The nightmare started early on when Chris Sutton suffered a fractured cheekbone after a collision with Celtic captain Neil Lennon and was replaced by Rep of Ireland's Aiden McGeady after 13 minutes. McGeady may have wished he'd stayed on the bench as much worse was to follow as Celtic went on to concede 5 goals in what must be considered Celtics worst ever defeat in European football.
In truth, it was a truly awful display by McGeady and his Celtic team-mates. After the game Strachan couldn't hide his embarassment when he said;
"I have been a manager for eight years and a player for 25 and this is the worst night I have ever had."
"We've just got to suffer together. Whether we need a complete overhaul, we'll see over the next couple of weeks, but we have to analyse that game to see where we went wrong. Embarrassment is the strongest emotion right now and it's difficult to look anyone in the eye."
Strachan will need all his managerial skills and perhaps a healthy slice of luck if he is win over the Celtic faithful, some of whom are already calling for his head, in the coming season.
Hopefully the arrival of new signing Japanese midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura will provide the side with a much needed boost ahead of their league opener at Motherwell at the weekend.