UEFA director has fond memories of Paisley

It would be fair to say that St Mirren are a long way away from a Champions League final.

Or a Europa League final for that matter. And by process of elimination, that rules out the Super Cup.

But for former St Mirren ace Mixu Paatelainen, he has appeared in all three finals this season, completing a remarkable treble in his new role as a UEFA technical director.

The Finnish international, who enjoyed a brief spell as player- coach with the Saints during the days of Gus MacPherson, admits it is a far cry from scoring goals in front of 4,000 Paisley punters.

But having taken in games from around the world, Paatelainen revealed that he has also been rubbing shoulders with a legend of the game with Saints connections.

He told Express Sport: “I now work as a UEFA technical director. I was at the Europa League final in Stockholm and I meet up with other observors from around the continent and we discuss how football was played. It is very interesting to get the views of other players who have been around the game and at the very highest level.

“I have met up with the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Fabio Capello in recent weeks and it is a real honour to just discuss football with these guys.

“It is a wonderful job. IIget sent to games across Europe to assess how the teams approach games and to give my opinion.

“It gives you a real insight into how play differs from country to country and opens your eyes to how different coaches do things differently.

“I have also been in France for the UEFA Super Cup and I was down at the Champions League final in Cardiff at the end of last season.”

Paatelainen’s St Mirren career got started with a bang, but unfortunately for player and club, it was pretty much over before it had even begun.

Goals against Falkirk and Forfar quickly catapulted him into the hearts of the home support, and he would go on to fire further strikes against Hamilton, Partick Thistle and Raith Rovers before a knee injury curtailed his involvement for the remainder of his time at the club.

However, the 50-year-old insists that a brief stint on the coaching staff alongside Gus MacPherson and Andy Millen set him on the pathway in management as he would go on to kick-start his own managerial career with Cowdenbeath the following season.

He said: “I had a very good time at St Mirren at a stage of my career when I was starting to focus a lot more on coaching.

“Gus gave me that