THREE CRAZY SEASONS AND FIVE MANAGERS ... THERE’S NEVER A DULL MOMENT AT SAINTS

MacKenzie’s gearing up for more madness

Gary MacKenzie can’t help but laugh when you ask him about his St Mirren career.

“Where do you want me to start?”, the big man says through the laughter.

Three seasons of madness add some context. Two successful relegation battles and a title win explain an awful lot.

Throw in five new managers and a raft of players coming and going, and you can see why the 33-year-old is delighted to even still be with the club.

Then there was the Achilles injury that ruled him out for nine months, and the heroic return that very few could have imagined.

But none of this has ever curbed the enthusiasm for the club he has grown to love.

“I don’t actually know how many managers I have had now,” MacKenzie smiles, “I honestly couldn’t even tell you.

“I think it was big Bairdy that was saying that to me. He has had something like nine managers. He was joking about it the other day.

“This is my fourth season and I genuinely have taken this club to my heart.

“Sometimes you can go to a team and the year just goes by and nothing really happens.

“It takes somebody to actually remember a season to make it worthwhile. And, let’s be honest, every single season that I have been involved in has been mental and sticks in the head.

“I will always remember the past three seasons.

“The first season I was here was just crazy, but I really enjoyed it because there was a bit of pressure and a bit of excitement.

“Then there was the relief of staying up, then kicking on to win the league.

“There has always been something happening.

“I have got the family settled here. I have a couple of new wee ones. I am happy where I am.

“I always wanted to come back up the road, but I didn’t ever envisage being here as long as I have been. That’s not a slight, I just didn’t know what to expect.

“My plan was just to come back to Scotland because my eldest was starting high school.

“I felt it was important I was around on a daily basis and that it was time my family took centre stage over football.

“I had a long enough run where my family followed me because of football.

“But there comes a time that family dictates over football and being back here was vital.”

MacKenzie faces a battle for a starting spot for today’s clash against Hibernian.

If he does feature, it will be the first time he has played at Easter Road since the day survival was secured under Jack Ross.

MacKenzie was a standout that afternoon ... without heading home a trademark goal.

But he has the back of the net in his sights having gone on arguably the longest drought since signing for