Hearts Scottish Cup winner named in St Mirren coaching set-up as Buddies confirm caretaker holds the reins
St Mirren have chosen to hold onto their interim boss until the season.
Former Hearts defender Allan McManus will remain as part of the St Mirren interim management team until the end of the season after the Paisley club confirmed Craig McLeish will continue as caretaker boss.
Since Stephen Robinson left St Mirren for Aberdeen earlier this month, McLeish initially took over interim duties as the club searched for a permanent replacement. Gary Naysmith, Scott Brown and Simo Valakari have all been in the running to fill the Paisley void. However, after last weekend’s 2-1 victory away to high-flying Falkirk, the Buddies decided to persevere with their current caretaker.
No team in the division has a better record against league leaders Hearts than St Mirren, although that isn’t reflected in their current league position. St Mirren currently sit tenth in the standings and are being drawn into a relegation battle. Since their League Cup heroics in December, they’ve won just three of their last 16 league outings.
Former Hearts man holds position at Saints
McManus helped Hearts to two Scottish Cup finals during his time at Tynecastle in 1996 and 1998, helping them secure the trophy in the latter. He will now try and help The Buddies reach the same feat, alongside Jamie Langfield and Mark Kelly, who’ve also held their position in the backroom staff. Buddies Chief Operating Officer, Keith Lasley has also appointed Stuart Taylor as McLeish’s interim assistant.
A St Mirren statement read: “St Mirren Football Club can today announce that Craig McLeish will continue to lead the club as interim manager until the end of the season. Craig, alongside Jamie Langfield, Allan McManus and Marc Kelly, has impressed since taking on the interim position earlier this month and led us to a 2-1 victory away to Falkirk prior to the international break.
“We are pleased to confirm that former St Mirren player Stuart Taylor has joined the club to strengthen the interim group. Stuart will support Craig, Jamie, Allan and Marc as part of our coaching team until the end of the season.”
McLeish stays on until end of the season
McLeish thanked the board for keeping the faith in him during the trying times. He said: “I'm delighted to be given the opportunity to lead the group for the rest of the season. I think we've made a positive impact on the group and I'm grateful to Keith and the board for giving me the opportunity to continue that and to help try to pull us out of the situation that we're in.”
St Mirren Chairman John Needham added: "I’m absolutely delighted we’ve reached agreement with Craig, Jamie, Allan and Marc to lead us through these vital league and cup games in the coming weeks. It’s also great to welcome Stuart back to the club. I’m sure his experience will prove invaluable. As a Board, along with Keith, we took time to assess all of the options available. In particular we looked at the how the players have reacted in the past two games and how Craig has impressed as interim manager.”
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