Frank has real fears over the future of his beloved Buddies
St Mirren legend, Frank Mcgarvey, fears for the future of his old club.
The former Celtic and Scotland striker was a member of the Buddies side which won promotion to the top tier in 1977 under Alex Ferguson, and 10 years later starred in the last team to bring the Scottish Cup to Paisley.
However, he is now concerned that the club is in a tailspin, and claims that they could go down this season.
If they do, Mcgarvey believes they won’t bounce back immediately.
When Jim Goodwin left the SMISA Stadium on February 19 to take over from Stephen Glass as manager of Aberdeen, things were looking rosy.
The club was in the top six, and also in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup. But less than two months later, the outlook appears bleak.
The Saints were unbeaten in eight games when new manager, Stephen Robinson, arrived.
They have lost seven of his eight games in charge, and are now just six points clear of second-bottom St Johnstone, who have won three and drawn two of their last eight.
The Buddies also need to travel to Perth in the second game after the split, where another loss could really set alarm bells ringing.
“It’s definitely a worrying time because they’re on a bad losing streak right now,” Mcgarvey admitted. “It’s also the worst possible time to hit a run of bad form.
“St Johnstone were at the foot of the table for months, but last Saturday’s result at Celtic Park aside, they’ve been picking up results recently, and that doesn’t bode well.
“The big thing for me is all the negativity now surrounding the club.
“Jim Goodwin, who did a fantastic job in his time there, has gone. Jak Alnwick, the keeper, is going. And the chief executive, Tony Fitzpatrick – the best player the club ever had and also the best person ever to work for them – has also gone.
“He’s been a great servant, and I feel for him because he’ll be hurting over what’s happening on the pitch.
“Losing key men at the same time is never a good thing. Look at what happened to Manchester United when Sir Alex and their chief executive, David Gill, both left in 2013.”
Mcgarvey was disappointed when Goodwin left, but believed that his obvious replacement was ignored by the fan-owned club’s directors.
“Jack Ross would have been a perfect fit,” the 66-year-old claimed.
“He knows the club, and did amazing things during his first spell – saving them from relegation to League One, and then winning the Championship the following season.
“For me, what Jack achieved was on a par to what Fergie did when he was the manager – and the Saints were going nowhere until he appeared on the scene.
“The team played some great stuff under Jack, too, but I can only assume the money wasn’t there for him.”
Robinson has cut a frustrated figure since arriving from Morecambe, although Mcgarvey believes some of his post-match comments could have worked against him.
“If you throw players under a bus, then they just won’t play for you, and Saints need everyone pulling in the same direction at the moment,” he said.
“This could be a bad time for them. They can’t afford to go back down to the Championship, but it could easily happen – and there are no guarantees that they would come straight back up. So I’m very worried about them.”