Gordon Strachan on his unlikely friendship with multi-million selling music icon

FORMER Scotland and Celtic manager Gordon Strachan has revealed he swapped fan mail with music legend Neil Diamond.

Strachan, 68, struck up a friendship with the Sweet Caroline singer after a chance encounter in a luxury hotel.

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The ex-Aberdeen and Manchester United hero said he had been on Scotland duties when Diamond booked into the plush Mar Hall hotel near Glasgow.

The five-star venue was a regular choice for international team breaks and led to the pair becoming unlikely pals.

Strachan said: “It was after training and Mar Hall has these lovely big windows and the sun was coming in.

“I realised Neil Diamond was in and he’s a hero of mine.

“I was sitting with Mark McGhee and the rest of the coaches and Neil was sitting with his missus.

“Mark was saying ‘go and speak to him’ and I was saying, ‘no, he’s having a great time and doesn’t get much peace’.

“We never said anything but I met his manager and ended up writing a letter to him.”

He added: “It said: ‘I’m Gordon Strachan and I’m a huge fan and your music has helped me through my career, welcome to Scotland, I sat next to you only yesterday’.

“About eight hours later his manager said, ‘Here is a letter for you, it’s from Neil Diamond’.

“It said: ‘Thanks for the words, ironically I had been saying to my wife I wanted to speak to these people who look like soccer coaches and ask them what they’re doing’.”

Strachan told his ex-Man Utd teammate Brian McClair’s podcast: “The next morning he came up and said thanks for the letter and offered me seats for his show.

“I had to say no as we had a Scotland game but I did already have tickets to see you in Birmingham.

“So when I’m at the Birmingham show a guy came up saying are you Mr Strachan?

“He said ‘this is from Neil’ and gave me books and t-shirts all signed by Neil Diamond.”

Strachan played for Dundee, Aberdeen, Man Utd, Leeds United and Coventry City.

He was part of the Aberdeen side that defeated Real Madrid 2–1 to lift the 1983 European Cup Winners’ Cup in Gothenburg

Strachan was inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame in 2007 and named Scotland national coach in 2013.

McClair’s Life with Brian podcast has featured a string of guests including comedian Jonathan Watson and Deacon Blue singer Ricky Ross.

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