MORE than 2000 angry fans demonstrated outside Parkhead last night when it became clear that Tommy Burns had been sacked as Celtic manager after three years which could be described as eventful, as well as turbulent.

On a warm summer evening, the crowd swelled and the atmosphere got ugly as two Celtic lawyers left at 8pm followed half an hour later by Burns himself, escorted by four policemen.

The crowd had been chanting the manager's name and had been asking: ''Fergus, Fergus, what's the score?'' but no answers were forthcoming at that stage. It was left to Celtic's public relations manager Peter McLean to read the statement to the press, while a growing number of police tried to quell the crowd.

Press and media had to leave by rear exits and, whatever Fergus McCann's escape route was from the stadium, it may not be as easy to find a route back to pacifying his supporters.

Burns, it is believed, was offered a job as a coach which would have allowed him to carry on under managing director McCann but it is understood he was not enamoured by the new arrangement and decided he could not accept.

The consequence is that the manager, whose contract runs out at the end of next month, has been dismissed and is no longer connected with the club. Assistant Billy Stark will be in charge for the last two games. Now the speculation will become intense regarding a successor. Already, names have been plentiful, including Bobby Robson and Terry Venables, but perhaps Celtic will look to one of the most experienced of foreign coaches, in Dutchman, Leo Beenhaker.

For the moment, the club statement from Mr McCann confined itself to the immediate happenings, saying: ''It is with regret that I announce that Celtic has decided to release Tommy Burns from the remainder of his contract which runs until July 13, 1997, and will be honoured by the club.

''Tommy will be leaving immediately but we intend to discuss with him our future plans and we hope he may be able to assist the club in a consultancy assignment as we make the transition to a new football management structure.''

Celtic will hold a press conference this morning at 11am to expand on their plans for what they call ''the future of the football operation.''

Whether this will pacify the folk outside Parkhead last night is debatable. Celtic lawyers left at 8pm followed half an hour later by Burns himself, escorted by four policemen.

It was left to Celtic's public relations manager, Peter McLean, to read the statement, while a growing number of police tried to quell the crowd. Press and media had to leave by rear exits and whatever McCann's escape route was from the stadium it may not be as easy to find a route back to pacify his supporters.

The decision to dismiss Burns will come as no great surprise, considering the machinations of recent weeks during which the manager expressed his concern about the fact that a new contract had not been offered.

That sparked off a ping-pong row when McCann insisted that no decisions about the manager's future would be taken until a complete review was undertaken at the end of the season.

However, it seems that, following the defeat by Falkirk in the Scottish Cup semi-final, the deadline for decision was moved forward and, while he was offered a place in the restructured set-up envisaged by Celtic, Burns perhaps did not think it allowed him to continue in a position which suited a man who had been manager for the past three years.

The tension between Burns and McCann, who ironically was fined by the SFA for ''poaching'' the Kilmarnock manager three summers ago, became evident after the club's succcess in the Scottish Cup in his first season.

Burns came close to resigning at that point, complaining about the way football matters were run, but a compromise was reached and a new beginning promised.

However, the relationship has never quite gelled and when the team lost 1-0 to Rangers at Parkhead on March 16 in what, effectively, was the premier-division decider, the vibes from Parkhead insisted that the manager would be asked to take on another role, with a foreign leader being apppointed.

However, whatever comes next, the parting comes at the end of a remakable week, even by the standards of Celtic, since Mr McCann took over just over three years ago.

Director Willie Haughey resigned after allegations that he had leaked information detrimental to the club, secretary Dominic Keane followed suit in protest at the way Haughey was removed and the subsequent debate has dominated Celtic fans and shareholders' waking hours.