Sunday Mail (UK)

The assassinat­ion of manager Stubbs was Buddie murder

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The town of terror which is better known as Paisley was witness to another fright night on Friday.

A horror of such blood-curdling proportion­s that it should have had many St Mirren fans taking cover behind the couch during 90 dreadful minutes against Celtic.

For weeks there have been rumours of poison spilling from the home dressing room and this was the proof.

Such was the toxic state of the club, Alan Stubbs was shunted after only four Premiershi­p games and now that Oran Kearney has arrived it’s wise to look at the background. It should also serve the Irishman well as a warning.

The goalless draw with the Hoops was not just the usual bounce in form teams get from a new gaffer.

This was a clear example of Saints showing a renewed spirit having got their way after downing tools to force a change of dugout leader.

Now that Stubbs has gone, a few facts deserve an airing.

It’s an open secret that players knew they were part of a proposed fire sale with many of them being hawked across the game all summer.

It was a case of pick ’n’ mix for any manager wanting to recruit players no longer part of Stubbs’ rebuild in Paisley.

A batch of new faces arrived en masse and the die was cast for the Englishman who for weeks had been a dead man walking.

When Stubbs faced the press after a defeat to Livingston he wore the look of a man who knew the game was all but up.

His players had just turned in what could well have been the worst top- f ight display this observer has witnessed and that’s certainly saying something. The accusation could be made that some were guilty of going through the motions. No bodies were being put on the line in the way they were against Celtic.

The off button had been switched, tracking back and taking responsibi­lity became a profession­al derelictio­n of duty.

Even St Mirren’s one win over Dundee came via a default.

Far from being the better side, it required a dreadful mistake from Dens keeper Jack Hamilton to hand the Buddies the points on a plate.

A squad working from within have managed to show that selfpreser­vation has preva i led and Stubbs is now a managerial footnote in the club’s history.

Kearney would be wise to be wary. His chief executive Tony Fitzpat r ick has welcomed him in with a claim Saints should be top six in the Premiershi­p and believes it’s a target which should not be beyond them.

It’s an ambition which should be revised for a side which played against 10 men for 60 minutes on Friday and couldn’t muster a single shot on target.

That Celtic were difficult to watch is one thing, the sideways passing and backwards play was at times like watching Barcelona in rewind mode. Pep Guardiola has a saying about passing with purpose, it’s to play at a pace and tempo. “Play like the football is a ball of fire.”

The size five which was kicked about The Simple Digital Arena was at times like a block of ice such was the lack of menace.

As for the home team? When they become dressing-room assassins, they’re no longer your Buddies.

 ??  ?? GONER Alan Stubbs was done in by St Mirren’s dressing-room
GONER Alan Stubbs was done in by St Mirren’s dressing-room

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