St Mirren keep faith with Craig McLeish after difficult season as head coach lands permanent deal
Buddies board decide 36-year-old is right man to push them on
St Mirren believe Craig McLeish is the “outstanding candidate” to guide them through a new era after appointing the 36-year-old as their permanent head coach.
McLeish took over as St Mirren caretaker manager back in March following the departure of Stephen Robinson to Aberdeen. The Buddies finished 11th in the Premiership and avoided relegation by defeating Partick Thistle in the play-offs - and the Paisley outfit’s hierarchy have decided to keep faith with the 36-year-old.
McLeish, who was an academy coach at the SMiSA Stadium prior to becoming interim boss, has a track record of promoting youngsters into the first-team set-up and St Mirren plan to go down that route after “the end of a cycle”.
A statement from St Mirren read: “St Mirren Football Club is delighted to announce the appointment of Craig McLeish as our new Manager. The 36-year-old becomes our permanent Manager, agreeing a deal until summer 2029, after a spell as interim at the end of season 2025/26.
“During Craig's time in interim charge, the club retained its Premiership status whilst seeing a positive impact on a number of key underlying metrics both in and out of possession as well as improvement on attacking and defensive outputs. Craig also handed debuts to four St Mirren Youth Academy players in Grant Tamosevicius, Caiden McMillan, Thomas Falconer and Luke Douglas.
“His appointment comes following a thorough, data-driven recruitment process that aligned with the club’s football strategy on and off the pitch. The club assessed a number of external candidates before the Board and football leadership agreed that Craig was the outstanding candidate.
“Stuart Taylor will remain as Assistant Manager, while Head of Goalkeeping Jamie Langfield will also take on the added responsibility of set piece coach.”
McLeish ‘the right fit’ for St Mirren’s future
Chief operating officer Keith Lasley said the Buddies took their time in deciding upon a direction of travel and believes that McLeish “aligns with the club’s real ambition” for the next three years.
“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,” said Lasley. “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."
McLeish stated his gratitude to the board for giving him the chance on a permanent basis. "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."
Chairman John Needham added: "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."
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