Cheer we go again for a new Saints era
The end of last season brought about an excitement you would expect from a support whose side had somewhat effortlessly rampaged to the Championship title.
But no sooner had one campaign ended had eyes descended on the next one.
The departure of Jack Ross however appears to have proven more of an issue that some would care to admit.
It failed to kill that buzz stone dead, but it has set the Buddies back longer in other ways.
The timing of Ross’ switch was perhaps perfect when you consider the alternative being midway through what could prove to be a testing season, but in terms of recruitment, the Buddies are without a doubt at least a couple of weeks behind some of their closest rivals due to the knock on effect, caused in part by the replacement process.
A month may still remain between now and Saints getting started, but with the League Cup section literally a week away it is hitting home the enormity of the task at hand for Alan Stubbs, Brian Rice and Darren Jackson.
Numbers appear to be an issue – through no fault of Stubbs – due to the situation he walked into.
Ross wasted no time in starting phasing out the old squad ahead of a summer that was expected to bring re-building, strengthening and an action-packed window.
No one can argue with those who have left so far, with the likes of Gary Irvine, John Sutton and Josh Todd already something of a distant memory for St Mirren supporters.
Add in Stelios and to a lesser extent Nathan Flanagan and Darren Whyte, however, and you are already without a handful of squad players who you could have called upon if they were ever needed.
Lewis Morgan’s departure doesn’t even need mentioned, while Liam Smith proved to be a key cog in a record-breaking defence.
Most of those players struggled to get into a St Mirren side last season, a St Mirren side that many would assumed would be strengthened regardless over the course of the summer.
However, Ross never got round to bringing in players, outwith Jim Kellermann and Paul McGinn.
Has the squad been strengthened since then? Well, if anything, it has been a race against time.
It is hard to decipher before a ball is even kicked but from the outside looking in it would be fair to believe that there is still some work to be done.
Out of the five summer signings McGinn is only one with the experience of playing in Scotland’s top flight.
Kellermann, Cooke, King and Heaton are unknown quantities and could prove to be Andy Dormans or James Marwoods, it so often boils down to the luck of the draw and how they adapt/approach Scottish football.
There are still a handful of players left, like Ross Stewart the striker and midfielder Jordan Kirkpatrick who were deemed by Ross not to be ready and able for Championship football.
Will Stubbs think otherwise and launch them into the Premiership? Regardless, Saints are light. And that’s without losing Ross Stewart’s goalkeeping namesake, Gary MacKenzie, Adam Eckersley and Ian McShane in the coming weeks after Stubbs told them they were also free to leave.
It’s the manager’s prerogative to do what he thinks he is best, and if McShane isn’t going to get the gametime, and MacKenzie and Eckersley too much on the wrong side of 30 for the manager’s liking, then perhaps it should be no surprise to see them edged towards the Paisley exit door.
But it does ultimately leave more big gaps for the manager to fill.
Anthony Stokes may prove to be a divisive figure in the world of football, never mind the soapy bubble of Paisley, but at least having him in on trial a fortnight ago shows the direction of tried and tested is at least something Stubbs is keen to explore further.
The chances of Stokes returning however, for better or for worse, look minimal after he was a no show for the trip to La Manga.
Regardless, this is a new era and that brings excitement in itself.
It won’t bring home the silverware of last season, but that was never going to be the case this season as the Premiership rolls into town.
But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have to be less exciting.