Craig McLeish 'ready to grasp opportunity' after being named St Mirren boss

Craig McLeish has said he is “ready to grasp his opportunity” after being confirmed as St Mirren’s permanent boss.

The interim manager, who was given the reins on a temporary basis after his predecessor, Stephen Robinson, left for the Aberdeen job in March, has put pen to paper on a three-year deal with the Buddies.

The 36-year-old was thrown into the deep end as the Paisley side battled to secure their top flight survival.

Following a tense 1-1 draw with Partick Thistle in the first of the play-offs, St Mirren solidified their Premiership status with a win at home.

McLeish has now said he believes he is the “best person to take the club forward” ahead of Premier Sports Cup group stage games against Dumbarton, Cove Rangers, East Kilbride and Dunfermline Athletic.

He said: “I want to thank Keith and the board for giving me this opportunity and I’m ready to grasp it. I’m delighted that my vision aligned with the club’s, and they feel I’m the best person to take us forward.

“It feels like maybe the end of a cycle with where we were at. We’ve achieved a lot over this last period, and we have to now look at what we do and how we operate as a club.

“A lot of that will be about developing our own young players and giving them more opportunities. I think with my knowledge of the players coming through and how much I trust them, I don’t think there would be a better person to go down that route as well.

“I’ve been at this club now for eight years and they’re [the fans] such a massive part of what we do and we have to continue feeding off them. We have to put a product on the pitch that they can be proud of and that’s a big part of me looking forward to this the support we get from them and developing good relationships with the fans.”

St Mirren chief operating officer Keith Lasley added: “It was always the plan to get to the end of the season, have a short period of reflection on what had taken place in that period and also conclude the thorough process that was already running in the background. That’s what we’ve taken the time to do.

“Ultimately, we feel as a football club, that Craig very much aligns with the club’s real ambition and needs moving forward.

“I think this is a moment for the club that was always coming probably to the end of a cycle, a very successful one, but we feel as if there’s a new exciting challenge ahead in the way we win as a football club. That is the development of young players, the development of a player trading model and the development of a style and an exciting football team for our fans to come here every weekend and watch.

“We wanted the data and the personal characteristics to reflect those key points for us moving forward and those things joined together was really part of the process for us finding the candidate that we felt was best in that role.

“We know where Craig is in his journey, he’s still very early, but I think there’s some really good examples, at the likes of Brentford and Brighton, that give people opportunity. We want to be that club and that’s based on merit. Craig is a very driven, hungry individual.”

St Mirren chairman John Needham said: “This appointment is about building on the progress made during a challenging period.

“Craig came into a difficult situation and results improved under his leadership. He has earned the trust of the players and leadership. He knows the club from the inside, having worked across the academy and first-team environment over a number of years, and understands the standards expected at St Mirren as well as the demands of the support.

“Craig’s appointment fits with the club’s wider football strategy of developing players, improving recruitment and building a sustainable first-team model.”