Summer rebuild can inject new life into battling Buddies
Watching Jim Goodwin’s Aberdeen last weekend gave me a serious case of deja vu.
The Dons were hard-working, naturally under Goodwin’s leadership, but they struggled to regularly break through the St Mirren defence.
Jak Alnwick was only seriously tested near the end of the match as it naturally stretched, with the Pittodrie side fairly toothless up front.
Goodwin will of course be looking to bring his own players in this summer to put his own stamp on the North East club.
But I have to admit, I haven’t missed watching that often defensive style of play too much after nearly three years in the Paisley dugout.
Don’t get me wrong, there were some very good times under Goodwin.
When his Buddies got it right they were solid defensively and excellent on the counter attack - driven forward by talents like Ilkay Durmus and Jamie McGrath.
And while St Mirren did finish the season four games unbeaten, new boss Stephen Robinson clearly still has a lot to do to get the Saints motoring again.
The 0-0 draw with Livingston that killed their hopes of finishing seventh showed a lack of creativity, and finishing ability is still very much a problem at the Paisley club.
But for me it’s exciting to be going into the summer knowing that Robinson is going to shake things up a bit and try to implement a new style of football.
It’s been extremely tough for the former Motherwell man, coming in two thirds of the way through a campaign and having to juggle implementing his own style while also not rocking the boat too much.
Goodwin’s style was very much imprinted on the current Saints crop, and it’s clear there’s been a bit of a clash of approaches in recent weeks.
Thankfully, now Robinson can fully get to work on recruitment to ensure every player in the camp fits the bill for the kind of possession-based, attacking football he’d love to bring to the SMISA Stadium.
The clearout started earlier this week, with eight first team players leaving the club.
Alan Power has returned to Kilmarnock, and while he played a lot of games this season, I don’t feel his age and energy levels fit with what Robinson wants in the middle of the park.
With some younger academy talents looking to progress too, this shouldn’t be seen as too much of a body blow.
Conor McCarthy’s departure also wasn’t too much of a surprise, given he nearly left last summer when an English club came calling.
He wants to test himself at another team and again, I don’t think he’ll be too much of a miss given his recent inconsistent form.
I thought Kyle McAllister might have been given a chance to impress, given Connor Ronan and Jordan Jones won’t be returning. The former Derby County winger offers creativity, but it appears Robinson has his eyes set on other players to light up the final third.
And there’s no doubt that is where St Mirren seriously need to improve if they’re going to take the next step next season.
The Buddies boss simply has to find a striker capable of regularly finding the back of the net to take the pressure off a midfielder, like Ronan or Jamie McGrath, netting double figures.
With Jones away, another winger or attacking midfielder is also a must to try and help the Saints carve open defences on a more regular basis.
Robinson’s determination to bring through more academy players will surely go down well with the fans and they can inject some more life and youthful energy into was has been a fairly experienced squad in recent years.
What is for sure is that this is a crucial summer for the Buddies as Robinson looks to firmly make his mark on the club.
While the current crop have got their flip flops on and a pina colada in hand, Robinson is working overtime to make sure he builds the best squad he can to ensure next season is a tasty one for the Paisley club.