Gordon Strachan factfile

1957: Born February 9, Edinburgh.

1974: Signed for Dundee. Played 60 league games in three years at Dens Park, scoring 13 goals.

1977: Joined Aberdeen for £50,000. Played 187 games in seven years, scoring 55 times.

1980: Won Scottish Championship medal and first of 50 Scotland caps against Northern Ireland. Named Scottish Footballer of the Year.

1982: Collected Scottish Cup winners' medal.

1983: Achieved second Scottish Cup success, followed by European Cup Winners' Cup medal.

1984: Won Scottish league and cup double. Ron Atkinson signed him for Manchester United for £500,000 in August. Stayed at Old Trafford for five years, playing 160 league games and scoring 33 goals.

1985: Only trophy success with United, taking FA Cup.

1989: Joined Second Division Leeds in March for £300,000 in deadline-beating deal.

1990: Captained club to Second Division title.

1991: Named Football Writers' Association Player of the Year.

1992: Led Howard Wilkinson's side to a first League championship in 18 years, just pipping old club Manchester United at the post. Won final international cap against Finland.

1993: Awarded OBE.

1994: Played last game for Leeds, a 2-0 home defeat to Liverpool on December 31.

1995: Announced his retirement from Premiership football in January, but continued to play regularly for Leeds' reserve team. Two months later joined Atkinson at Coventry as assistant.

1996: Took over as Coventry manager as Atkinson stepped down.

1997: Coventry survived relegation on the final day of the season with victory at Tottenham.

1998: The Sky Blues were beaten in the FA Cup quarter-final replay at Sheffield United in a penalty shoot-out and finished a comfortable 11th in the Premier League.

1999: Coventry finished 15th in the Premiership.

2000: Coventry improved, if only marginally, finishing 14th.

2001: May - Coventry lost at Aston Villa and relinquished their Premiership status after 34 consecutive years in the top flight.

September 8 - City lost 1-0 at home to Grimsby, sparking chants of "Strachan out". A handful of fans had to be restrained by police as they attempted to confront the manager.

September 10 - Strachan left the Sky Blues by mutual consent.

October 22 - Appointed Southampton boss following the dismissal of Stuart Gray.

2003: May 17 - Lost 1-0 to Arsenal in the FA Cup final but Southampton qualified for Europe for the first time in 19 years.

September 20 - Southampton enjoyed their best start to a top-flight season as six matches unbeaten lifts them to fourth in the Premiership.

October 15 - A 1-0 defeat in Romania against Steaua Bucharest, following a 1-1 home draw, saw Saints crash out of Europe at the first hurdle.

November - Emerged as one of the favourites to take over as manager at former club Leeds following Peter Reid's sacking.

2004: January 9 - Confirms he has decided not to extend his contract with the club beyond the end of this season for personal reasons.

February 13 - Steps down as Southampton manager with immediate effect.