Speaks exclusively to former Saints hero Paul McKnight about what fans can expect should his compatriot agree to take over the Paisley hot seat

Craig Ritchie

St Mirren hero Paul McKnight learned everything he knows from a school teacher in the Saints hotseat.

And he reckons the Buddies have done their homework yet again as they get set to hand Coleraine boss – and PE teacher – Oran Kearney the reins.

The Northern Irish striker will forever be remembered in St Mirren folklore for firing the Buddies to the top flight in 2000 under Tom Hendrie.

Hendrie famously gave up his day job as a maths principal at an Edinburgh high school to take up the managerial gig in Paisley before leading them to the then Premier League within 18 months.

Kearney now looks set to tread that familiar path following seven successful years at the Showgrounds where he has enjoyed five top-six finishes, led the side to the Irish Cup, both a League Cup and Irish Cup final and has also managed the side in Europe.

Now back settled in Belfast, McKnight has been watching with keen interest as the Coleraine gaffer edges ever closer to taking the hotseat in Paisley following the departure of Alan Stubbs.

And he reckons the Buddies could be on to a winner employing the Belfast boy.

McKnight told Express Sport: “It would be a big gamble, especially with St Mirren looking to stay up – but it is a gamble worth taking.

“The obvious comparison you could make is with Tom Hendrie because they were both school teachers.

“And if he is half, or even a quarter as successful as Tom was in his first full season, then I’m sure the fans will be delighted.

“Oran is very well respected in Northern Ireland, so much so that if he doesn’t take the St Mirren job then I think there will be teams queuing up sooner rather than later because Coleraine look good for the title. They beat the champions Crusaders 3-0 on Monday night which is a remarkable result.

“He is only going to go from strength to strength, be it in Northern Ireland or in Scotland. He has a group of hungry players at his disposal and he is sure to achieve even more if he stays where he is.

“But the chance to move to full-time football and to a club like St Mirren could be too much for him to turn down.

“Oran had a good Irish League career, but he was very similar to myself in the regard that his career was somewhat hampered by injuries.

“He prides himself on bringing through players from the youth system which will obviously appeal to St Mirren, but he has built a side with a good mixture of youth and experience and he has done that very well.

“He has done all that with a limited budget, building Coleraine up pretty much from the ground up in his seven years in charge.

“It is a club very much shaped by Oran. Before they were pretty much your solid mid- table side, plodding along. He has taken them to regularly being in the top two, got them into cup finals and they are my tip for the title this time around.

“I’m biased but I would be accepting it in a heartbeat. I’d jump at the chance – shame I’m not a football manager.”

St Mirren supporters have been left frustrated by the Buddies’ poor start to the league campaign.

Although results haven’t been favourable, it is more the manner of the performances that had led to the unrest surrounding the direction the club were going under Alan Stubbs.

Following the free-flowing football on show under Stubbs’ predecessor Jack Ross, St Mirren fans are hungry for more of the same from their Championshipwinning season.

And McKnight believes they needn’t worry with Kearney at the helm, with his exciting style of football firing Coleraine up the league.

He said: “He likes to play football – his Coleraine team is a good passing side.

“That’s even more impressive considering they don’t have the best of pitches, especially in the winter where it’s like a mudbath.

“They can mix it with the best of them, they can adapt to their conditions but they are always really fit which he has drilled into them.

“You have to remember that Irish football is part-time so it isn’t like he has lots of time to work on things. But he has clearly got his message across because he has worked wonders there.

“The style of play is probably the most impressive because they are really attacking when they have to be and it has been working.”

And McKnight highlighted the manager’s skills in front of the camera and his air of confidence as also being similar to that of fans’ favourite Ross.

He added: “I’ve never heard a bad word about Oran. He comes across brilliantly on the television. He is always very professional in how he goes about his business, confident, and knows what he is talking about when it comes to assessing the game.

“That has helped him and I think his players have really bought into what it is he is trying to build at Coleraine.

“It will be tricky walking into the situation that St Mirren find themselves in, but you can be sure that he would be confident of turning it around.”

St Mirren are now playing the waiting