Most followers of the sport would agree that the Premiership will be a poorer place without him. No great escape Until Saturday's defeat to Aston Villa, Strachan was able to boast the proud record of never having been relegated throughout his long and illustrious playing career. But while this talisman may have protected him during several previous flirtations with the drop in his five years at Highfield Road, this time there has been no great escape. Not that Strachan hasn't tried everything, including a glance at the epic war film of the same name, in his search for inspiration. He chose to spend the days building up to last month's daunting trip to Old Trafford by watching the Great Escape.
Some managers snap and snarl their ways through the pressures of the relegation dog-fight.
Strachan has, by and large, gone down laughing, although you can be sure that on the inside he will be hurting as much as any Sky Blues fan. Smiling next season Only occasionally has the mask slipped. In December after a close-run defeat to Midlands rivals Derby, he was only half joking when he attempted to blame the ball boys for the loss. The enduring image from Saturday's sad end to Coventry's 34-year top flight record is likely to be despair. But Strachan will no doubt still be smiling next season when Coventry play their first game in Division One.