Coventry sack made me - Strachan

Gordon Strachan still reflecting on his past struggles at Coventry City.

Gordon Strachan has outlined his sacking by Coventry City six years ago as the making of him as a manager.

It was September 2001 when the Scotsman was shown the door in the wake of relegation from the Premiership.

Strachan, now winner of two Scottish titles with Celtic, said: "Sometimes, that has to happen to you.

"When I look at it now, I think it was rough. You think you've failed. But I think if I didn't do that I definitely couldn't do what I'm doing now."

Coventry, Nov 1996-Sept 2001 P 215 W 70, D 56, L 89 So'ton, Oct 2001-Feb 2004 P 110 W 39, D 32, L39 Celtic, May 2005- P 127 W 84, D 21, L 22

Strachan started to restore his managerial reputation at Southampton, where he spent two and a half years but he has not forgotten how things ended at Highfield Road.

He left the club just five games into Coventry's first season following relegation.

"I didn't want anybody to speak to me about football any more," he said. "I really didn't.

"That was the first time I'd really been, in my adult career, identified with failure.

"I wasn't sure how to handle it. I felt, 'You've let people down, people that trusted you'.

"And then you look at it and think, 'Well, I've done the best you can'."