Lasley right man to Buddie up with

KEITH LASLEY might as well have had the words ‘Made In Motherwell’ printed across his forehead when he spoke on TV during the week about the way he plans to do business in his new job as Chief Operating Officer at St Mirren.

All the plans to help people during the cost-of-living crisis, engage with local charities, go into primary schools and become a ‘force for good’ within the community are exactly what he witnessed and got involved with during two fine spells as a player and a period as assistant manager at Fir Park.

Motherwell have been excellent on that front over recent years with campaigns attuned to their local community. These programmes are the kind of thing Scottish clubs, particularly provincial ones, should be promoting.

Lasley (right) knows Paisley, knows its people. He has an existing link-up with youth care charity Kibble to build on. How he handles other elements of the business remains to be seen, but he seems a good choice as a figurehead for the Buddies.

That’s something St Mirren need after last year’s farce with their chairman John Needham. He picked up a £6,000 fine from the SFA, remember, over social media postings joking that he’d like Rangers fans to fall off the Squinty Bridge into the River Clyde if it wasn’t for the pollution they’d cause. How he stayed in position is anyone’s guess, but Lasley has made it clear that he wants St Mirren to throw an arm around supporters of all teams. A welcome spot of bridgebuilding, you might say. Needham ought to let him get on with it and stay safely out of sight.