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Let's face it: MacLean should never, ever have been given the job in the first place, let alone been given a three-year deal. There were worrying signs even during his few games as caretaker manager, and handing him a long-term deal off the back of those games was a lazy, short-sighted, unimaginative, cheapskate decision. Once he got the job I was happy to get behind him and give him a chance. I really liked a lot of the things he said, and I think some of his signings were pretty good (Mitov is our best signing in years; Sprangler looks a cracking find; even Smith and Jephcott looked great signings on paper but are obviously yet to deliver). But once the injury crisis ended and he had his own players in place he really needed to prove he could turn his positive words into positive performances and I think Saturday probably confirmed that was never going to happen (despite a slight improvement in the games before that). We desperately needed to make a clean break from the Davidson regime at the end of last season. By not doing that we've wasted more time, wasted more money, blown an absolutely pivotal transfer window, and put ourselves in a position at the bottom of the league table that might not be recoverable. These decisions aren't Macca's fault. They're the club's fault. And I know people will say it's a different board in charge now but I struggle to believe there was no overlap or conversation at the time that would have involved Harris and co. And all of this has been overseen by the same owner. The fact is the various people running the club over the last three or four years have lurched from one bad decision to another and they've let us all down. I know I've said this on here multiple times but this all stems back to not doing enough to keep our best ever manager happy. If Tommy Wright had felt supported and happy in his job, and been given the structure and set-up he was asking for, he'd still be our manager now and we'd probably still be a comfortable mid-table Premiership club enjoying the occasional good Cup run and European qualification. Losing Tommy Wright, and then allowing Callum Davidson to completely dismantle everything Wright took years to build, has completely killed what this club was.

Make no mistake the press pack never forgave him for pointing out the Emperor was naked!

Levein has made big mistakes over the years, far too comfortable at Hearts last time out, but has some achievements to his name. Did a fantastic job at Tannadice, (arrived in October to replace club legend Brewster who won us the cup!) will not tolerate players putting the tools away when conceding a 2nd goal, shapes teams who 'enjoy defending' and will build a squad that will not be pushed around. Expect his side and any signings he makes to display a certain muscularity......exactly what Saints need right now. He has no previous connection to the club, a good thing, more important than many fans realise. Good appointment, hope it works.

He is probably the highest profile person to ever come in and manage saints. Wishing him all the best and looking forward to prelonged stay in the top flight. Gets my vote. Well done saints, great appointment.

Really hope Saints are at some point talking to Sven Sprangler about who the players are he knows from Austria who might be in a similar situation to him - maybe guys looking for a fresh start and up for playing abroad - who we could look at bringing over here. Got to be worth investigating, surely?

Ah yes, the St. Johnstone manager was a drug dealer so I’ll become a drug dealer. I believe he does a lot of work educating younger people be that with local schools, community clubs etc. and talks about his past. That, plus him seeming like a decent and honest bloke, sounds like a decent role model to me. This isn’t a constant reoffender, or somebody who’s tried to hide his past, this is a man who’s taken responsibility, showed remorse, turned his life around and become a better person for it.

Mitov’s distribution can be a bit suspect but there’s no doubting his goal celebration yesterday,cult hero in the making?

This is a big thing for me so far, no bullshit or false promises. Think he's going to be most proactive manager we've had since TW in terms of trying to sort problems during games and in training, whether it works or not we'll see, but i doubt we'll be doing the same failing thing repeatedly for months under him.

Levein was a surprise appointment to me and I was a bit underwhelmed at first. The truth is Saints could not risk another rookie, not fair on us as supporters and not fair on them. I think we had a good run going down the relatively ‘untried’ line.. Coyle McInnes Lomas Wright Callum it was inevitable our luck would run out! I bet no one saw Callum deliver 2 cups? After our success I heard more than one Saints fan say we’ll probably get relegated now!! Albeit tongue in cheek .. I think the calmness Levein exudes can only be a positive and I am sure now that he is a ‘Saintee’ we the fans will get behind him..

Have just listened to his full media interview. I just get a good feeling about this appointment and the set-up. It feels to me as if Levein knows where his strengths are at this stage in his career and he wants a set-up that will help him get the best out of himself and then in turn the team. It's clear that Andy Kirk is going to do the vast majority of training. Not only that, when asked about the style of play he wants to implement, he immediately spoke about the style of play Kirk has put in place at Brechin and how he has helped to adapt it. He also mentioned Kirk's understanding of tactics as being "extremely good". We have a young and up and coming coach taking on alot of the responsibility, but Levein will then have time to deal with man-management, team selection, transfers strategy, etc. I am ok with that. I see it more as a form of humility, than laziness or not particularly caring. Feels a little bit like we are going down the same route of a young up and coming coach, but an experienced head above him who can take the lead and allow him to grow into a potential manager. We also have a familiar face in Cleland, that will know the club very well and has insight into what has worked and what hasn't In no way am I comparing the two, but for a huge chunk of his latter career, Alex Ferguson did much the same. Be the central authority figure, deal with the players and personal issues, but allow younger coaches, with great energy and ability to do alot of the hard work on the training ground. It might work, it might not, but I can see Geoff's reasoning on the appointment.

I’m not overly thrilled by the appointment - or the contract length - but **** me, give the man a chance.

So glad I made a last minute decision to go last night. Great performance all round and I came away thinking we still have a real chance to be in the top league again next season. Good to see McGowan back in the fold- played well and lasted the whole game. Something strange about him being cut- defence were pretty much on top of things and were snapping in to challenges. Still think Consodine is a bit of a liability but if we can get young legs around him he'll do fine. Carey is a moaning C*** but he had a good game! Really impressed with Robinson and Smith and Sprangler definitley fitted in well back there. There is no substitute for a goal scorer and Clark was excellent - salvation may rest with him. My MOTM was Kane - considering he's been out for long spells his work rate was outstanding and he's so fit. Nothing beats staying back with your fellow fans and acknowledging the players as they come off and them sharing the adulation. We are alive and well and if nothing else we won't go quietly.

Much better tonight. All the players seemed to know their jobs and what they should be doing. Even after the sending off, they were hard working and organised. Smith and Kane both standouts for me, and Costelloe before his sending off. Best I've felt after a game for ages.

I'll be honest, not too keen on Martindale. Nothing to do with his past, if anything it's a good story and an inspiration to many in Scotland who are not lucky enough to avoid that sort of thing with where and how they are brought up. I just have a feeling he's one of these managers who fits one club and has success but will bomb at another. I have a sneaky suspicion he perhaps thinks this too.

Spot on. Costelloe was out of his depth early doors. Didn’t close the wingers early enough and offered very little going forward. Levein was indecisive with his subs against Motherwell, which I forgave due to his limited knowledge of the squad, but really struggled to see why it took him so long to make a sub today. May and Kane were both struggling, Costelloe was offering nothing and Phillips was limited due to his booking. Sprangler, DJ and Jephcott should have been on. Im concerned about Levein not using Sprangler. He was a breath of fresh air when he first came in, gave the team personality and looked assured in possession as his use of his ball. Hopefully he’s back in the lineup soon. I think if Drey and Nicky Clark were in the team today we would have got at least at point. Would like to see us being in a more physical striker in January and also a defender with a bit more pace. Don’t think we are far from being a decent team, just need some luck with injuries.

After hearing his interviews, both pre and post match, I'm becoming more impressed with him as a manager. It's good that he actually seems to stop and think about the answers he's giving, rather than just rambling on and bringing out the same old cliches. He also seems to notice and point out the problems that we all talk about on here, and then hopefully, has a plan to rectify them. I liked at the end of the Saints TV interview, when he was asked about his thoughts on Saturday's game with County, and he said, were going to try and win it. That'll do Craig. No fluff or unnecessary blah. 👍

Admin I know it’s saints chat but us relevant. Guys see below us a link to a go fund me page for Rachel Borthwick aka Graham Carey’s wife who has an aggressive from of breast cancer. They have found a treatment for it abroad so need to raise £50000 so anyone who can help no matter how little please do so. https://www.gofundme.com/f/to-help-rachel-beat-breast-cancer?utm_campaign=p_lico+share-sheet&utm_medium=social&utm_source=whatsapp&fbclid=PAAaYh74Yb84dFJYmxA68JVzIaTYggFw_cJBR3SWgdEOXpIoTs7DgOIAGbqI8

Spot on Dave. he said Geoff phoned him on Tuesday. This has the potential to be a great appointment, he deserves our full support.

He probably wouldn't have been my choice but I'm OK with him. Understand the club's feeling that we needed experience on this occasion, and there aren't many out there with more experience than Craig Levein. That said, I can't help but feel there are some big red flags about all of this. Why have we given yet another new manager a three-year contract? (OK two-and-a-half years, but it spans three seasons.) For me, the strategy here should have been to bring in someone until the end of the season and challenge them to prove themselves by keeping us up. Come the summer, if they've done that and it feels like things have been going well, that's when you reward them with the longer contract. I get that people are going to say Levein might not have come here for that arrangement, but if that was the case then we could have moved on to a different candidate. Saints remain a huge opportunity for any manager in Scotland, and it's not as if Levein would have been in demand elsewhere. Saints have presented him with a massive chance to get back to managing in the top flight and the risk here is all on the club's side, not on his. I think a short deal with the incentive of something longer based on success would have been very fair. The other thing that worries me a lot is his comment about Andy Kirk taking training. I'd have thought an involvement in training would have been part of our experienced manager's remit. Instead our players are now going to be coached day-to-day by a guy who has been managing a part-time team in the Highland league. That feels like a big step and a huge risk to me. I bet this guy can't believe his luck. One thing I can't help but feel disappointed by is that our policy of steering away from the managerial merry-go-round and instead identifying ambitious, young managers is now officially a thing of the past, just like so many of the other factors that previously made us successful. It really does feel like a very different St Johnstone from the one we had four or five years ago. Nothing lasts forever and perhaps that change was needed, but I just hope it works. P.S. Perhaps Levein will stay true to his reputation and play negative football, but personally I couldn't care less about that, as long as we start moving up the league.

I don't get the negativity with this appointment. We need an experienced man who won't be intimidated by players, the board, press or authorities. He's done it all and knows exactly what is required to target strengths and weakness in teams. His expertise is defence and we should see a marked improvement going forward. I think he'll change our strategy to fit the exisiting personnel, until he can bring in who he wants but he knows how to organise a defense. I'm not expecting high flying sexy football but in our situation we need pragmatic hard working teams who can battle their way out of this mess. As I suspected Geoff was involved in identifying Levein and it should be regarded as a coup being able to encourage him back in. That performance on Wednesday against Killie was pivitol in him making the decision too- he clearly sees that there is the bones of a decent team there. This is a bold step from the board and shows intent that they want to remain in this division at all cost.

Exactly, Davidsons dross and McLean was not much better. Lets keep an open mind on the new manager , support the team , win the next 2 games and it may give some hope.

Quite enjoying all this chat about not wanting Levein's negative football...it's like we've all been sitting there watching Brazil for the last 10 years.

So, it's Craig Levein then! I never even thought about him when all the speculation started. Pros: I'd have him over Neilson, Martindale, Brown, Mulgrew etc. (To be honest, the only realistic option I'd have had before him would be Tam Courts, who I didn't like when first mentioned, but having checked his record and what he's been up to recently, I started to warm to the idea.) We're going in the opposite direction of appointing "young and hungry" than we have done for years, which judging by the recent performances is a good thing. He apparently gets things organised quickly, which we badly need. He's not learning on the job and will know what to do as soon as he walks in the door. He's a calm head in charge, the opposite of Maclean. He's a well known name and hopefully will get respect from the players. It's good to have somebody who's already high profile agreeing to be in charge of the club. When was the last time that happened? A high profile appointment might give a boost to the players. Contacts! He must have loads. Cons: The feeling in your stomach that this could go either way, but I suppose that's the same of any appointment. His last stint at Hearts, and what my Jambo mates were saying about him at the time. They talked about strange decisions, selections, lost it etc. Hopefully his time away from management has refreshed him after that. THAT Scotland game. He's got a decent squad to work with, he'll hopefully get a reaction from them, and he'll have time to get to know them all before the January window, when he might be able to unearth a few gems. Anyway, he's our man and he gets my full and unequivocal support.

Aye ive got bad vibes from Levein too. He lost more than he won with Hearts in his spell there, while also conceding more than they scored, finishing 6th in both seasons. I dunno, i just dont get a good feeling about it.

Levein isn't for me. He was a successful football manager nearly 20 years ago, but what has he done since then? His spell at Hearts both as a manager and DOF was by all accounts a disaster with many of the same issues raised which were similar to Davidson tenure with us - poor recruitment, a bloated squad, negative tactics and bizarre team selections. Results and stats since the season don't back this up, but I genuinely don't believe our team is as bad as it is being made out to be. I have seen our own fans and others from outside the club saying that we are one of the worst teams to ever be in the top flight, but I don't believe that. We have a lot of work ahead of us and will need a bit of luck on the injury front, but if we can keep the likes of Mitov, Sprangler, Smith, Kano and Clark fit then I think that we have more than enough about to be competitive. My top two choices for the new manager would have been Neilson or Lennon, but it appears like neither of them are likely to be in the running. None of the names currently being mentioned in the media today particularly fill me with confidence.

Remember the McGowan announcement came off the back of the game (can't remember which one it was) where he was named on the bench, then suddenly removed from the squad about half an hour before kick off. To me that points towards words being exchanged in the dressing room before that match, but that's pure speculation on my part. Interesting that since being frozen out he's voluntarily done co-commentary on Saints TV and continued to sound very positive about training etc. Personally I'd have both him and Booth back in the squad.

Was David Martindale a poor reflection of a person? I don't think that is in doubt, but imagine everyone who went to jail took his attitude. I'd suggest the world would be a far better place. Continuing to beat on a guy who has turned his life around, has owned his crime and has shown remorse is so ridiculous. David Martindale is the perfect example of how a justice system should work. Do your time and try to better yourself. He's done both. He wouldn't be my first choice for the job but there are so many more worse options out there.

Walk a mile in someone's shoes before you judge them.

100% agree with this. The fans need to be told what the hell is actually going on and what the club's plan is for turning this around. Yesterday's statement about the sacking was just completely unacceptable. Obviously it was a Sunday afternoon and there might not have been people around to provide a detailed statement, but how difficult is it to just thank the two guys who are leaving and up until recently played a huge positive role in this club's history. Stan Harris was in the Courier talking about how he considers them both to be club legends and personal friends, yet he couldn't just make the effort to ensure a quick thanks was given on the club website? Did the club learn nothing from the farcical announcements about Wotherspoon and O'Halloran's departures? I've seen a lot of fans on here and various other channels talking about how much better it is having Stan Harris in charge but I'd love to know where that confidence in him comes from and what he's actually changed for the better since taking the helm. Because so far all I'm seeing is the same old shit-show.

Miss you dude and all the other great saints lads that used to frequent these pages 😢

I think there have been a couple of goals where it could be argued he might have done better, but on the whole he's been absolutely brilliant. Amazing shot-stopping, comfortable with the ball at his feet, commands the defence. I think he's been our best signing in years.

That's such a huge blow, he's looked fantastic since he came back. Huge opportunity for both May and Jephcott to stake their claims now, though I suspect we'll see Kane starting up front on his own for the next couple of games anyway. Wonder if Clark's injury might give the club a nudge on extending Kane's contract beyond the end of the year.

Minutes silence well respected by all fans but did it have to continue for 47 minutes.

First half was total Industrial hoofball from two sides devoid of knowledge of the beautiful game. For thr first 10 minutes of the second half we were a lot better, with a focus on keeping the ball on the deck. Clark and Phillips were brilliant. Workrate and intelligent passes were key. Liam Gordon continues to give me the absolute FEAR. We deserved the win today. A massive psychological boost ahead of a tough December. We were not at our best, but with Avril's astute knowledge and wisdom, I cannot now see us being 12th come the end of the season. A decent appointment. Thought the fans were absolutely fantastic today. For all the part-timers out there (plenty) ...please come home...we need you and you need us. COYS!

For me, May has had two really good goalscoring spells in his career. The first one was when he had Macca next to him. The second one was when he had Clark next to him. I'm not sure how anyone who saw how well he played alongside Clark last season could come to the conclusion that he's not good enough. He just needs the right strike partner next to him and he's proven he can thrive. Even when he was rumbling around on his own up front I thought he was generally playing pretty well, but he was just playing nowhere near the goal so wasn't getting any goalscoring chances. If people could say he'd been missing a load of sitters or looking off the pace then that would be a big worry, but I just don't think that's the case. You say Clark is managing it but in both of the games he's scored in this season, he's had Kane next to him and he's been served chances by a team that has had a much more attacking mindset. I don't think anyone could say May has had that same opportunity this season.

Anyone saying they won't set foot in Mcd are not true Saints fans

Our model now needs to be staying in the division and offsetting our huge losses.

A very unimaginative appointment. When he was appointed at Dundee United 17 years ago he was an ambitious manager who lifted the standards at that club and recruited well. I hope we see similar, but do wonder whether he still has the same drive or ambition. I always want a St Johnstone manager to see us as a stepping stone to something better. It means we get a manager who is ambitious and successful and the manager gets his want by moving on to bigger things. I just don’t see that happening with Levein. His most recent record at Hearts ultimately ended in them getting relegated. He built a bloated squad and his recruitment left a lot to be desired. I hope we get the United version of Levein, but football moves fast and I just can’t see him replicating the previous success he had in the game. Thankfully the likes of Motherwell, Ross County and Livi seem to be just as bad as us so hopefully he can do enough to at least make us competitive in the league.

Just remembered that it was Levein that capped Muzz. So he's alright by me. Great appointment.

Thinking levien will be a disaster of an appointment.id rather keep Alec clelland a few games see what happens.

Quite a few knowledgeable ones in the East Stand most games!

Spelling it Spoonie is probably worse.

Dinnae worry everytime I bet I put a hoodoo on it so nae chance he's coming here 🫣🤣 I could bet Right said Fred were bald and they'd rock up wi f*****g affros 😫

Get ally Macoist in as he doesn’t do walking away . former club favourite . helped pay for the floodlights. what could go wrong .

We need to get away from the media driven drivel, always the same, they come up with the same names to cause a bit of a headline. This appointment has to be spot on and be our boards/Geoff/Stan decision , without outside influence. Just for once go left of field and get someone in who will get us out of the shitehole we are in.

I think fiery can be a good thing if used in the right way and at the right time. I'm not convinced Lennon would even know where to start if he walked into a club like Saints. Does he have any experience of working with a budget like ours? He'd have to turn things around quickly, using more-or-less the squad he inherits, and then scrabble around for bargain basement signings. We know how frustrated other managers have found the way this club works with recruitment. Would Lennon be able to handle that? Perhaps you're right and his kind of personality is what Saints actually need. If that turned out to be the case then brilliant. But in general I'm unconvinced by these ex-Old Firm types who probably demand a huge salary on account of having Celtic or Rangers on their CVs. Scott Brown's another one I've seen people talking up, apparently based on very little other than the media's love for him because he used to play for Celtic. If it was up to me we'd steer well clear of all of these kind of guys.

Neither Martindale (nothing to do with his past) nor Nielson would raise my spirits.

Ask the players if they want to play

Think macca got himsell punted

This happened about twenty years ago. I’d understand your point if he showed no remorse or personal development, but Martindale is the prime example of a rehabilitated man. We’ve seen absolutely no reason to doubt his character or integrity during the time period of his rise through the footballing ranks. Quite the opposite. So no, I doubt that the ‘young Saintees’ would even give it a second thought (unless the subject is brought up by people like yourself).