Oran made us cup winners years after I had to talk him out of quitting.. give him time and he’ll turn Saints around
Kearney’s ex-Coleraine chief backs his pal to succeed
ORAN KEARNEY’S former chairman talked him out of quitting after a disastrous nine-game losing run at Coleraine.
And within four years he almost led the club to their first-ever domestic double.
Now Colin McKendry is convinced the Irishman can turn things around at St Mirren if he is given the tools and the time to get it right in Paisley.
Showgrounds chief McKendry knew Kearney was taking a big step up from the Irish Premiership to Scotland’s top flight but believes his job has been harder by the mess left behind by predecessor Alan Stubbs.
Stubbs signed 13 players after pipping Kearney to the job and McKendry claims the former Hibs boss recruited them on “mindboggling money” without even scouting them.
Kearney’s side have lost seven league games on the spin and, having crashed out of the Scottish Cup to Dundee United at the weekend, they now face a trip to Pittodrie on Saturday.
But McKendry recalls Coleraine hitting rock bottom three years after Kearney took over when they went on a two-month losing run in the 2013/14 season.
Kearney was set to quit but McKendry refused to let him and just a few years later he won the Irish Cup with a final win over Cliftonville and finished just two points behind champions Crusaders.
Kearney admitted he walked into a “s***storm” at Saints and McKendry said: “I’ve spoken to Oran and he genuinely didn’t realise what he was walking into.
“The first time he was interviewed for the job was when they gave it to Alan Stubbs who went and signed all the players on big contracts and left a bit of a mess.
“Some of the players he was left with were on long-term contracts signed through agents without being viewed by the previous manager.
“And being allowed to be signed by a full-time club is mind boggling. That is the hand he was dealt and he didn’t realise how bad it was until he got in there and saw the level of player he had to deal with.
“The number of players that were there was around the 30 mark which wasn’t tenable and how that was allowed to happen is beyond me.
“Oran had a wonderful career in Northern Ireland but he was obviously dealing with a different animal in the Scottish Premiership but I’m 100 per cent confident in his ability to do the job.
“The one thing I would say, though, is that he must get the tools and have the backing of everyone concerned. You have to have the backing of your backroom team and board – the club must be united.
“Football is all about momentum. We lost nine games on the bounce at Coleraine and at the end of the ninth game Oran came to me and said he was going to go and I said, ‘don’t even think about it, it’s not happening’.
“We then turned the corner and went on an incredible unbeaten run of results.
“We went on to win the Irish Cup and were just pipped in the league by Crusaders who had a budget four times the size of ours.
“We were very unfortunate not to win the double – something our club has never done – but we lifted the Irish Cup with a very young team.”
McKendry’s brother was Kearney’s No.2 in his first managerial job at Limavady United and his ability to work with youngsters there first attracted him to the Buddies boss.
He said: “Oran was a young up and coming manager when we appointed him at Coleraine.
“My brother Trevor was his assistant at Limavady and we saw the potential he had, particularly in bringing through younger players.
“It appealed to us because the purchasing of older players had taken its toll on us financially so we wanted to put a plan in place and give youngsters a chance.
“There were rough times along the way and it took time but it certainly worked and he was very successful apart from that one period.
“I told Oran I didn’t want him to leave us when St Mirren came calling but I said to him he had to go for it to see if it was for him and if he would be a success.
“I know they lost to Dundee United who are a league below but I’d say their budget would be bigger than St Mirren’s and they’ll probably be in the top flight next year. I believe Oran will get it right but ultimately it’s a results-driven business.”