We all come together at a worrying time like this
STUBBS QUICK TO RALLY ROUND LEVEIN
ALAN STUBBS knows what it is like to be a high-profile footballing figure whose cloak of seeming invincibility suddenly gives way to a worrying fragility.
A Celtic defender in his prime, he was just 28 when he was called for a drug test following the 1999 Scottish Cup final defeat to Rangers. The results showed traces of a hormone found only in pregnant women and men with cancer.
Spurred on by the best wishes of the footballing community, with messages of support sent across even the bitter Old Firm divide, Stubbs duly went on to beat testicular cancer.
This week, Scottish football has united once more to give its very best wishes to Craig Levein after the Hearts boss was rushed to hospital with a heart scare at the age of 53. Edinburgh rivals Hibs, who Stubbs steered to Scottish Cup glory in 2016, led those messages of goodwill.
For the 46-year-old St Mirren boss, it is the latest welcome example of genuine concern for a sporting adversary’s well-being — and one that ensures hostile rivalries are placed in proper context.
‘I want to wish Craig Levein a speedy recovery, not just on behalf of St Mirren Football Club but on behalf of the football community,’ said Stubbs, whose Saints visit Tynecastle on Saturday, with Hearts No 2 Austin MacPhee taking Levein’s place in the dugout.
‘I think everybody was a bit shocked by the news this week.
‘By all accounts, Craig has had a little heart attack and he has had the procedures put in place to help his condition.
‘It is something that you probably don’t envisage but it just goes to show the stress and the pressures that managers go through. We are all human beings.
‘Do I have a personal relationship with Craig? No, I don’t think you can have a personal relationship when you were the manager of Hibs and he was at Hearts.
‘But I think the most important thing from Craig’s point of view right now is not football. It is about making sure his health is back to tip-top condition.
‘When I went through my cancer situation at Celtic, my biggest recollection was the response I got from the Rangers fans at that time.
‘One of the games, they had a ‘good luck’ banner up for me at Ibrox and I don’t think you will see that too many times about a Celtic player!
‘I also remember all the get-well cards and best wishes from across the football fraternity. Not just Rangers fans but from every club.
‘Everyone comes together because, when you take a step back from football and the bubble we are in, it’s a serious business and it can affect people in different ways.’
When you have been through the rigours of chemotherapy, like Stubbs has, a difficult start to the season at your new club can be placed in its proper perspective.
The St Mirren boss was certainly able to do that after he and his new-look team were the subject of vitriol from Saints fans after they watched them being beaten 2-0 at home by newly-promoted Livingston last Saturday.
‘We have been to two of the toughest places already this season in Ibrox and Pittodrie and now we go to Tynecastle this weekend,’ said Stubbs, who replaced Sunderland-bound Jack Ross a month after he had steered Saints to the Championship title.
‘Yes, Saturday was a tough one to take. But this is how crazy football can be. If we had won against Livingston we could have been in third place.
‘But we lost and everyone is disappointed. I completely understand that and the players and staff are the same.
‘We just have to pick ourselves up and put the wrongs right.
‘Can getting a result at Tynecastle be a springboard for our season? I think so — in fact, I know so.
‘It’s one of those games where you are looking for a little spark just to get your season going. Sometimes that spark doesn’t always happen in the most obvious of places.
‘We are hoping that it can be this weekend at Tynecastle.
‘But Hearts are on a real high at the moment. They have started the season really well with maximum points.
‘They will also be looking to get a result for Craig Levein.
‘Tynecastle is always a tough place to go, no matter what form you are in. I am sure I will get a nice warm welcome! But I am not concerned by that. I am only worried about us upsetting the odds and winning there.’
Stubbs’ attempt to add experience to his side before the transfer window shuts were thwarted when veteran striker Kenny Miller chose Dundee over Paisley after being sacked as player-boss by Livingston. It is believed the Saints boss remains keen on the loan signing of Australian midfielder Ryan Edwards, who only moved from Partick Thistle to Hearts in the summer.
‘We put our case forward to Kenny Miller and at one point we thought we might be right in there,’ Stubbs said.
‘Unfortunately it didn’t happen but that is part of football.
‘You are never confident a player is going to join until they are in the door and the papers are actually signed.
‘I haven’t spoken to Kenny since the initial conversation with him. He has dealt with (St Mirren chief executive) Tony Fitzpatrick.
‘Tony spoke to Kenny on Tuesday and he indicated he was going to go elsewhere. But I don’t think it was a financial decision. He has just decided to go elsewhere.
‘We find ourselves in the same boat as a lot of teams. A lot of managers will say it has been a frustrating window this summer.
‘There will be a few names mentioned to us, I am sure, between now and Friday night’s transfer window closing. We would ideally like to bring in a few more experienced players but we’ll have to wait and see. We would like to get a striker in. Whether that is possible, I am not sure.’