Over the upcoming October Week school holiday the Street Stuff team will be running sessions from Monday 17th October to Friday 21st October.

The sessions provide young people aged between 10 and 18 with a range of FREE activities including Street Football with coaches from St Mirren Football Club, dance lessons and access to the youth bus.

A healthy meal or sandwiches will also be provided free of charge to all participants at the sessions.

These sessions are a great way for young people to get out and have fun in a safe, healthy and positive environment with access to high quality facilities and top class coaching from St Mirren Football Club.

Street Stuff is a diversionary project providing young people with an opportunity to have fun, get fit and active and meet other people their age.

Street Stuff is run in partnership with Renfrewshire Council, Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Engage Renfrewshire and St Mirren Football Club.

The Street Stuff timetable for the October Week school holiday is as follows:

Monday 17th October

Venue: Paisley 2021 Stadium
Events: Dance, Youth Bus, Football
Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Food: Healthy meal

Venue: Bargarran Primary School, Erskine
Events: Dance, Youth Bus, Football
Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Food: Healthy meal

Tuesday 18th October

Venue: Gallowhill MUGA
Events: Football, Youth Bus
Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Food: Cold sandwich or wrap with juice etc.

Venue: Glenburn Community Centre
Events: Dance, Youth Bus, Football
Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Food: Healthy meal

Venue: Our Lady of Peace MUGA, Linwood
Events: Youth Bus, Football
Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Food: Cold sandwich or wrap with juice etc.

Wednesday 19th October

Venue: Paisley 2021 Stadium
Events: Dance, Youth Bus, Football
Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Food: Healthy meal

Venue: Bargarran Primary School, Erskine
Events: Dance, Youth Bus, Football
Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Food: Healthy meal 

Thursday 20th October

Venue: Gallowhill MUGA
Events: Football, Youth Bus
Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Food: Cold sandwich or wrap with juice etc.

Venue: Glenburn Community Centre
Events: Dance, Youth Bus, Football
Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Food: Healthy meal

Venue: Our Lady of Peace MUGA, Linwood
Events: Youth Bus, Football
Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Food: Cold sandwich or wrap with juice etc.

Friday 21st October

Venue: Paisley 2021 Stadium
Events: Dance, Youth Bus, Football
Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Food: Healthy meal

Venue: Bargarran Primary School, Erskine
Events: Dance, Youth Bus, Football
Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Food: Healthy meal

If you require any further info please contact Stephen Gallacher on mobile: 07557 281 581 or by e-mail: stephen.gallacher@stmirren.com. 

For more information on Street Stuff Dance please contact Street Stuff Dance Co-ordinator, Rachel Elliott on Tel: (0141) 840-6125, Mob: 07702 865 4925, E-mail: rachel.elliott@stmirren.com.

To learn more about Street Stuff please visit www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/streetstuff.

St Mirren in the Community are now taking bookings for the upcoming October Week Holiday Football Camps.

The Camps will run over the school October Week holiday at the club’s exclusive Carbrini@JD Airdome from Monday 17th October to Friday 21st October.

There will be camps for 3 to 5 year olds and 6 to 12 year olds, a Goalkeeper Camp and a Breakfast Club for those who need to drop their kids off at the camps a bit earlier.

Participants at the Football Camps are required to bring with them suitable indoor clothing and footwear (no metal studs or blades), shin guards and goalkeeper gloves (if appropriate) in addition to a light healthy snack and plenty of water/non-fizzy drinks.

Bookings can be made by downloading and printing the booking form, completing it in full and returning it to the address provided.

To download the booking form please click here.

For further information please contact the St Mirren in the Community team by e-mail: communityadmin@stmirren.com.

Allan McManus will take the first team for the last time tomorrow as the arrival of new manager Jack Ross, who takes over on Monday, bring’s Allan’s time as caretaker gaffer to a close. Allan is looking forward to tomorrow’s IRN-BRU Cup tie at Easter Road against Hibernian and he expects it to be a real test for the Buddies.

“It’s going to be a tough game but it is a game that we look forward to. I think that we can see that there has been improvement over the last two weeks and the boys have a bit of confidence about them and they are comfortable enough to go and pass the ball under a bit of pressure.

“They have worked so hard again this week and I can’t ask for anymore from them but we are fully aware that the game on Saturday will be a difficult one, but it is one that I believe that we are prepared for. If the boys are composed and they work as hard as they have been doing then they can get a positive result from the game.”

One school of thought is that when things are not going so well in the league campaign that cup ties tend to take off the pressure a bit, Allan believes that all forms of competition bring their own pressure.

“At the end of the day we are a professional football club and any game that we are involved in we want to win. We’re taking part in a competition and it is a competition we want to go and see how far we can go in it. So I certainly wouldn’t be playing the game down, as I say it is an opportunity for the boys involved to continue taking the team forward and improving.

“There would be nothing better for the club and for the team than to get a result on Saturday and it means that when the manager comes in on Monday that everything is upbeat and we’re ready to kick on and move up the table.”

Allan already knows new manager Jack Ross and he is looking forward to building a good working relationship with the new gaffer.

“I’m fortunate enough that I know the manager. I spoke with him several times before and I have played against him. I’m looking forward to him coming in, it’s exciting times. With everything changing at the club everything is looking positive and it is going to be. From my own personal point of view, it will be great to be part of that moving things forward.”

Allan will be continuing his work at the Academy but he declares that he is more than happy to help out the new management team whenever they need him.

“I have absolutely loved everything that I have done here. I’ve to speak to the manager about one or two things and maybe there is an opportunity to still assist him in some way, whether that be in match days or at training we’ll just have to wait and see about that, that will be his decision.

“Back at the Academy we will continue to do what we are doing there and keep moving things forward. Things are going relatively well there as well, we’ve got a lot of good promising young players and ultimately that is my job to try and get them in and about the first team. But if the manager wants me to assist him in any way then I’ll be delighted to do so.”

A new manager is a fresh start for everybody, something the squad of players are being made aware of.

“They obviously know who the new manager is but at the end of the day we’re saying it is a fresh start for everybody as I’m sure the manager will come in with an open mind. It’s up to the players to show him that they are good enough to start. I’ve said to them that we have a squad here of around 22 players, at the end of the day the manager can only start eleven at any one time. So with how they have went about their business so far they have got to keep that work rate and that work ethic whether they are starting the game or coming on as a sub or they’re not taking part at the moment. They have got to continue to work hard and the ones that aren’t starting have got to work that bit harder to force their way into the manager’s plans. That is ultimately what it will be as everybody is just going to have to work as hard as they can to try and get that starting jersey.”

Looking ahead to tomorrow’s match at Easter Road, Allan has a full squad at his disposal but he reckons he has a few tough choices to make.

“No major concerns at all, we have a full squad to pick from. The boys did particularly well last week albeit they didn’t get the three points. The guys who haven’t started have been absolutely fantastic so we have a few selection headaches for the weekend because some boys who haven’t started are certainly showing the right attitude and possibly deserve to be involved more than they have been recently.”

Additional Information

Tomorrow, Saturday 8th October, St.Mirren head to Edinburgh to face Hibernian in the 4th Round of the IRN-BRU Cup.

The ticket prices have now been confirmed for the cup tie at Easter Road and these are shown above.

Tickets for this match are now on sale at the St Mirren Ticket Office. 

St Mirren Ticket Office hours for today (Friday 7th October) are 10:00am - 2:00pm

Tickets can be bought from the South Stand pod on the day of the game for cash only from 1:00pm onwards.

The referee tomorrow is William Collum and he will be assisted by Brian Templeton and Gordon Crawford.

In the event of a draw after normal time, extra time of 30 minutes (i.e. 15 minutes each way) will take place and thereafter, if necessary, penalty kicks.

For directions to Easter Road click here

St Mirren Football Club has appointed James Fowler as assistant manager. James was previously Queen of the South manager where he guided them to the Championship play-offs in the 2014/15 season before leaving the club in April this year. 

New St Mirren manager, Jack Ross said: "I am delighted to be able to bring James to the club and thank the board for their assistance in doing so. 

"James has a great pedigree in the game as a player and has enjoyed success as a manager in his own right. These attributes and experiences ensure that he will be an asset to both me and the club as we strive to drive upwards."

James reflects on the last few days that have just flown past.

“It’s been a whirlwind last 36, 48 hours. Obviously with Jack getting the job I just sent him a wee message congratulating him and he said that there might be an opportunity to come in and it was something that I was really positive about and I’m delighted to be here.

“I’ve known him [Jack Ross] for a long time just within the circles of football but I’ve been keeping track of what he has been doing as well at Alloa. I’ve been over to see him the last few weeks when he has been there and I’m delighted to come in and I’m looking forward to working with him full-time.”

James has been impressed with the squad that he and Jack have inherited and is looking forward to the job ahead.

“I’ve been to a few games this season as well so I’ve seen the current squad, exciting young players here as well a few older experienced heads so I think there is a really good blend and we’re just looking forward to getting started working with them.

“I think it is a great opportunity to be able to help Jack. I’ve done that role of manager as well, I know roughly what he will be expecting of me having been in that position myself so I’m here to work with him and obviously Allan McManus as well and we’re really excited with the group of players we have got. We’re not in a great position just now but it is all positive looking forward and catching the teams above us.”

James will be at tomorrow’s game against Hibs but mostly just as an observer.

“I’m going to go, I’ll just be in the Boardroom I think having a look at the players probably without having too much input, we’ll leave that till Jack starts on Monday but if there is anything there that I can help Allan with once I’m in the door, that’s me here.”

Watch the full interview here

RIGHT NOW, the SPFL Trust and clubs are working with Scotland’s mental health charity SAMH on a project about Scottish football supporters, particularly men.

It shocks a lot of people, but suicide is actually the biggest killer of men under the age of 45.

A recent Supporters Direct Scotland Scottish Football survey revealed that two-thirds of respondents have experienced, or have seen a family member or friend suffer from, poor mental health.

SAMH is working on something, and it could be massive, but we need your help.

They’ve put together a short survey which we’re asking supporters to help us out by answering.

The process we’re involved in will help SAMH shape up a major bid to secure the type of support which could help thousands of people across every club in the SPFL and beyond.

It won’t take longer than three minutes to complete, and if you leave your details we’ll enter you into a draw to win a pair of tickets to a home game at your club (subject to availability, T&Cs apply). 

CLICK HERE TO VISIT SAMH.ORG.UK/TEAMTALK

Come along and support our new manager, Jack Ross in his first game in charge when we welcome Dundee United on Saturday 15th October.

You will be welcomed to the Westmarch Lounge where you will be served a glass of Chilled Bubbly on arrival at your reserved table by your hostess for the day.

Guests will also enjoy a fantastic three course lunch accompanied with wine and a drinks service both pre and post match.

You will also get an exclusive Q&A with our Matchday Ambassadors pre match as well as get the chance to meet new manager, Jack Ross who will visit the suite.

The corporate hospitality details for the upcoming match against Dundee United are as follows:

St Mirren v Dundee United
Ladbrokes Championship
Venue: Paisley 2021 Stadium, Paisley
Date: Saturday 15th October 2016
Kick-off: 3:00pm

* Arrive 12:30pm.

* Private car parking facility.

* Enter through the exclusive Westmarch Hospitality Suite entrance.

* Hostess table service.

* Three course meal complemented by fine wines with main course.

* Accreditation in the match day magazine.

* Exclusive match day competitions.

* Exclusive Q&A with matchday Ambassadors.

* Match day magazine & corporate team sheets.

* Executive seating in Main Stand.

* Half-time hot and cold snacks served with tea or coffee.

* Post Match presentations by the Match Sponsors Man of the Match.

* Post Match visit to the suite by players.

* Inclusive drinks package both pre and post match.**

* Last orders: 5:30pm.

* Hospitality concludes: 6:00pm.

Cost per person: £95 + VAT (drinks inclusive)**

Season Ticket holder: £80 + VAT (drinks inclusive)**

Cost per person: £75 + VAT (pay bar)

Child: £40 + VAT

Adult Season Ticket holder’s £15 discount is applicable to Season Ticket holders only, seat details are required when booking to get discount.

For more information or to reserve your package please contact Commercial Manager, Campbell Kennedy by Tel: (0141) 840-1337 or E-Mail: commercial@stmirren.com.

Menu

Lentil soup served with wedged tiger bread

*****

Slow Cooked Sirloin of Beef with creamy mash, honey glazed baton carrots, Yorkshire pudding with a red wine reduction

*****

Chocolate Tartlet

Dairy clotted ice cream, fresh cream and dark chocolate pencil

*****

Fresh tea & coffee

To download the hospitality brochure for this match click here.

To find out more or to book your place please click here

On whether Jack Ross was the right man for the job

Yes. We interviewed a lot of people and I felt as if they could all actually do a job at the club. But I felt Jack was the outstanding candidate and the fan ownership thing with Hearts is a big bonus for us as well so he’s definitely the right guy for the job.

He’s a winner. He actually has a very similar philosophy to myself in life in the way he moves forward and I think that’s important. I can relate to him and he can relate to me and we can work together going forward. 

We both just have an ambition to succeed and do the best we can and want to enjoy our football. We want the fans to enjoy the football, we want to engage with fans again and get them enjoying themselves on a Saturday. We just want to achieve the best we can for the football club."

On Mike Mulraney’s positive comments about Jack

We actually went to the Alloa game; watched the first half, watched how the team set up, watched Jack’s reactions and talked to Mike Mulraney. We have done a lot of due diligence on this - we’ve not just dived in. We talked to top managers. People think we offered various people the job but we never. We wanted to talk to them, we wanted to learn about the process and wanted to learn what it takes to be a top manager. I’m happy it’s a good process. At the end of the day the results speak volumes and they’re up near the top of the league. 

I don’t want to see us playing defensive football but we need to stop losing goals. I think we lost over two goals a game on average and you can't win games if you have to score three goals in every match. We have to get stronger at the back and keep being expressive up front."

On the process of bringing in a new manager

It was interesting. It was important to learn, to go through a process where we felt we were doing the right thing and it was a decision as a board. It wasn’t just my decision and it was important that we were all on-board with that decision. It was an eye-opener that we got such good candidates."

I want to be talking about how we take the club forward, how we change things in the stadium, how we bring more money into the club etc. Hopefully I’m done for the next 10 years talking about football and managers."

St Mirren officially revealed Jack Ross as their new manager today and the former St Mirren player believes the potential at the club matches his ambitions to succeed. He said:

“It’s very exciting. I’m familiar with the club from my time as a player and very much enjoyed my spell here as a player. I know all about the potential of the club, where it should probably be within the realms of Scottish football so I’m really looking forward to it and getting started and tremendously excited about it.

“I think I’ve always had an ambition to manage and naturally you want to try and manage at the highest level that you can. I think it was a position that was attractive because of that, but more than that I think it is the potential of the club, it is exciting for the club with the new ownership and from speaking with the Chairman and the Board I know that they are determined to try and build the club properly so that was a really exciting part of the attraction as well so once I knew that there was potential and opportunity for me to come here it became even more appealing.

“I think you have an affinity with all the clubs that you play for especially if you enjoyed a successful time on the pitch and I felt as if I did that as we had a decent team at the time, and I think individually I enjoyed probably one of my best seasons in football here, the first season I was here certainly. I said earlier that I was ambitious, I also know that in football you have to make the right decisions at times so I don’t think I would have ever jumped at full-time football just for the sake of it. I think it had to be something that I felt was a good fit for me and the club that I was going to, and this certainly feels like it for all the reasons already mentioned in terms of the infrastructure. I would add to that the potential fanbase and also the new ownership because this is an exciting time for the club. It won’t happen overnight but certainly there is a long-term plan that will hopefully help this club get back to its rightful place in Scottish football.”

Jack was at Hearts when the Foundation of Hearts started their moves towards fan ownership. He believes that fan ownership is a move that could work well for St Mirren. He said:

“I understand how it works, I understand the reasoning behind it, I understand the end result if you like from it so I was fortunate to be in at that at the ground level when it first happened at Hearts when the whole new structure was put in place. I’ve seen the support that it can galvanise behind the club, at Hearts what happened alongside that was obviously a successful period on the pitch so I understand that my job is to make sure that happens. So I have to get performances first and foremost and then results correct on the park to help galvanise that feel-good factor that will be around the club. If I can do that then absolutely the new ownership structure will work because fans will feel engaged with the club. I know the work that the club is doing already to do that and improve relations with the supporters, I will do my utmost to continue that as well. Again, I talk about potential all the time, the new ownership model has massive potential but ultimately my responsibility is to make sure that things on the park marry in with that.”

Jack’s admits that his aims at the club are pretty straight-forward.

“I think it sounds very simple but in job terms is to start on matches. I’m not the only person to be surprised by the start to the season as there is undoubted quality within the squad. I said this in a similar fashion when I took the job at Alloa, my challenge as a manager is to get the best out of the players I have at my disposal, and that is what I feel I’m good at and that is what I’m looking forward to doing when I start to work with the players. There will be demands on them but hopefully in a positive and enjoyable way, and if we meet that short term target of winning matches then you can start to adjust your ambitions as that goes on. In the first instance we have to start doing that as that will undoubtedly create a confidence and a belief within the playing group and also within the stands as well.”

The new Saints gaffer also sees a lot of quality and potential in the squad he has inherited.

“Prior to speaking to the club I was familiar with the squad anyway as I have an interest in Scottish football and I’m working within it, but you start to look more closely at it and there is a number of very good players here. Some who have established careers in the game and have really good pedigrees and several others who are exciting young players so that mix on paper is very good, it is then getting it right on the pitch.

“Until as a manager you work up close with players you don’t quite appreciate how good they are or the attributes they have or the type of characters they are so that will be the case for me over the next period is to get to know them. I’ll spend a lot of time doing that as I like to work closely with my players so I’m very excited about that as there is a lot of them that I know but not as well as I would like to but I’m looking forward to doing that.”

When talking about long term targets Jack said:

“I think we’ll set them within the dressing room. I like to have targets and aims within that dressing room environment, we’ll keep them in-house and work towards them and if we reach them then we’ll be successful. But I like my players to have aims and ambitions, I think you have got to as otherwise we will drift. That will be made clear from day one that there’s targets and ambitions there, they’ll not be daft, they’ll understand the size of this club. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work out what they may be but certainly we’ll do that in-house and we’ll strive towards them.”

Jack was also pleased to hear the thoughts of the Board’s vision moving forward.

“I wouldn’t say that I was surprised by them but I really enjoyed them. I think when you go into that environment, in an interview structure, you are unsure as to the people you are going to speak to, because Gordon was here when I was a player but I didn’t really come across him too much and Tony I had just known through football circles and the rest of the Board I was meeting for the first time. I was excited by their plans for the club but I think more importantly than that I believed that they are a group of people that I can work with and I know they will comment on that as a Board but equally for a manager he has to feel that, and undoubtedly the plans they have and the way they want to try and do things at the club I think tie in with my approach as a manager. I’m absolutely willing to take part in all aspects of this club and help drive it forward and help to improve all areas of it, but you need a Board that believe in that as well and that has certainly been the case and I’m looking forward to a positive relationship over the coming years.”

Jack will oversee Alloa for the last time this weekend and take over the reigns at the Paisley 2021 Stadium next Monday when he starts to prepare for the visit of Dundee United.

“I think every manager has their own way of preparing for matches and I have my own style. I will use footage that is available of both the opposition and our own performances because naturally being involved with another team this season I haven’t seen the team very often apart from on television so I need to come up to speed with that as well. I do a lot of preparation for games in general and I have done that in my time at Hearts and Alloa so I’m well used to it. I’ve a system of working yes I’ll obviously have to tweak at times and depending on what resources are available to me, personnel, etc, so there will be things over time that will become routine but in the build up to that fixture we will work as normal as possible the way I work in terms of how we train. I’m excited about that because I love coaching and the frustration when you are a part-time manager is that you get to do it only two nights a week so the attraction for me to do that on a far more regular basis is brilliant and it is something that I can’t wait to do.”

What are Jack’s feelings of moving from a part-time set-up to a full-time one.

“I genuinely think it is exciting more than anything else. This biggest frustration for me was not being able to spend enough time with my players both on the training pitch and even away from it in terms of getting to know them, their character and personality and speaking to them about their performance and how they get the most from themselves so a full-time environment will allow me to do that. I’m no stranger to either in a playing sense or a coaching sense because I have done it so it doesn’t faze me in that sense it is more excitement. The realisation that I’m going to have all this extra time to work with the players is terrific and it allows me to deliver more of the ideas that I have of being able to do it to an extent that at Alloa I’m obviously limited by time on occasions so this undoubtedly gives me a greater platform on which to work.”

Jack confirms that he has someone particular in mind for his assistant.

“I do have somebody that I would like to bring to the club. He is working with another club at the moment so I’m hopeful that can be pushed through and it can be done, and if it is done it will be done over the next two or three days. If it doesn’t then we’ll look to alternatives and I would like to do that again as soon as possible. I know Allan [McManus] is obviously in place at the club and he’ll provide assistance as well and I look forward to that. But it is quite important to have somebody in to assist me and if I can get this person in then I think it will be beneficial to the club as well and I think supporters will be pleased with the appointment as well but as I said, at the moment it is outwith my hands to an extent but we’re hopeful that can be concluded soon.”

Jack also confirms the Board’s backing in trying to bring in his new assistant

“In terms of the coaching staff yes because they knew it was important for me and it was an important decision in my own career as well and it is something I want to get right first and foremost for the club and then for myself. So I think to have the right person in alongside me they were very supportive of that.

“On the playing side, I’ve got to be honest, I haven’t asked really because again going back to what I said earlier, we’re outwith a window, I have a playing squad here that has pedigree and quality, my challenge as manager is to get the best from them. I think that’s what managers should look upon as opposed to coming in and saying and making excuses about not being able to make changes, etc. I’ll do my utmost to get the best from them and I’m confident that I will as I believe in my abilities to do that and hopefully the fans will then see that on the pitch.”

Watch the full interview here

St Mirren Football Club is delighted to announce the appointment of Jack Ross as the new first team manager. 

The club would like to thank everyone who took the time to apply for the role but have decided, after several meetings with Jack, that he was the outstanding candidate for the job. 

Jack has done an impressive job since taking over as manager at Alloa and has experience as a coach at Hearts and an assistant manager at Dumbarton. Jack said:

I'm delighted to be named the new manager of St Mirren Football Club. I have fond memories of my time in Paisley as a player and can't wait to get started."

Chairman Gordon Scott said:

I was very impressed with Jack when we got a chance to meet and am delighted to have him on-board as our new manager. I look forward to working alongside him as we look to bring success to the football club. One of the big plus points for me was Jack being with Hearts at a time at a time when their supporters got involved in the ownership of their club."

As part of our on going commitment to improve communications with supporters, we wanted to release the news on stmirren.com before speaking to any other form of media.

More details on the appointment will follow in the coming days.