Roy Hodgson is a man and a manager who believes in doing things the right way.
So after calmly watching his Fulham side play their way to last-day victory to stay in the Premier League, the former Inter Milan coach showed his class by expressing his solidarity and sympathy with his two fellow managers not celebrating last night.
"Of course it is a relief - I am very pleased with the way the players kept their shape and kept plugging away and doing the right things, and it brought us our rewards," said the 60-year-old.
"At the same time I feel sympathy for the other managers who got relegated today. Steve Coppell and Alex McLeish are both friends of mine and both excellent managers.
"Having had so long during that second half to contemplate it might be us going down, I know exactly how they are feeling. My thoughts go out to them as well. Amid all the jubilation, I am very aware that when you win, someone else loses."
Hodgson sat impassively as Fulham struggled to find a vital goal - and again as they held on to the lead given them by Danny Murphy's 77th-minute header.
"That must be the valium," he joked. "I thought if we had gone one-up with me sitting down, we might win it one nil with me sitting down."
But Hodgson had no plans for a big party last night. "When you have a great day like we have had today, that is celebration enough," he said.
"I think I am going home to watch Match of the Day - and I don't do that very often."
Fulham's last-day heroics on the field came at the end of a year of off-field mistakes: the sacking of Chris Coleman, the appointment of Lawrie Sanchez last summer, and then the firing of the former Northern Ireland boss before Christmas.
And too many of the players Sanchez invested big money in last summer - like Diomansy Kamara, Chris Baird, Seol Ki-Hyeon - are simply not good enough for the Premier League.
But high-profile chairman Mohamed Al Fayed (right) got the big call right: the appointment of Hodgson when Fulham were in 19th place on New Year's Day.
After the route-one approach of Sanchez, Hodgson encouraged his men to play the ball on the deck - and saw them play their way out of trouble.
Hodgson has also benefitted from two key players who Sanchez was unable to utilise - American striker Brian McBride and the tireless Jimmy Bullard.
From the 22 games the former Wigan midfielder missed this season, Fulham garnered only 15 points. In the 16 since, they have clocked up 21.
Even though Bullard looked dead on his feet yesterday, it was another of his trademark dead-ball deliveries which eventually made the difference at Fratton Park.
Fulham started the brighter side with Bullard buzzing around the midfield, and Simon Davies forced Pompey keeper and Reading fan Jamie Ashdown into a save after only four minutes.
But the longer the half went on - and as scores started to filter through from Pride Park and St Andrews - Fulham were pushed back by a Pompey team still aiming to finish sixth in the Premier League.
Even with David James (calf) and Sol Campbell (hamstring) saved for Saturday's FA Cup Final and former Fulham favourite Papa Bouba Diop rested, they still had the quality to worry the visitors.
Pompey manager Harry Redknapp saluted Fulham's escape from the drop. "What they have done is terrific, unbelievable," he said. "It is similar to what we did here a couple of years ago, except Roy has better players. I had a useless team!"
Portsmouth still finished eighth in the Premier League - their highest-ever position. But Redknapp's side now approach the FA Cup final on the back of four consecutive defeats.
"I am not concerned about our form," he insisted.
After a couple of dead-ball deliveries caused panic in the Pompey defence, Bullard's floated free-kick was glanced home by Murphy for the only goal.
It means away-day specialists Pompey have failed to score in 10 of their 19 Premier League home games.
And it means Fulham will be playing in the Premier League again next season.
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JONATHAN PEARCE
ALEC STEWART
THE MOLE