HIGH HOPES
St Mirren’s Jim Goodwin wants to make it big in management and the Tramore native can see himself as a future Ireland boss
EARLY into the interview with St Mirren manager Jim Goodwin, the tape recorder stops. The batteries are flat. Fail to prepare and all that. I apologise and ask Goodwin to be patient. ‘Take your time, it’s no bother,’ he replies. After a couple of minutes scrambling around, we get going again and Goodwin carries on without passing censure. Would the St Mirren players be handled with such understanding, I wonder?
Goodwin is uncomplicated, filterfree, and straight up as he reflects on his football journey from Tramore and what management horizons lie ahead.
Just as the ball was there to be won during his playing career, which included Irish recognition at all levels and European Championship glory under Brian Kerr in 1998, so Goodwin isn’t prepared to settle for second best now that he’s in charge.
‘Considering the limited amount of ability I had, to get that senior cap off Mick McCarthy was one of the proudest moments of my playing career, and my life, to date.
‘I think everyone’s ambition should be to play for your country and manage at the highest level. My aim as manager is to manage at the highest club level possible.
‘My ultimate aim – the last job I want – whether it comes around, is to lead out my country, in a major tournament.
‘Sometimes when you make statements like that, people are very quick to shout you down.
‘I always went through my career reaching for the stars. I look at other people who had the job. And I think if they’re good enough to get the opportunity, then why can’t I? That has to be the mindset.
‘No matter what job you’ve got, you’ve to aspire to the best you can be. And the top job in Ireland would be one I’d absolutely love to get the opportunity to do one day. I see
Stephen Kenny in there having done brilliant work at Dundalk.
‘The hardest part of international set-ups is trying to get players to believe in you, to buy into what you want to do. I’d love to see Stephen instil a club mentality into the team on a regular basis.’
Goodwin wants to see Kenny prosper in 2021, ideally with a sprinkling of St Mirren’s Irish players in the World Cup fold, which would do his long-term prospects of achieving his ‘dream’ job no harm.
‘I’m not stupid. I’ve got to go and make sure in the next 10 years that I’m successful.
‘I have to do well at St Mirren, then I have to get a good opportunity off St Mirren, then I have to be successful in that one as well.
‘It’s a long way away. I’m nowhere near enough to be in the frame, I’ve not done enough in the game yet.’
Maybe not yet, but Goodwin’s career graph as manager is on an upward curve.
Not yet 40, he has skilfully negotiated the hurdle from player to ‘gaffer’, supplementing a modest part-timer’s income at Alloa Athletic for three years while working as a sales representative for Cadbury.
Twirl was the No 1 best-seller, and he’s seen enough of their wrappers to last him a lifetime.
After leading Alloa into the Championship in 2018, and keeping them there the following season, Goodwin was in the right place at the right
time when his former club St Mirren came calling in the summer of 2019.
‘Management was always something I wanted to go into. I did my coaching as I went along. I’m up to the Pro Licence now which is pretty much as far as you can go. It’s far easier being a full-time manager than a part-time one.’
In his first season, he oversaw an eighth-place finish, to equal the Paisley club’s highest placing in the Scottish Premiership. This term, he’s aiming higher.
‘Seventh would be a success but for me I won’t be satisfied until we force our way into the top half.
‘The first four positions are always taken up by Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen and Hibs, their budgets are vastly bigger than anyone else in the League. We have to believe we’re capable of doing it.’
After the curse of Covid-19 riddled the club earlier in the season, St Mirren were down to the bare bones in terms of players when SPFL chiefs put the boot in and awarded 3-0 wins to Hamilton and Motherwell for being unable
to fulfil fixtures. ‘We had to shut the club down but we came out the other side. We managed to get the virus out and have not had a positive test since.
‘We’ve had a decent run since, and have only lost three games out of last 17,’ he said.
St Mirren successfully appealed to the Scottish FA against the walkovers – both games will be replayed – which has given the club a lift ahead of today’s Scottish League Cup semi-final against Livingston at Hampden Park.
Goodwin was part of the Sky Sports commentary team in snowy West Lothian on Wednesday night when lively Livingston drew 2-2 with Celtic to extend their unbeaten run to 10 games, a timely reminder that St Mirren will get nothing easy today.
Goodwin won the competition as a player in the black and white stripes of the Buddies when they beat Hearts 3-2 eight years ago.
To get this far, he has overseen wins against Aberdeen in the last 16 and Rangers in the quarter-finals – the only defeat for Steven Gerrard’s blue machine this season. Clubs like St Mirren and Livingston don’t get to finals too often and this is a chance Goodwin is desperate to seize.
I always went through my career reaching for the stars
‘I was fortunate enough to play in our League Cup final win of 2013. I tried to remind the players that if you believe and everyone works their a***s off on the day, you’ve got a great chance to play a part in the club’s history.’
St Mirren don’t score many goals but they mirror what Goodwin is seeking.
‘We play a system and style that suits the players. We’re definitely not a long-ball team, we don’t look to get rid of the ball in a hurry. There are many ways to win a game, no right, or wrong way.
‘We try and build from the back, to do that you have to have quality players. In possession, we want to be calm and composed, we want to play at a good tempo.
‘People talk about being brave, but it takes a certain bravery to take the ball down in certain areas of the football pitch. Encouragement and confidence has to come from the manager, players have to be afraid not to make mistakes.
‘I like my team to play with a bit of aggression as well. I think that’s vital.
‘Some teams sit off and let their opponents play 15-20 passes at the back, our mindset when we’re out of possession is to get back. We’re quite high up in the stats for getting the ball back, which is a credit to the players.
‘It’s the old Barcelona way, which Pep Guardiola brought in. We’ve tried to buy into it, Leeds are very good at in the English Premier League.
‘That takes a lot of hard work and bedding in on the training ground. When it works, it’s brilliant. It means you’re winning the ball higher up the park, closer to the opposition goal.’
At Alloa, Goodwin received little national exposure but being at St Mirren, a founder member of the Scottish League and near neighbours of the Glasgow giants, brings a greater awareness, and greater demands too.
‘There is a lot more responsibility in terms of running the day-to-day side of a full-time football club.
‘The level of expectation goes up, there is more focus on the team, on your own decision-making, tactics and things like that, a lot more eyes on you. People are a lot more critical.
‘We’ve people in the boardroom who are just as ambitious as I am, who want to take the club to the next level. When pressure mounts, I enjoy it to be honest.
‘You have to be your own biggest critic. You’ve got to be constantly analysing your own decision-making, your own tactics.
‘Coming up against more experienced managers. I feel I’m improving. I feel more confident in my ability, learning from different situations over the last four or five seasons which is standing to me.
‘I never want to have a week where I think some manager is working harder than I am.
‘You always want more, you always want to do better. Once I’m in, I’m all in.’
Tramore’s Metal Man ain’t for bending.