Gordon Strachan's "wit" is just plain old rudeness

One of my journalistic colleagues described Middlesbrough's new boss Gordon Strachan as "a breath of fresh air" prior to his appointment.

That may have been a wind-up because as I discovered at the Riverside on Monday there were plenty of cynics who branded his peculiar brand of humour as "a whiff of poison."

The BBC's Dawn Thewlis' intelligent attempts to tease any sort of an answer from the evasive Strachan were met with a barrage of monosyllabic replies that didn't do him any credit whatsoever.

And even yours truly was subjected to the legendary Strachan "wit." "You look a lot worse than your picture in the paper- must have been taken a long time ago," he said.

With that sort of attitude, wee Gordon better make sure he wins a lot of football matches.



Which classic football manager are you? Take our test

Follow MirrorFootball on Twitter for breaking news, the latest opinions and fun stuff throughout the day

Get the best priced tickets to the best games at Mirror Tickets.

Win two tickets to see Fulham vs Man City with Mirror Football.

Your comments

Related content

Why Hodgson is a better manager than Mourinho, who is not the genius his Fleet Street fan club have made him out to be
    Steven Gerrard and John Terry acting like they are a law unto themselves is setting a terrible example
      Dowie may claim he isn't a gamble for Hull, but his chequered CV suggests otherwise
        The utter contempt the TV companies have for football fans has gone far enough - it's time to take a stand
          Rafa's team now look like Liverpool did at the end of Houllier's reign - and Benitez's time is surely up
            American owners may not be popular in Manchester or Liverpool but Sunderland's Ellis Short is a hero
              How UEFA let fans down by failing to tackle debtor clubs like Man United and Liverpool
                Why Sunderland need Darren Bent to start scoring again if they're to have a Tweet in hell's chance of staying up
                  Portsmouth farce exposes the Premier League's rules as sham

                    Latest opinions

                    Column

                    Roy Hodgson wins my vote to be England's next boss after his Fulham heroics

                    Mark Lawrenson 05:05 20/03/10

                        Roy Hodgson has earned himself legendary status at Fulham – and put himself in the frame for the Eng... Read More+

                        Column

                        Way Beck will be very hard for David, but there's still time for Hargreaves to win World Cup call

                        Mark Lawrenson 05:03 20/03/10

                            It's hard to see David Beckham being able to come back to the same level after his devastating Achil... Read More+

                            Column

                            Why the future is looking torrid for Liverpool, plus Dowie is too late to save Hull

                            Mark Lawrenson 05:00 20/03/10

                                Fernando Torres has been linked to moves away from Liverpool – and if Rafa Benitez goes or the Reds ... Read More+

                                Column

                                Why Abramovich is paying a high price for meddling with Mourinho's team

                                Brian Reade 23:02 19/03/10

                                    I reckon real Chelsea fans excused the nation its face-splitting grin on Wednesday night.The plastic... Read More+

                                    Column

                                    Why Riera's World Cup dream is just that, and Avram Grant might have the last laugh

                                    Brian Reade 23:01 19/03/10

                                        Albert Riera has told Spanish radio that Rafa Benitez's refusal to play him for Liverpool is jeopard... Read More+

                                        Column

                                        The real reason why Hull appointed Dowie, and why Keano should think about giving up

                                        Brian Reade 23:00 19/03/10

                                            On the surface Ian Dowie looks a bizarre choice to keep Hull in the top flight. He's had three goes ... Read More+

                                            Blog

                                            Bayern, eh? Bloody hell!

                                            Mirror Football Blog 22:50 19/03/10

                                                David McDonnellSir Alex Ferguson will relive his finest hour after Manchester United were drawn agai... Read More+

                                                Blog

                                                Arsenal's Champions League clash with Barca is one for the sadists - not purists

                                                Betting Blog 22:30 19/03/10

                                                    You've got to think Barcelona won't be happy drawing Arsenal in the Champions League - they'll be ab... Read More+

                                                    Blog

                                                    Get in the mood for United v Liverpool with these amazing unseen pictures from our archive

                                                    Mirror Football Blog 18:17 19/03/10

                                                        Liverpool travel to Old Trafford on Sunday for what could well be a season-defining encounter for bo... Read More+

                                                        Blog

                                                        3PM Extra: The best things we've found on the internet today - Friday, March 19, 2010

                                                        Football Banter 15:25 19/03/10

                                                            We don't know if the internet's funny guys are all watching the Cheltenham Gold Cup or what, but the... Read More+

                                                            Blog

                                                            The Plugger vs...The Rifles

                                                            Football Banter 14:49 19/03/10

                                                                You know how it is with celebrities these days - they're always trying to flog you something. Well, ... Read More+

                                                                Column

                                                                The Champions League draw has turned the competition into a Man United job audition

                                                                Simon Mullock 13:49 19/03/10

                                                                    Two of the men being touted as successors to Sir Alex Ferguson could go head-to-head with the Manche... Read More+

                                                                    Does Carlo Ancelotti now have to win the title to keep his job?

                                                                    Latest columnists

                                                                    Mark Lawrenson

                                                                    Mark Lawrenson Read more from Mark Lawrenson

                                                                    Brian Reade

                                                                    Brian Reade Read more from Brian Reade

                                                                    Simon Mullock

                                                                    Simon Mullock Read more from Simon Mullock

                                                                    Brian McNally

                                                                    Brian McNally Read more from Brian McNally

                                                                    Ian Winwood

                                                                    Ian Winwood Read more from Ian Winwood

                                                                    Latest blogs

                                                                    Bayern, eh? Bloody hell! - Mirror Football Blog
                                                                      Arsenal's Champions League clash with Barca is one for the sadists - not purists - Betting Blog
                                                                        Get in the mood for United v Liverpool with these amazing unseen pictures from our archive - Mirror Football Blog
                                                                          3PM Extra: The best things we've found on the internet today - Friday, March 19, 2010 - Football Banter
                                                                            The Plugger vs...The Rifles - Football Banter
                                                                              'This is where it starts to matter, where every game counts' - Martin Lipton previews a crucial weekend in the title race - Mirror Football Blog
                                                                                Listen to the new MirrorFootball podcast - March 19, 2010 - Mirror Football Blog
                                                                                  Follow the Europa League draw LIVE - Mirror Football Blog