The former came in the recollections of the manager hitching to games as a Scotland supporter, taking dods of turf from Wembley and generally displaying the pride and passion that the Tartan Army demands of its general.
The latter came in the more sombre words of both Strachan and Stewart Regan, chief executive of the Scottish Football Association, when the substantial subjects of style and priorities were addressed.
The immediate concern for Regan was Scotland moving up the World Cup qualifying group "to make sure we don't finish bottom". Most crucially, though, he pointed to both the opportunity and the pitfall for the manager. "We'll never have had a better chance," he said in reference to the qualification campaign for the European Championships in France 2016.
Sir Alex Ferguson has often observed that luck is a prerequisite for any successful managerial career. His former player's first meaningful campaign will be to ensure that Scotland are one of the 24 nations that qualify for France and he may just be fortunate that this bloated competition offers him what may be reasonably assessed as the best chance for the nation to qualify for a tournament since 1998.
"Having looked back over what it would have meant for Scotland had 24 teams been in the melting pot, we would have qualified for tournaments," said Regan, looking back at recent history.
However, this raised expectation will ensure that Strachan faces unforgiving scrutiny in the 2016 campaign. His major problem is that the task of qualifying for France will be largely undertaken by players who have made such a dreadful start to Group A of this World Cup qualifying phase. Jordan Rhodes of Blackburn Rovers, James Forrest of Celtic, and perhaps even Islam Feruz of Chelsea could make progress, giving Strachan a stronger hand in the 2016 qualifiers, but the little general will have to soldier on with the same defence.
The former Celtic manager has faith in many characters, including Gary Caldwell of Wigan Athletic, but it is not shared by everyone. The backline will have to be reinforced by holding midfielders.
Strachan is aware of the limitations of the squad though he would never describe them as such. His biggest nod to reality yesterday was his assertion that he would have to find a style that suited the players. This will not be the free-flowing 4-3-3 that he so admires in the German national team but a pragmatic approach that served him well when twice taking Celtic into the knockout phases of the Champions League.
The mantra of results being all that counted was recited by both Strachan and Regan yesterday and it loses none of its truth for the retelling.
Scotland desperately needs to be involved in an international finals for both financial and morale reasons. Regan and his cohorts have chosen what they believe is the surest route to that objective and there will be no quibbling about style or artistic merit.
The chief executive is placing a significant emphasis on Strachan's character. "Gordon made himself a strong contender simply with his hunger and his desire, coupled with the track record. We had a number of criteria and Gordon scored very highly in every single one of them," said Regan of the selection of the Edinburgh-born coach from 30 candidates. "He made himself the No.1 choice."
The crucial aspect is that Regan believes Strachan can "make a difference with the same set of players". He added: "He ticks the boxes for the board in terms of his experience in major tournaments. He has won trophies and has a network we believe is hugely important because one of the attributes we looked at was the ability to build relationships at all levels of the game, particularly with the players."
This talk of Strachan as a "networker" was complemented by his description of Strachan as a Tartan Army foot soldier.
"Myself and Campbell Ogilvie [SFA president] met Gordon at the first meeting. From the first few sentences, it was obvious that Gordon was really excited about being considered for the role of Scotland manager," said Regan.
"He talked about watching Scotland as a young boy. He talked about being on the pitch at Wembley and actually having a piece of turf that he took back to his house. He talked about hitching a lift in a van to go to Scotland games and, at heart, he could see he was still a member of the Tartan Army himself. He still sees himself as a hugely passionate Scotland fan. That oozed out of him."
Strachan's role as The Hitchhiker was at the 1992 European Championships in Sweden. "I went in a joiner's van to Doncaster then I got a car from there," said the Scotland manager. "Then I got a flight to somewhere in Europe then I got another flight, then a train to wherever they were playing. It took me over a day.
"I was the captain and I couldn't make the squad because I'd had an operation on my back but I'd promised to be there. The next door neighbour said he'd take me down but I didn't know he was going to work that day in his van."
This planes, trains and automobile story spoke to the engaging, lively side of Strachan's character. It also testified to the romance that still exists in the collective Caledonian breast.
But Strachan will need all his seriousness and focus on the training pitch and elsewhere to ensure that his next trip to watch Scotland in an international finals is as a leading part of the official party.
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