Glentoran owner Ali Pour says he was "surprised" by the backlash that followed Warren Feeney's appointment as manager.
Former Linfield boss Feeney was announced as Rodney McAree's successor last week.
The arrival has polarised opinion amongst fans on Mersey Street, and Pour admits he "didn't expect" such a negative reaction from some sections of the support.
Read more: Linfield announce new contract for manager David Healy
"Of course I was surprised by the backlash. I didn't expect that much," he said during a flying visit to the Oval on Tuesday.
"You always have a few fans on social media who can be quite toxic at times. But this was bigger than I was expecting.
"Warren deserves a chance. The fans have to get behind him and encourage him, and hopefully the results speak for themselves."
He added: "It is a new start again, with Warren coming in. He will have his ideas for sure, and we will be supportive of that.
"Hopefully we get the results we need."
Pour was brought to Glentoran by Mick McDermott back in 2019, and has invested over £1m in the East Belfast club since his arrival.
A close friend of Pour's, McDermott stepped down as manager back in January after some fans staged a car park protest following a poor run of results.
Pour insists the reaction from some supporters "crossed the line", and says McDermott - who remains a board member at the Oval - was left "devastated" by the unsavoury end to his tenure.
"When you are away, you probably don't feel it as much. I travel a lot, and then I am seeing car park protests and wondering 'is this normal?'," Pour said.
"It wasn't so much Mick, but his wife got abused in the car park. It shouldn't go that far.
"I appreciate passionate fans, and I respect the passion that is there. But sometimes people cross the line.
"So it was difficult to watch. I heard the day after (it happened), and Mick was devastated.
"Mick loves this club. This was his baby and we supported him.
"He was here 24/7 doing everything he could. So to suddenly leave like that wasn't very nice and was hard to see."
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