Will McLeish stay after St Mirren’s rollercoaster season?Image source, SNSImage caption, Craig McLeish won four of his 12 games in interim charge at St MirrenByGeorge O’NeillBBC Sport ScotlandPublished1 hour agoAlmost as soon as the full-time whistle went in Paisley on Monday, amid the St Mirren celebrations, thoughts turned to what comes next for a club who have experienced the highest of highs and some low lows this season.In December, they won the League Cup with a magnificent victory over Celtic at Hampden – another triumph for manager Stephen Robinson after three straight top-six finishes in the Scottish Premiership.However, the consistent league form that had characterised Robinson’s tenure evaporated this term despite their cup heroics.They were dragged into a relegation battle, and when Robinson departed for Aberdeen in March, former youth coach Craig McLeish was thrust into interim charge with one brief – survive.And survive they did, by the barest of margins, as Marcus Fraser’s goal earned a 2-1 aggregate victory over Partick Thistle in the Premiership play-off final, a 1-0 home win on Monday sealing the job.
McLeish has made no secret of his desire to stay in the role and he reiterated that wish after the full-time whistle.
“I imagine [chief operating officer] Keith [Lasley] will start to have conversations about that over the next few days,” McLeish reported when asked by BBC Scotland about his future.
“We spoke about taking care of everything and whatever the outcome is, the club will plan their future from there.
“I’m privileged that the club put trust in me to take the team on. If I get the opportunity to lead the group, my biggest thing is to make sure we’re never in that type of position again.
“I’ve felt I’m capable of doing the job and handling the full thing. I’ve felt that from day one. This is what I’ve always been building towards.
“I can’t control when I would get the opportunity. I just had to show I was ready to go and I hope I have shown people that.”
