St Mirren have some fresh names on the manager radar

Paisley club could appoint new boss soon

The success of Craig Brown in getting Motherwell into Europe, Jim Jefferies getting Hearts into the top six and Jimmy Calderwood keeping Kilmarnock in the top flight means there may be a thought about sticking with the tried and test with regards to appointing a new manager.

Celtic appear to be bucking the trend with what appears to be imminent appointment of Neil Lennon but let’s remember that St Mirren are also looking to find a new man in charge. Gus McPherson did a decent enough job with the Paisley side, keeping them safe in the SPL but there seemed to be a divergence between where he wanted to take the club and where the board wanted to go.

It is obvious that Jimmy Calderwood will see his name linked with the job but given complaints about Killie’s budget for next season, would Calderwood be a sensible choice?

There could be an argument for going with an up and coming manager, bringing in fresh and innovative ideas to spark some new life into the existing squad. In the back of the boards mind should also be the fact that SPL reconstruction may be coming, buying St Mirren time to experiment and allow a rookie manager to find their feet.

Some of the candidates include:

Derek Adams
St Mirren fans may think Adams isn’t quite up to the task because after all, the Buddies hammered Celtic 4-0 whereas Adams and Ross County could only beat Celtic 2-0. In all seriousness though, defeats of Hibs and Celtic sit very well alongside continual improvement and progression in his squad.

Adams may consider he is building a team and legacy at Ross County but then again, he may think that a Scottish Cup final is the pinnacle of that teams achievement. If Adams is interested, he is definitely worth considering by the Buddies board.

Willie McStay
No first team experience in Scotland but over a decades worth of time at Sligo Rovers, Celtic Reserves and then Ujpest Doza sees McStay with an in-depth history and knowledge to call upon.

McStay is highly thought of with many insiders at Celtic Park but clearly he is behind the current flavour of the month. St Mirren could find that McStay is able to bring a different approach and reasonable contacts from Europe and youngsters from Celtic Park.

Andy Millen
With the rumours about ex Buddies boss McPherson heading to Kilmarnock, it may be that Andy Millen will join McPherson at Rugby Park. However, the former assistant manager may decide it is time to venture out by himself.

The St Mirren board may consider Millen to be the affordable option as well as acknowledging the fact that Millen will have an awareness of the current St Mirren squad. This would allow Millen to start building for next season without having to assess the squad too much. This time saving benefit of appointing Millen may work in his favour.

However, at the end of St Mirren’s disappointing League Cup final defeat, Millen appeared to be in heated debate with fans and the club chairman, and the rumour mill kicked in with tales that Millen would be out of a job soon.

Other more recognised managerial names in the frame include:
Ian McColl
Billy Stark
Mixu Paatelainen

St Mirren have to be aware of the financial constraints that appointing a new manager and meeting his squad rebuilding demands will impact on their attractiveness to any budding Buddies bosses.

Buddies fans, who do you hope for?

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