Flashback It ain’t broke – don’t fix it
Tom Hendrie is best known for the swashbuckling style of football he brought to town.
He masterminded St Mirren’s promotion to the SPL in 2000.
However, it is perhaps more the manner of play that caught the imagination as Saints simply set out to score more than their opponents... no matter how open they left themselves at the back.
Thumpings of Clydebank, Raith Rovers and Airdrie testified exactly how Hendrie wanted to play. Or did they? At an anniversary dinner of the Millennium champions, Hendrie revealed that he was in fact forced to ditch his favoured defensive approach due to the players that he had at his disposal.
With Yardley, Mendes, Lavety and McGarry all in tow, he explained that he had to play the hand that he had been dealt upon taking the reins. St Mirren FC is a club with a proud tradition — and a history to match.
They have been at the centre of the Scottish game since their formation in 1877.
Today, we look back at the successful side that earned promotion to the top flight under Tom Hendrie.
Hendrie said: “People often asked me why I played 3-4-3 but I never played 3-4-3 in my life before then.
“I used to always play 4-4-2 but, when I came to St Mirren, that formation was dictated to me.
“We had a great sweeper in Tommy Turner and a great striker in Mark Yardley but Turner could not play in a back four and Yardley could not play in a front two, so it was down to me to look at the team and see what the best option was.
“Junior Mendes came into my thinking too. You could not discipline him to play in a certain position, so he had to play as a third forward.
This meant the St Mirren 3-4-3 system came from the players.
“The players who were there at the time – Turner, Yardley and Mendes – dictated the system.
“If it was me, I would never have played 3-4-3. People used to phone me up and ask why I played that way because I was so defensivelyminded in the past.
“I told them it was down to the players I had. Thankfully, it worked.
“In fact, I would take my St Mirren team in the SPL right now and I think we would do well.
“The Premier League is much poorer than it was. We were 10 years before our time.”
Hendrie gave St Mirren supporters of a certain vintage some of their best memories of following the side.
But it also worked out to be the most successful spell of his managerial career as the wheels came off upon the Buddies return to the First Division after only one season away.
However, he insists the memories of the celebrations of the original title win would live with him forever.
He said: “I’ll never forget the
Hendrie’s heroes
banners and the flags at the Raith Rovers game.
“There was so much expectation that day but I was so nervous because I thought something was going to go wrong.
“It was the last hurdle to overcome and I thought it was not going to turn out the way it did and that we’d need to go up to Inverness Caley and get a win on the last day.
“My biggest memory of that day is the reception we got from the fans afterwards. It was totally fantastic.”
I would take my St Mirren team in the SPL right now and I think we would do well