St Johnstone's Next Permanent Manager 23/24

[ATLIS]

As long as this Levein is the one that shows up it's fine by me

[gannonball]

Given he was seen as mainly at fault for relegating a club with one of the biggest budgets in the league why on earth are St.Johnstone even considering him.

Edited November 3, 2023 by gannonball

[gingermunkie]

6 minutes ago, gannonball said:

Given he was seen as mainly at fault for relegating a club with one of the biggest budgets in the league why on earth are St.Johnstone when considering him.

Cause that’s one season in a 20+ year career?

[gannonball]

6 minutes ago, gingermunkie said:

Cause that’s one season in a 20+ year career?

Well he was frankly terrible the season before and folk didn't think Hearts could get much worse, but they did. He didn't  manage for 5 years before that so I think your stretching the 20 year career a bit. He came across as a poor man manager too at Scotland as well which isn't ideal for a relegation battle. Strangely I do quite like him on the radio though but his time has well and truly been and gone at this level.

[The Saintee]

I guess we'll find out. But at the moment we're looking doomed anyway.

[RawB93]

Nowhere near as much of an idiot but getting Mark McGhee vibes from the prospective Levein appointment. 

[SJFCtheTeamForMe]

25 minutes ago, RawB93 said:

Nowhere near as much of an idiot but getting Mark McGhee vibes from the prospective Levein appointment. 

Not over the moon with it myself but I think Craig's recent track record isn't quite as bad as McGee. 

McGee's recent managerial record isn't pretty. If we trust Wikipedia that is. The 9 & 7% win rates stick out somewhat!!

 

Levein's way of playing probably fits a club like Saints a bit better than Hearts. 

Edited November 3, 2023 by SJFCtheTeamForMe

[gingermunkie]

55 minutes ago, gannonball said:

Well he was frankly terrible the season before and folk didn't think Hearts could get much worse, but they did. He didn't  manage for 5 years before that so I think your stretching the 20 year career a bit. He came across as a poor man manager too at Scotland as well which isn't ideal for a relegation battle. Strangely I do quite like him on the radio though but his time has well and truly been and gone at this level.

TBQH I pulled the number out of my arse. But  26 years since he started in management he’s had nine years out, Although he must’ve been DoF at hearts (/whatever his role at Brechin is) for large chunks of those nine years will he not?

I’m quite hopeful it’ll be him.

Good experience at a variety of levels. Without being ancient. He’s actually younger than Tommy.

Is a fresh set of eyes (which we desperately need) and he’s got experience of helping rebuild/professionalise the set up behind the scenes in terms of coaching/recruitment after Hearts imploded under Romanov.

History of bringing through younger players. 

Should have decent contacts throughout the game here and abroad. 

Bit of a laugh. 

[hk blues]

10 hours ago, PSJ.84 said:

Bristol is a good night out. I like his thinking. 
 

That accent though. 

He's from Stirling, what do you expect?

[PSJ.84]

7 hours ago, SJFCtheTeamForMe said:

Not over the moon with it myself but I think Craig's recent track record isn't quite as bad as McGee. 

McGee's recent managerial record isn't pretty. If we trust Wikipedia that is. The 9 & 7% win rates stick out somewhat!!

 

Levein's way of playing probably fits a club like Saints a bit better than Hearts. 

Experienced and well-known manager who hasn’t managed in Scotland for a few years brought in to keep a club up, accompanied by a young assistant manager who’s almost his apprentice and there are rumours he’ll take the job at the end of the season, should the club stay up. 
 

I can get where the Mark McGhee vibes come from…

[houston_bud]

I'm looking forward to the first podcast episode after he gets binned.

[RandomGuy.]

10 hours ago, The Real Saints said:

Alternatively, we’re about to hire a former Scotland manager who has a decent enough record in the top league and a wide knowledge of Scottish football despite being absent from the managerial merry-go-round in recent years.

He had a losing record with Hearts, who he slowly dragged down towards relegation despite them finishing 5th before he arrived.

He then went to a Brechin side who are spending an absolute fortune and so far hasnt been able to help get them out the Highland League.

Im really struggling to buy this "good manager who can rebuild the club" stuff when hes not shown any of that over the past decade.

All his achievements seem to be mainly ~15 years ago at United where a lot of the players who helped him succeed were already at the club when he joined.

I hope he does well but he seems to be getting over rated to me simply because "experience" and/or desperation for something to go right for us.

[RandomGuy.]

10 hours ago, Bankfoot Saints said:

Is Kirk part time at Brechin 

Unsure, but suspect not due to the money involved there now.

[RandomGuy.]

9 hours ago, gingermunkie said:

TBQH I pulled the number out of my arse. But  26 years since he started in management he’s had nine years out, Although he must’ve been DoF at hearts (/whatever his role at Brechin is) for large chunks of those nine years will he not?

Various roles at Hearts.

Where hes overseen a relegation and the successful rebuilds have both coincided with Robbie Neilson being manager.

I hope im just stuck in a negative loop and being daft, but it feels very much like if he wasnt friends with Ann Budge then he'd have failed elsewhere already and be Gus MacPherson-y at out the game at management level.

[Theyellowbox]

7 minutes ago, RandomGuy. said:

Various roles at Hearts.

Where hes overseen a relegation and the successful rebuilds have both coincided with Robbie Neilson being manager.

I hope im just stuck in a negative loop and being daft, but it feels very much like if he wasnt friends with Ann Budge then he'd have failed elsewhere already and be Gus MacPherson-y at out the game at management level.

I think you are stuck in a negative loop. I'm pretty sure Levein wouldn't be anybody first choice, but given in options available he would be a sensible appointment albeit not particularly adventurous.

As mentioned elsewhere, his style of play is much more suited to Saints than it would have been to Hearts. That's not to talk us down or say that we should have attacking flowing football, but the reality is that to keep up in this league and with the squad we have, we will need to be hard to beat and do the ugly necessary bits and on that basis, he fits the bill.

As for his recent records, the last stint at Hearts wasn't great, but I think given how he ended up in that job it was never likely to work. Maybe the spell away from the game and doing the media stuff will have helped him. He deffinately seems mellower than he did.

On the idea that he will be moulding an assistant, I'm not so sure that will be exactly the case. He might be planning that and to an extent Saints might go along with that, but come thst actual handover, if there isn't the evidence that it would be a smooth transition and at that point, the obvious natural progression, then it won't happen.

Short answer is that Levein (on the basis thst happens) will be brought in with only one task, keep us up. All the other grand planning is not what is needed now and can come next summer if it works. 

[RandomGuy.]

Just now, Theyellowbox said:

the reality is that to keep up in this league and with the squad we have, we will need to be hard to beat and do the ugly necessary bits and on that basis, he fits the bill.

Is that actually Levein though?

He had a negative goal difference with a Hearts side finishing the in the top half.

Feels like folk are just projecting, as they did with Davidson by the end, that a negative manager = a defensively sound manager.

[Alert Mongoose]

1 hour ago, RandomGuy. said:

All his achievements seem to be mainly ~15 years ago at United where a lot of the players who helped him succeed were already at the club when he joined.

While this might be strictly true, he instantly got them organised and defending well.  We weren't great to watch but we stopped conceding and over time got better going forward. 

Whether he still has the motivation now is open to question but the Levien that rocked up at Utd back then is exactly what St Johnstone need.

[RandomGuy.]

7 minutes ago, Alert Mongoose said:

While this might be strictly true, he instantly got them organised and defending well.  We weren't great to watch but we stopped conceding and over time got better going forward. 

Whether he still has the motivation now is open to question but the Levien that rocked up at Utd back then is exactly what St Johnstone need.

This gives me hope, as i think we laxk organisation as much as anything just now.

Our strongest 11 can stay up from this position if its well organised.

[Sconesaint]

Courier reports Levein and Kirk incoming 

[RandomGuy.]

Aye Levein is it.

Im scared.