208: Gordon Strachan, Leeds United, Merlin’s Premier League 95 Sticker Collection

We have another request post today from Gary Cook of Twitter’s excellent Retro Football Network. Last time out we had a look at the inimitable Cyrille Regis who, among his many achievements, helped Coventry City to FA Cup glory in 1987. Today’s subject also had a significant impact on that particular part of the West Midlands in the latter days of his career proving, in Gary’s words, both his adaptability and longevity. We hope this does the trick mate.

If you haven’t already got the message from the previous 211 posts on this blog here it is again: football was better in the 1990s. The kits were snazzier. The international tournaments were more inspirational. Top players were doing irreparable damage to their stomach linings and/or lungs and still putting in incredible performances. New stars were emerging and household names were having one last hurrah before the advent of the new millennium. For some of these ageing heroes this swansong allowed them to gracefully move away from the pitch and into the dugout through the player-manager role. Graeme Souness made waves in Glasgow with Rangers whilst Glenn Hoddle led the way south of the border with stints at Swindon Town and Chelsea before passing the mantle at Stamford Bridge on to Ruud Gullit (who in turn handed over to Gianluca Vialli). In 1995 Coventry City, the most 90s of teams, continued this fine tradition when Ron Atkinson brought Gordon Strachan over from Leeds United to serve as his assistant manager. Just over a year later the Scotsman had the top job.

Having started his career at Dundee in 1974, and captained the side at the tender age of 19, Strachan moved to Aberdeen in 1977 and was an integral part of Alex Ferguson’s Dons’ side which won the Scottish Premier Division, Scottish Cup and, the ultimate prize in world football, the Cup Winners’ Cup. He moved to Ron Atkinson’s Manchester United in 1984, helping them to the FA Cup a year later, but, despite being reunited with his Aberdeen boss Ferguson, his patchy form towards the end of the 1980s at Old Trafford, saw him move on to rivals Leeds United in 1989 despite the intense interest of Atkinson at Sheffield Wednesday. Strachan’s performances in the midfield alongside Vinnie Jones helped Leeds to the Second Division title in his first season and, alongside his talented compatriot Gary McAllister, Gary Speed and David Batty, helped them to the First Division title in 1992. Although Leeds struggled in the inaugural Premier League season Strachan was named the club’s player of the year but by the end of the 1994/95 campaign he had lost his place to summer signing Carlton Palmer and found himself at Highfield Road before the season was complete.

Although Strachan arrived as Ron Atkinson’s assistant his contract made it clear that he would be in the hot seat himself by 1997 at the latest. With this in mind Strachan led training sessions and had a big say in transfer dealings with Aberdeen’s Eoin Jess and his former team-mate Gary McAllister arriving, and Brazilian forward Isaias departing, on the Scotsman’s say-so. However, with results at the start of the 1996/97 season miring the Sky Blues in a relegation battle, Atkinson made an early exit and Strachan was thrust into the limelight. A purple patch in December 1996, aided by the goals of Dion Dublin and Darren Huckerby, saw Strachan collect the Manager of the Month award but a further slump threw Coventry back into peril. Thrilling wins at Liverpool and Chelsea, and a points reduction for relegation rivals Middlesbrough, saw the Sky Blues pull of the greatest of escapes. Despite being 40, struggling with sciatica and taking the managerial helm Strachan still managed nine first team appearances in his final season as a player. Not a bad start to his new career and a nice end to his old one.

Keen to avoid similar drama, much to the disappointment of us neutrals, Strachan splashed the cash to overhaul the Coventry squad ahead of the 1997/98 campaign. Swedish international Magnus Hedman arrived to ease the load on veteran goalkeeper Steve Ogrizovic as well as Roland Nilsson, George Boateng and Viorel Moldovan and the Sky Blues finished the Premier League season in an impressive eleventh position. After two more decent seasons, and more eye-catching arrivals in the forms of Robbie Keane and Mustapha Hadji, Coventry’s luck finally ran out in the 2000/01 campaign and relegation soured Strachan’s relationship with the club’s loyal fanbase. Five games into the next season he was sacked but quickly found employment at Southampton where he helped the Saints to eleventh and eighth placed finishes in his two seasons at St Mary’s as well as the 2003 FA Cup final. After a short break from football he returned as Celtic manager in 2005 and helped the Bhoys to three Scottish Premier League titles, three Scottish League Cups and a Scottish Cup during his four-year tenure. He replaced Gareth Southgate at recently relegated Middlesbrough but, despite taking over a team securely in the play-off spots, saw his side finish eleventh and, after a similarly poor start to the 2010/11 campaign, lost his job to Tony Mowbray. To give Strachan his due he left the Riverside with little complaint and refused to accept any compensation. 

In January 2013 the Scottish FA announced Strachan as the national team’s new manager. Defeats to Wales and Serbia ended Scotland’s hopes of reaching the 2014 World Cup but impressive wins against Croatia and the expansion of the European Championships for the 2016 edition of the tournament suggested hope for a first appearance in a major finals since 1998. A poor result against Georgia and the irrepressible goalscoring of Poland’s Robert Lewandowski, however, meant that the Tartan Army would be the only home nation not to take part in Euro 2016. When it became apparent that Scotland would also not be making it to Russia for the 2018 World Cup Strachan stood down from his post in October 2017.

Statistically Gordon Strachan’s five-year managerial spell at Coventry City, where his sides won just 32.56% of his 215 games in charge, ranks only above his dismal time at Middlesbrough nearly ten years later. That being said, his time at Highfield Road also saw the Sky Blues defy the drop against all the odds and then go on to record their highest ever league finish. It also allowed a 40 year old man with a bad back the opportunity to play himself in a must win game and experience the cathartic Roy of the Rovers’ moment of joy when his side actually won. Strachan achieved so much as a player, and plenty more later on as a manager, but if this moment didn’t rank as one of the highest it would come as a surprise. The 1990s were just a bit better weren’t they?