There are few men more qualified to vouch for the many guises of Gordon Strachan than Scott McDonald. Yesterday, Celtic�s top goalscorer explored the man behind the myth.

There are few men more qualified to vouch for the many guises of Gordon Strachan than Scott McDonald. Yesterday, Celtic's top goalscorer and the driving force behind the title crusade explored the man behind the myth and revealed that his career would have floundered aimlessly without him.

Their initial association at Southampton has been well chronicled. McDonald, an aspiring teenage talent from Melbourne, Australia, travelled the length of the globe in pursuit of a childhood ambition, only to have it temporarily stubbed-out by an abrasive Scot whose seniority prevailed amid an identical personality clash.

McDonald reeled before refocusing and reinventing himself at MK Dons. He subsequently bounded on to Scotland and Motherwell where he showed sufficient attitude adjustment to convince Strachan that he deserved a second chance on the grandest stage of all. The unexpected faith has since been rewarded with 31 goals and a heartfelt testimonial of what lies beneath the manager's contemptuous, and occasionally objectionable, public persona. "People have written him off, but you can now see the true character of the man," said McDonald.

"I think we definitely see a different Gordon Strachan to the rest, in terms of when he's in the public eye. It is hard for anyone to be their true self with the pressure and everything else that goes with the Old Firm. Only a few people have that privilege and the man I work with has been a joy and definitely a funny guy."

His tough love also instilled a discipline and dedication that enabled McDonald to realign his priorities after the disappointment of being shunted out of Southampton for his own good. "Not many people would release a player for various reasons then go back and sign him again, especially one you have a bit of history with," he recalled. "When I was in the reserves at Southampton, I got petty and frustrated and I think he realised I needed to get out and play first-team football somewhere.

"He did me a massive favour and I would not change anything for the world."

McDonald will not have time to draw breath before heading home to Australia to assist his country's quest to reach the World Cup in South Africa in 2010. Having waited patiently - and then impatiently - for his big chance, McDonald's international prospects have been enhanced with his goalscoring exploits in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League and the Champions League. He is a prominent part of Pim Verbeek's international side new era and will fly to Australia tomorrow to prepare for four qualification matches, beginning with a game against Iraq in Dubai.

He will return in time for Celtic's participation in the pre-season Algarve Cup and the striker fully expects Strachan to be leading the drill, despite ongoing uncertainty over his future intentions. "I do think he's here to stay," said McDonald. "He is the hungriest manager I have ever seen and he loves a challenge, as we have all seen. He is not one to back down, that is for sure, and always believes in his ability and the ability of his team. That has showed in the last seven weeks. I think a lot of fans and other people may have to look back and eat some humble pie.

"He has been pivotal to three in a row and at the end of the day, can that really be argued with?"

McDonald rejected the suggestion that Strachan may have reached a glass ceiling in terms of attainable objectives as Celtic manager, having presided over a period of domestic domination while exploring new terrain in the revised edition of Europe's premier competition.

"He has already said he wants to be in the last eight of the Champions League next season," said McDonald.

"We need a bit of luck to do that. We know they are all quality teams at the last 16 stage, but we have been drawn with the real top ones in AC Milan and Barcelona.

This year, I think we were unlucky in that Barcelona played their best games of the season against us," he added.

After recovering from a seven-point and one-game deficit to overhaul Rangers, anything is possible. Having dedicated the sweetest victory to the memory of their former first-team coach, Tommy Burns, McDonald offered his own insight into one the club's most popular figures.

"I have fantastic memories of Tommy, but for me he was always the joker," he said with a smile. "He must have pulled me four or five times to say wee man, the gaffer wants a word with you' with a serious face. I would go over and the manager would say "wee man, I'm leaving you out at the weekend'. Unbeknown to me, Tommy had already tipped off the boys about what was happening and they would just crack up every time they saw my face fall with the news. I fell for it every time."

McDonald has completed his own remarkable transformation in the eyes of the Celtic support. He was cast in the role of villain in 2005 when his two goals torpedoed Celtic's title hopes on the final day of the season at Fir Park, as Nacho Novo sealed a dramatic win for Rangers at Easter Road.

His goals and raw enthusiasm have long since ensured atonement and as he hailed Jan Vannegoor of Hesselink reaching a 20-goal milestone with the title-winning goal at Tannadice, McDonald was mindful of the collective effort. He also offered a tongue-in-cheek commendation of an oft-criticised defence.

"A lot has been made about how well Rangers defended this season but a lot credit has to go to our guys as well because without them, the goal difference might have been a factor," he said. "As much as the boys could not keep hens out of a midden, they have done remarkably well.

"Jan and myself have scored 51 goals between us, but we owe a lot to guys like Aiden McGeady, Naka Shunsuke Nakamura and Robbo Barry Robson for helping create those opportunities for us," he added.

"It has been surreal. I have dreamt about this since I got here and for it to happen seems too good to be true.

"Some of the guys have been here for a couple of seasons but even they have said this is definitely the most remarkable. It is great to prove a lot of people wrong and fight to the end. We knew it was going to be difficult but we always believed we could still win the title even when others did not."