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Not long after a season that included European football for the first time in nearly 40 years and just three months before they would go on to win the League Cup, the St Mirren board convened this time last year to talk about what needed to change.
Stephen Robinson’s stock as manager had never been higher. Three successive top-six Premiership finishes and that brief foray into the Conference League ensured as much. But ambitious clubs don’t rest on their laurels and there was a feeling among the directors that Robinson was probably approaching the end of his time in Paisley. Action would likely be needed at some point.
It would be another five months before that came to pass with the Northern Irishman moving on to Aberdeen but, by that juncture, succession planning was long underway.
This, though, was not about drawing up a list of potential candidates. Instead, it was a review of much wider scope and substance that looked at the club’s transfer model, playing philosophy and age profile of the squad.
St Mirren boss Craig McLeish has impressed since taking the reins in Paisley
Robinson was approached about the possibility of altering both his signing strategy and pragmatic tactical approach but there came a realisation that implementing such drastic changes would likely be easier under a new manager with a clean slate.
That individual would turn out to be Craig McLeish who had been part of the club’s youth academy for several years. Handed the reins initially on an interim basis, McLeish steered St Mirren to safety through the play-offs before being appointed on a permanent basis in the summer.
It was not a universally popular decision but the board’s faith in the 36-year-old has so far been vindicated with a strong start to the season, an eye-catching playing style and, earlier this week, the Manager of the Month award. St Mirren chairman John Needham looks back over the past 12 months and breaks down the anatomy of an appointment.
St Mirren have made a bright start to the season, winning three of their six league matches
‘About this time last year we as a board were discussing what we wanted to do when Stephen inevitably left,’ he revealed. ‘He had been in the post three-and-a half years at that stage and we knew he was nearer the end with us than the beginning. So, it was very much a case of asking – where do we go from here? And is the current approach sustainable or do we need to do something different?
‘It felt like we were spending the same money (on transfers) but not getting the same quality. The recruitment in the last couple of windows under Stephen was patchy at best. He’d worked miracles with Martin Foyle (his chief scout) before but it just didn’t feel that was going to be possible going forward.
‘So, with all those factors in the mix, we decided we were going to try and reduce the age of the squad, get players in who were going to have much greater potential sale value and try and lengthen their contracts.
‘We felt there was a need to make those changes. So, we drew up an identikit picture of what a future St Mirren manager would look like in terms of capability and what their focus would be.
‘And when Stephen eventually went in February, we were set up in terms of succession planning, not with specific names in mind because you can’t do that. But we had the type of person in mind we wanted.’
They were helped in that regard by an approach that came out of the blue. McLeish was a figure well respected around the club but few had considered him as first-team manager material until he planted that seed himself.
‘The day that Stephen left, Craig actually came up to Keith (Lasley, chief executive) in the car park at Ralston and said, “Look, I want this job”,’ reveals Needham. ‘That came a bit from left-field. We can’t pretend otherwise. That was a surprise that he made that early pitch for it.
‘So, we put Craig in place for the first couple of games and then extended it to the end of the season. There were some really disappointing performances but the team was running on empty and we had so many injuries. Frankly, it was a real achievement that Craig got us over the line in the play-offs.
McLeish steered St Mirren to a Premiership play-off win over Partick Thistle
‘So, he was a strong candidate. But we also spoke to another couple of prospective managers. There was one who was very strong and had a great deal more experience but there was one aspect that was a deal-breaker for us. With Craig, the only thing that he didn’t have was experience.
‘He interviewed really well, presented his ideas and his approach, and that aligned with where we wanted to go as a club. Yes, we got a lot of flak for appointing him at that time. But he’s definitely stepped in and done a tremendous job. There’s a real steel to him and an inner confidence.’
McLeish’s willingness to have his team operate in an attacking fashion is something that has also drawn positive feedback.
‘Again, about a year ago we said to Stephen that maybe 5-3-2 as a formation had run its course,’ added Needham. ‘We were looking to do something a bit more expansive.
‘We were beating Aberdeen, Hearts and Hibs and giving Rangers and Celtic a good game with that pragmatic approach. But that doesn’t really work when you’re playing against teams who you really should be beating because you need to take the game to them.
‘And Craig was also very much of that view when he came in. He wanted to introduce some of his own ideas which I suspect he had been suggesting in the background without getting much traction when Stephen was in charge.
‘Now on social media you can see people universally saying this is the right way to go. I think there is a real chance that we can get ourselves in the top six. And as a first step, that would be absolutely tremendous.’
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