"The big fella took a lot of knocks today without complaining. He gets barged in the back, and knocked down, and he just gets up and abides by the referee's decision, which for him is excellent."
Strachan was delighted by Celtic's first-half performance against Kilmarnock in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League match at Rugby Park today.
The visitors led 2-0 but let Kilmarnock come into the match in the second half and Frazer Wright's header gave the home side a chance.
Strachan said: "I felt we got caught up in the basketball-type football for a while - back and forth.
"I was saying to the players, 'When you get it back, have some more touches'."