I’m out for new blood

Gaffer eyes up players

Alan Stubbs admits he is going to have to be creative with his budget as he looks to put his own stamp on the Buddies.

But that didn’t stop the new St Mirren gaffer from insisting that he is keen to bring in at least six or seven players to the Paisley club.

The hard work starts now for Stubbs after being handed the reins on Monday, replacing Jack Ross as the new manager of St Mirren.

With the likes of Lewis Morgan, Stelios Demetriou and Liam Smith having all left the Championship winners since the end of last season, a number of holes have been left to plug before the competitive action gets under way.

However, Stubbs joked that their was little chance of him raiding his former side Hibernian.

He said: “I don’t think I can afford them. Neil Lennon has talked about his squad, which is probably not the biggest, so I’m sure he’ll want to keep everyone he has there.

“He’s got a good squad and it’s something I want to try and emulate here. We brought some really good players to Hibs when I was there. It’s something I’m conscious of doing here.

“If I can get anyone half as good as some of them turned out to be, we’ll be doing OK. But there are not many John McGinns or Dylan McGeouchs about, so I’m going to have to be a little bit creative and hopefully a little bit clever.”

However, Stubbs insists he will have no issues in pinpointing players from Scotland that he is keen to nab, having focused on media duties since leaving his last job with Rotherham United 20 months ago.

He added: “It’s been really good. BT Sport have been great to work with. There are really good people there and it gave me a chance to keep watching Scottish football and keep my knowledge of the game here up to date. It’s all fresh in my mind, the players and teams here, so that’s been really good.”

With pre- season starting on Monday, the reality of the season fast approaching is setting in for the players and management.

And the former Celtic defender admitted he is looking forward to returning to a few of his former stomping grounds.

He said: “It will be emotional going back to Hibs, because it will always have a place in my heart. I have some fantastic memories from my time there.

“I’m also looking forward to going to Celtic Park as a manager, which I haven’t done yet. I’m also looking forward to going back to Rangers on the other side of it.”