Gordon Strachan has told furious Celtic fans they did not get a reaction after protesting Dermot Desmond - and have "achieved nothing" amid an escalating row.
Protest at St Andrews
Supporters in balaclavas took the protest to principal shareholder Desmond during the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in St Andrews. The Irishman was competing at the golf event, and after his round was disrupted the club latest called out the Celtic Fans Collective - who released a statement of the protests alongside videos and pictures of the event.
Ultras group the Green Brigade and the club's Trust have also taken vocal stances against the board following the incident.
Strachan's Response
But former Hoops manager Strachan worked closely with principal shareholder Desmond during his spell as boss - with the pair publicly sharing their admiration for each other over the years.
Strachan told BOYLE Sports: "There are appropriate ways for supporters to express frustration, but throwing objects or disrupting events crosses the line. Open communication is essential here. Both sides need to understand each other's challenges before constructive discussions can happen. Crossing into hostile behaviour accomplishes nothing. That's no way to start any conversation."
Betdaq Sale
The comments come after Desmond sold off his betting exchange business Betdaq to Matchbook. The company was founded in 2000 by Desmond and was among the earliest betting exchanges in the world, serving exchange bettors for over a quarter of a century.
While the figures behind the sale have not been revealed, Desmond previously sold the business to Ladbrokes for £25million in 2013 but bought it back eight years later from Ladbrokes' parent company Entain.
Ronan McDonagh, CEO of Matchbook, said on the deal with Desmond: "Our first priority through this transition is Betdaq's customers: their funds are safe, their options are clear, and in one combined pool they should find better prices and deeper liquidity than either exchange could offer alone. Everything we are doing — this deal included — is about making the exchange first choice."
