Flashback Flying Finn left his mark with Saints
And, as supporters, there are some we remember and many we don’t.
Mixu Paatelainen’s tenure in Paisley may have been one of those “blink and you’ll miss it” stints but, to be fair, he was still a tremendous talent.
Signed from St Johnstone in 2004, the big Finn was brought in to aid the striking ranks, as well as assisting manager Gus MacPherson from the dugout.
He had already cut his coaching teeth in Perth, while his season-long spell in Paisley only furthered his managerial ambitions.
Indeed, when he left Saints, he would go on to manage Cowdenbeath, leading the Central Park side to their first league title in 67 years in his first year in charge.
In Paatelainen’s sole season, the Buddies would end up finishing second place in the league table, behind runaway title winners Mixu the man
St Mirren FC is a club with a proud tradition — and a history to match.
They have been at the centre of the Scottish game since their formation in 1877.
Today, we look back at the career of striker Mixu Paatelainen who enjoyed a playing and coaching stint in the early noughties.
Falkirk.
An impressive, yet unremarkable, season provided Saints with the solid base required as they would lift the league the following campaign.
The striker would register four goals in his 16 league outings for St Mirren, including one on his debut in a 2-0 win over Falkirk.
Further strikes would be found against Forfar Athletic in the Challenge Cup, Hamilton Accies, Partick Thistle and Raith Rovers.
A breathtaking start saw the hitman notch all his goals by the end of September, but injury woes would catch up on him before the end of the season.
Speaking to the Express last year about his stint in Paisley, Paatelainen insisted he looked back with fond memories.
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 opportunity at St Mirren but I was also keen to continue playing. It was a great setup at the time and you could tell that the team was really going places.
“Unfortunately for me I got badly injured quite soon into my time at the club and never played as much as I would have liked.
“I ended up retiring as a player at the end of the season and went on to manage Cowdenbeath.”
He added: “I was very lucky at St Mirren at first. We had a good start to the season and it was just a pity how things worked out.
“The fans there were always fantastic with me and even when I was injured they still gave a great reception.”