St Mirren are the new St Johnstone in terms of their squad-building success over the last couple of seasons.
And Perth manager, Steven MacLean, suggested the recruitment model that Saturday’s opponents, third in the Premiership, have successfully established is the one Saints are striving to get back to.
“The big thing I think they have benefitted from this season has been continuity and you have to give them credit for that,” said MacLean.
“They had the bulk of their squad in place last season and just added a few to it to strengthen again over the summer.
“They got the work they needed done, done early and have had the benefits of that so far.
“As a club once you get to a stage where you have a settled squad and are only adding three or four in a summer, that’s where you want to be as a manager.
⏪ Nicky Clark grabbed this stunning 96th minute equaliser in a previous trip to Paisley!
🎟 Secure your ticket for Saturday here – https://t.co/0VdwW7SaBR#SJFC pic.twitter.com/qlmkJEKRFM
— St. Johnstone FC (@StJohnstone) October 24, 2023
“That’s something St Johnstone had for a long time and you saw the benefits of it back then.
“Credit to St Mirren, they have got that continuity now and you can see the results.
“When you’re working with a squad where the vast majority of the players know the way you want to do things, it’s so much easier than teaching 10 or 11 in one go.
“They have planned very well.
“That’s the stage we want to get back to in future.”
‘Very good manager’
A trip to Paisley is now among the toughest in the league, with Stephen Robinson established as one of the most respected bosses in the country.
“Stephen is a very good manager and a good coach,” MacLean added.
“I have a lot of time for him – he knows the time of day and you can see how well he sets his teams up.
“He’s got Keith Lasley in there with him, who is a good guy.
“Their number two Diarmuid O’Carroll was also over in Bucharest with us in the summer on a coaching course, so I know they’re all good lads.”
Both sides are coming off two blank weekends for this fixture.
“I was quite pleased that the St Mirren game also went off,” MacLean admitted. “Because we haven’t played for a while and they will be the same as us now.
“I’m sure they would have been playing a few little games between themselves to keep ticking over.”
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