Buttocks Brown

Seems like a smart move. Knows Scottish football inside out and has been a player, coach and assistant manager. The Robinson link will help too. Reading this (published in January) it sounds like he's still in the middle of doing his "Sports Directorship" course: https://www.mfc1886.com/category/blog/

Always felt a bit grimy to me taking pleasure in hanging off the financial coat-tails of the Old Firm. As said previously, I keenly await the day when they ride off into the sunset. Then those running our clubs will learn to live without their fans' gate receipts and the dregs of the TV money. As far as St Mirren are concerned, we live within our means financially so no big deal.

As a young St Mirren fan I did "suffer" a bit when we struggled I guess but not now. I'll be going to see them whether we're playing Hearts in the top 6 or Airdrie in League 1 so why sweat it? Can't control it so just enjoy the ride!

Only mildly embarrassing if you align your self-worth with the fortunes of a football club. The SPFL has done a brilliant job of making "Top 6" seem important. Really, it's largely insignicant and the glorious memories of a top 6 finish soon fade away as a quick read of the St Johnstone thread would attest to.

Meh..... Obviously, I don't want us to go down (and doubt we will) but.... the United play-off win was one of the most memorable occasions in recent seasons. Who did we even play the last game of last season? A double header against Partick Thistle in front of full houses.... who wouldn't look forward to that!?

I'm looking forward to the not-too-distant day when the Old Firm leave us for European Super League Division 3. In the short term, two fewer games against them will do. I can certainly live without the excitement of being part of their title celebrations... European football? This season, not 1 but 2 clubs with superior resources (Hibs and Aberdeen) have massively underperformed opening up a rare opportunity for others. Most seasons though those places are pretty much done by now. There's not much movement in the top 6 after the split with each team losing a good chunk of the 15 points available to Rangers and Celtic. Disrupted planning for next season? Will have affected Dundee and St Johnstone but not so much ourselves. Sounds like we've already signed at least one player.

At the start of every season, all I really want from St Mirren is to stay up and provide at least a few decent games to enjoy on the season ticket. For the former: 5 games to go (3 at home), sitting 6 points above the play-off place and 11 above the relegation place.... it's not safety but we have margin for error whereas the 2 teams below don't really. The wee break will do us good I think, Alnwick will return and I reckon Jones / Ronan / Brophy will step up to help us get the points we need. For the latter, (value for money on the ST): it felt like there was just a succession of dire games through the autumn in Paisley: 0-0 St J, 0-0 D. Utd, 0-0 County, 0-1 Dundee. There's been the odd decent win thrown in too (Aberdeen 3-2) but surely Robinson's team next season can provide better? Top 6...... unless you get into Europe, well, who really cares? Goodwin said it was the lowest he'd been in football missing out last year and Ross County were celebrating on Saturday like they'd won the league. Bizarre. Well done to the SPFL in bringing in a bit of spice which wouldn't otherwise exist but it's, ultimately, pretty meaningless. Personally, I'm happy that the Old Firm won't be visiting again and I'll instead see us up against a team we're more capable of beating.

No surprise that Goodwin wants to take Alnwick to Aberdeen. Record says he also has options in England though. Hladky and Alnwick have been the two best keepers we've had for many years so big boots to fill for whoever comes in. No doubt Langfield will have discussed potential replacements with Goodwin and Robinson may well have one or two in mind from the English lower leagues.

Just watched the 5 minute interview with Stephen on SMTV. Nice guy and speaks well. Interesting too that he picked out Kibble CEO Jim Gillespie as the board member who really sold the club to him. https://youtu.be/vvCA2GYxYJI

Fan-ownership bearing fruit? Compare and contrast with the way that Dundee handled their change of manager. Nelms making decisions (with Strachan in his ear) perhaps whereas we have a number of SMISA members on our board, working collaboratively and playing a major role in decision-making.

Goodwin out, Robinson + ££££££ in? Thrust into a difficult situation at a crucial stage of the season, John Needham and the board have played a blinder here. Onwards and upwards!

Keith Jackson saying that a virtual interview is still scheduled to be happening with Scott Brown this evening but Robinson has been our number one choice since we knew Goodwin was away: https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/stephen-robinson-set-st-mirren-26293298?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar Quote from an unnamed board member (presumably): “Stephen was always our preferred choice. He has a history of developing young players and selling them on for big money while also achieving European football during his time at Motherwell. He is hungry, ambitious and driven and has been impressed by the vision of St Mirren’s board. The deal is not yet done but it’s at an advanced stage and the club have already told him the target is to qualify for Europe this season.”

Do you think Charles Dunne sent him a jokey message over the weekend saying "fancy the job gaffer" and the reply was "well aye actually". Very strange. Still got ties in the central belt? He isn't still living up here is he? Anyway, would be delighted with that appointment.

The JR story will have been given to a journalist by JR whose priority is to make JR look good.... I would take it with a decent pinch of salt. Maybe we just asked to speak to him and he said "would you pay me £X?" and we said "no" and that was it.

So the Friday night story about Aberdeen granting us permission to talk to Brown must have been genuine. I guess he stayed in the central belt to see the board after the game at Fir Park. As a wee aside, what that means then is, going by Goodwin's Saturday interview, no-one told him that permission had been granted for his captain to speak to us. Being the control freak that he is, that won't be going down well and he's left looking a little foolish. A interesting start to the Cormack / Goodwin relationship.

The board members who were at the club when Jack left last time are Scott, Fitzpatrick and Wardrop. The suggestion at the time was that JR, on his holidays, was contacted by Sunderland and agreed terms without the knowledge of SMFC. If there really is a split in the board then my guess is it would be the 3 above who are against because they weren't happy with Jack's conduct 4 years ago. Tough one....

Since he left Hibs, jobs at Aberdeen, Dundee and Killie have come and gone. There's no prospect of him getting a better gig in Scotland than with us. I know that he still lives in Medburn in Northumberland (did a mental commute to Edinburgh every day) and it could be that he's holding out for a job in England. Might be a long wait though....

There is the possibility that Ross is a shoe-in and what we're seeing here is basically gamesmanship from the club. John Needham is a businessman and I guess that phoning up Jack on Thursday night asking him to come in to talk would not have been the smart business move. JR would then hold a pretty strong hand when it came to agreeing terms, Instead, let him wait by the phone for the few days and feed the names of Brown and Naismith to the press? Serves a couple of purposes: might temper JR's salary demands if he thinks there's competition, as well us allowing to have a look at potential candidates for the manager's job in 2025.

Jack is the percentage shot. Obviously it's been 4 years since he left but he has worked with most of the board as well as Langfield and McManus. At a crucial part of the season he's the closest we'd get to continuity, which is what we need.

Ewan Paton in the Herald this morning says that Hearts have have confirmed that we have requested to speak to Naismith. It is also "understood" that we are interested in speaking to Jack Ross.

Yesterday evening, Scott Burns, on Twitter, suggested that we had someone lined up to replace Jim and that it wasn't Ross. A couple of hours later, out of left field, he breaks the Brown story. Scott Burns has a history of reliability when it comes to St Mirren stories. Seems to me Brown is the one we want; might not even be anyone else approached. I just hope it's settled quick and we have an appointment on Monday or Tuesday.

My point was to do with relative risk. Goodwin and Ross were football managers on Tuesday, Thursday nights and Saturday afternoons; the rest of the time they were doing other jobs like delivering parcels and writing children's books. Brown is a full time coach / assistant manager in the Premiership. I don't see him as any more of a gamble than Ross and Goodwin were and, certainly, he seems to be highly thought of in coaching circles.

Just pointing out that what you said was factually incorrect: you implied that he had no coaching badges. Anyway, Steven Whittaker would be likely as his assistant I think. Currently at Dunfermline.

He's got his coaching badges. You said he didn't.

Ehhh https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/scott-brown-given-aberdeen-iron-24939243?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar