to try to escape what is commonly referred to as the goldfish bowl of a divided city.

However, the likes of Brendan Rodgers, Philippe Clement, Ange Postecoglou and Steven Gerrard did all live in the city or its surroundings.

Whether your team is winning or losing, the punters on the street will not be slow in sharing their feedback.

“The whole west of Scotland thing, if you’re not brought up in it, is mind-blowing,” Gordon Strachan, who managed Celtic between 2005 and 2009, said.

“You’re either one or the other and that goes through all walks of life. It’s quite a claustrophobic environment to work in.”

The late Walter Smith is one of the most revered figures in Rangers’ history, the chief architect of the all-conquering side that swept all before them domestically in the 1990s and delivered nine consecutive league titles.

Smith carried an aura of strength and authority but even he felt the strain of a job that comes with pressure like few others.

“There are five million people in Scotland and football is the biggest thing,” Smith said, speaking of a time before social media.

“Although you look at the [English] Premier League and say it’s a bigger environment media-wise, it’s nothing in comparison to Rangers and Celtic. It’s a claustrophobic environment to work in.

“A manager is there a lot of the time to protect his players and try to make sure they don’t get badly affected by the levels of criticism.

“A lot of the boys are really surprised at being put under the microscope. They can play in Scotland for a number of years and then they join the Old Firm and their performances are dissected and analysed and criticised.

“You have got to be prepared to take a fair amount of criticism.”