The St Mirren Independent Supporters Association (SMiSA) is hosting an evening with the Millennium Champions on Friday 2nd December 2016.

The night will be hosted by broadcaster and Saints fan, Colin Kelly who will be joined by ex-manager Tom Hendrie along with several members of the squad from that famous season as the Buddies won promotion to the Scottish Premier League back in 1999/2000.

Tickets are on sale to all supporters for £10. However, as the event is licensed, it is only available to those who are 18 and over.

More details about the night can be found here.

St Mirren's strategic partnership with the University of the West of Scotland has been nominated for a Times Higher Education Award.

The awards take place tonight in London with the partnership having been nominated under the Most Innovate Contribution to Business-University Collaboration category.

It's the second award the club's partnership with the UWS has been nominated for having won the Outstanding Employer Engagement Award at the Herald Higher Education Awards in Glasgow in July.

The club and the university began a joint venture at the start of the 2015/16 season with the launch of St Mirren TV - a service which is delivered by media students from the university and sees all home matches broadcast to supporters outside the UK and Ireland.

All of the nominees can be found here.

St Mirren Football Club are offering free entry to any members of the Armed Forces for this weekend's game against Ayr United. 

The Saints host the Honest Men in the IRN-BRU Cup on Remembrance Sunday and any member of the Forces will be given a free ticket if they show their HM Forces ID card at the ticket office.

The club will be joined by four veterans from the Erskine Hospital who will attend the match as guests and there will also be a minutes silence ahead of kick-off.

Chief Executive Tony Fitzpatrick said: "It's important for us to show our appreciation for all the sacrifices our servicemen and woman have made throughout the years."

We have had control for three months now and have been through an eye opening evaluation of where the clubs is right now and what is required to put it back where it belongs. There is much to be done, and for now it is a case of prioritising and progressing on as many fronts as possible. 

As I mentioned in my first update I am keen to keep supporters as informed as we can so here is an update on what has happened in the past few weeks. 

ON THE PARK

To say things have not gone as we would like on the football side of things so far this season would be an understatement. 

First and foremost, every member of the board is a St Mirren supporter and we are all hurting as much as everyone else, however it is vitally important that we all stick together through these tough times and come out the other side stronger as a result. 

Personally I have seen enough in the last few weeks both behind the scenes and on the park to have faith that we have the right management team in place to start moving the club forward on all levels. We have started to develop a long term strategy as to how the youth system will funnel into the first team with Tony at the forefront of developing this along with Jack, James, Allan and his academy team. 

THE ACADEMY

The academy has just been awarded gold status for another year, which is a fantastic achievement as we are the only side holding gold status in Scotland. Only Celtic & Rangers hold a higher status than St Mirren, so we should all be justifiably proud of this. 

Unfortunately the AstroTurf pitch at Ralston will only last another year before it will need replaced as it just scraped through the testing procedure this time. 

The first team buildings also need some major repair work as we look to protect our investment in Ralston. 

This investment cannot be avoided so this may impact on some of our other planned projects in the short term as we juggle the resources we have available. 

DISABLED SUPPORTERS PLATFORM

We will have the raised platform completed in time for the quarter-final of the IRN-BRU Cup against Ayr United. The Fans Council have arranged for some veterans from Erskine Hospital to attend the game on Remembrance Sunday. 

Although this is the very first game where the platform will be in use, the disabled supporters association have made the selfless decision to let the veterans have access to the platform. A terrific gesture which reflects well on all at the club. 

WORKING WITH SMISA

The funding that was initially available to pay for the platform was dramatically reduced prior to our takeover. Without the assistance of the SMiSA members' £2 a month contribution and the generosity of some others this wouldn't have happened. We will thank them all properly in a future article. 

A big thank you as well to the SMiSA volunteer squad who are going around the whole stadium giving it a good clean from top to bottom. We are committed to making the matchday experience as enjoyable and safe as possible for fans of all ages and these efforts definitely help. If you can give your time - and particularly if you have a trade - your support would be very welcome. You can register your interest by emailing jim.crawford@smisa.net

SMISA & THE FANS COUNCIL

We have had positive discussions with the SMiSA and the Fans Council as to how we move forward utilising the unique skill sets of both organisations and as part of that review we are looking at how we develop the St Mirren Trust to increase our role in the community. 

NEW FACES AND NEW ROLES

We have employed Fiona Dainty as our new Football Development and Community officer. Fiona is also a coach with Scotland woman's under-17s and part of her remit will be to develop the woman's football side of our club. 

James Hunter has now been appointed as our Head of Media. I hope you are all starting to see the increased flow of information on the new website and on our social media channels. Norrie Jamieson remains a valued member of the team and will assist with certain website aspects whilst also co-ordinating the production of the Matchday Programme. 

WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT

We have gone live with online booking for corporate hospitality and player sponsorship on the website in our new e-store and have already taken our first few orders on this platform. Our aim is to make it as easy as possible for supporters and local businesses to book and pay for services online and will be reviewing other operations within the club with a view to taking those online too. 

A MESSAGE FOR THE FANS

It would be remiss of me not to mention the support we have received from the fans. I know things have been very tough for everyone connected with the club. 

Trust me when I say it hurts even more when you are putting your heart and soul into trying to improve things every day only to be left disappointed on a Saturday.

It has been a massive boost to both Tony, myself and the other board members to receive the backing and support of every fan we meet. 

The positive feedback helps reinforce our absolute belief that we are heading in the right direction and will come out of this difficult period as a stronger club. The support for the team on a Saturday has been exceptional even when things haven't been working out. 

I'd urge you all to stick with Jack, James and the rest of the team as your support really does make a difference. 

Thank you!

Calling all Saints fans!

We want your help as we look to make some changes around the Paisley 2021 Stadium. 

In a bid to bring the players and supporters closer together and to create a sense of unity between the two, we are asking for your suggestions for what we can put above the tunnel area for the players to see right before they run on to the park.

The plan will be to have the slogan emblazoned on the area just above the tunnel exit on the inside of the stadium and have the exact same thing on the exits from all the vomitories throughout the stadium. 

We've all seen some of the iconic examples in football, such as the 'This is Anfield' sign that sits above the tunnel area at the home of Liverpool FC and we want to replicate that at our stadium. 

So send your ideas - whether it's a slogan or some artwork - to us on our Twitter or Facebook page or email james.hunter@stmirren.com and the best will be adorned throughout the stadium.

On a night of disappointment came one shining light as Academy prospect Kyle Magennis took to the field as a half time substitute to replace Kyle Hutton during Tuesday's game at Cappielow.

Much like he did on Saturday when he made his first team bow, taking the place of Ryan Hardie at the interval against Hibernian at Easter Road, Kyle looked assured and composed on the ball and didn't let the occasion faze him as he tried to play his game. 

The midfielder has looked right at home in the centre of midfield in his two cameo appearances for the Saints and has won praise from manager Jack Ross for the way he has come into the side. 

Speaking to stmirren.com after the match on Tuesday night, the player says it's been enjoyable, even if results haven't gone the way of the Saints.

It has been good," he said. "It has been a good experience for me and good to play with the boys. 

It's been a steep learning curve for the player who admitted that the step up from the U20s to first team level has been difficult. However, he said that once he took to the field it became business as usual.

It's a lot harder [than the U20s]. You get pressed a lot more, you don't get as much time on the ball and you have to keep it simple. I was nervous, but once I got on the park it just became another football match and you just try to play the way you play. 

I just want to try my hardest and just do what I can do and get more chances. Hopefully I'll get a start in the next couple of weeks and show what I can do.

He also said that the more experienced players in the squad were very welcoming and did what they could to help him through the games.

They encourage you when you are playing, keep everything positive if you make a mistake and just generally try to encourage you. 

While Jack Ross had positive things to say about Kyle on both his outings, the 18 year-old had praise for the manager as well.

He's been great," he said. "He's been more involved in our training and stuff and wants to give us a chance to impress."

Over the last few weeks a group of volunteers from within SMISA's membership have been in at the Paisley 2021 Stadium cleaning the Family Stand. While the front of the seats are cleaned by the club each year, the backs are not. The volunteers have been in cleaning these with power-washers and they have also cleaned the stairs, banisters and the advertising boards to make the area look much nicer ahead of Saturday's game against Dumbarton.

The Club's thanks go to volunteer squad members Bert Downie, Ian McLaren, Ken Docherty, Gordon Black and SMISA committee member Jim Crawford for all their hard work. 

The guys are keen to expand the numbers and if anybody has a few hours to spare and would like to join them, your help will be hugely appreciated. The team are back in at the stadium this week tackling the West Stand. For more information, email jim.crawford@smisa.net 

We are pleased to announce the launch of the second phase of the club website development project with the new St.Mirren "e-store" going live today here at stmirren.com.

The e-store allows our supporters and local businesses to pay for goods and services online using our new secure payment processing platform.

Initially in this phase we are rolling out online bookings for Matchday Hospitality and also opening up the remaining player sponsorship packages at a reduced rate for both individual and corporate sponsors to the end of the season.

This is only the beginning. We will be looking at all the services provided by the club and hosting as many of these online as we can, making purchasing as quick, easy and convenient as possible.

Today you will be able to book corporate hospitality for the Dumbarton game this coming Saturday and also for the Chinese/Indian Buffet we are running for the later kick off match against Dunfermline on the 19th of November. In fact all our home league games to the end of the year are available to buy including the perfect Christmas present of a day out at the derby game vs Morton on Hogmanay!

More matches will be added to the system during the course of the week.

The e-store can be found under "Shop" in the main menu and you will see online payment buttons on the relevant service pages too.

Naturally it works perfectly on mobiles and tablets so you book your services wherever you happen to be.

Click here to have a look around and create an account for easy future payments on the system.

Bookings are of subject to VAT which will be calculated at the time of order and all corporate transactions are subject to a £1.50 per ticket booking fee. All major credit cards are accepted and business customers can reserve services online using company purchase orders.

Where season ticket holder discounts are available please enter the applicable season ticket numbers in the box provided when processing your sale.

As Saints get ready to head to Edinburgh for tomorrow’s IRN-BRU Cup tie against Hibernian, defender Gary Irvine is set for a tough encounter at Easter Road and although he knows that new manager Jack Ross won’t be physically present at the game as he fulfils his last duty with Alloa, Gary is aware that his new gaffer will be keeping close tabs on what is happening at Easter Road. 

“It’s a wee break from the league going into a cup game which is always good. It’s a very tough fixture as Hibs have started well and obviously we’re going to Easter Road which is difficult.

“Like I say, with the way the week has gone with the new manager being appointed we know that his eyes will be on the game even though he is taking Alloa at the weekend. The boys will have that in their mind as well, that it is a fresh start for everybody with a new manager coming in and it is time to impress again and Saturday is the first time to do it.”

While Saints are the underdogs for tomorrow’s cup tie at Easter Road, Gary reckons underdogs are always in with a decent chance.

“I don’t really look at cup games like that because cup games are hard games for everybody, it doesn’t matter what team is in form in the league and what team is doing well going by where you are sitting in the league. A cup game can always cause upsets, the less favoured team can cause an upset and get the result and progress in the cup and go on a good run.

“At the end of the day everybody wants to win trophies in their career and it’s a cup game and we have got a chance to do that, that’s my frame of mind. I think everybody in that dressing room will be the same, you want to go out there and you want to win as many things as you can in your career and this cup game is no different.”

New manager Jack Ross will pick up his managerial duties next Monday and Gary is glad that the process of picking a new gaffer is over and everybody can start to move forward to try and progress the club again.

“It’s dragged on for maybe two, two-and-a-half weeks and it was just a new name every single day for the boys and naturally as footballers you start asking ‘what is this person like and what is that person like’. But now that we know who it is that is coming in and know that he has had a good career as a player and has had a good start to his management career as well, yes you start getting excited now. It’s back to a new manager coming in and back to everybody in that dressing room having to impress him now and be part of his plans and show him what each of us can do.

“There are small connections with things like Ben Gordon who is on loan at Alloa at the minute and also ex St Mirren players like Jim Goodwin so all these wee bits, not for myself personally, let the boys keep in touch with each other and you learn what kind of coach he is. But all that will be cemented by himself as he’ll come in and have his own ideas and take them out to the training ground. It’s alright hearing all the wee rumours but it’s what he does on the training pitch and I’m sure all the boys are looking forward to working with him.

“It’s always good in football, you’ll always learn in football. Every single day you will learn something new and when it is a new coach coming in it will be new ideas, fresh ideas and something different, all these things are good for players to come in and take on board what the manager is wanting, his style of play and his training methods. “

Tomorrow will see Allan McManus take temporary charge of the first team for the last time. Gary is appreciative of Allan’s efforts over the last few weeks.

“It’s been brilliant to be fair. He is an ex-teammate of mine from St Johnstone so I knew him really well and just to see his coaching methods you can see how much he has come on in coaching as well.

“All of the things he was doing over the last two weeks have been brilliant as the boys have taken to it. Again fresh ideas, a wee bit of fun and there was hard work there as well, I think the boys took to Allan really well. It was a great experience for Allan and the boys also really enjoyed it.

“He is doing a great job with the young boys in the youth set-up but it would be good to have him about putting in his ideas as well.”

The last couple of week’s Gary has taken on the captain’s armband due to the absence of Andy Webster, a role he has been honoured to take on.

“Throughout my career I’ve always fell into that position as being one of the names to take the armband and hopefully lead on the pitch for the other players. It’s always a good honour and a good thing as a player as well to have that armband and show that you are leading all the boys out.

“In the last couple of weeks, despite getting nothing at Dunfermline, I personally think that there was improvement there. Last week again we showed as we kept on digging in that we eventually got something from the game, so there were improvements there and when you are the captain and you’re feeling that there is a wee change in the team it is always a positive and it’s something to be proud of.”

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.”