St Mirren have offered captain Mark O'Hara a new contract, but the 30-year-old midfielder is also a target for Kilmarnock and has interest from clubs in Asia and Eastern Europe. (Kyle Gunn on X), external
Image source, SNSDeclan John "was playing through a painful injury and put off his surgery" last season to help St Mirren avoid relegation, manager Craig McLeish has revealed as the left-back was rewarded with an extra year on his contract.
The 30-year-old Welshman, who initially joined on a short-term deal in November 2024, is now contracted to the Scottish Premiership club until summer 2028.
McLeish described it as "a fantastic piece of business" to extend his stay further.
"Declan is a really important player for us and I think he's one of the best full-backs in the league," he told St Mirren's website.
"He brings so much experience and leadership on and off the pitch and is a core part of our experienced group of players.
"He was playing through a painful injury and put off his surgery to try and help us over the line. I think that speaks volume of Declan as a character and I'm delighted to have him for the longer-term."
John played for Cardiff City, Barnsley, Chesterfield, Rangers, Swansea City, Sunderland, Bolton Wanderers and Salford City before moving to Paisley and making 62 appearances, scoring three times and contributing 11 assists.
He said he is "not far away" from a return to full fitness and added: "The club has shown really good faith in me over the last couple of seasons.
"I think I've done quite well over my time at the club and it's nice for the club to come forward and offer me the extension."
Image source, SNSSt Mirren manager Craig McLeish has made his first signing of the summer, with Spanish midfielder Samuel Ramos arriving in Paisley.
The 25-year-old joins up at the Smisa Stadium after leaving Slovakian topflight side Zemplin Michalovce, where he scored eight goals in 32 games last season.
He previously spent times in Las Palmas' youth academy, before a short spell with Mensajaro in his homeland.
Ramos has signed a deal until 2028, having been scouted by McLeish and new head of recruitment Gavin Miller.
He is only the third Spaniard to play for St Mirren, following former Barcelona captain Victor Munoz and midfielder Tonet.
"Samuel Ramos is someone I'm really excited about getting in," McLeish told the St Mirren website.
"I came across him a good few months ago before I was in interim charge.
"Once I got the manager's role and Gavin [Miller] came in, I shared it with him and we looked at the data and it was really good.
"I watched a lot of his games, spoke to teammates of his and spoke to an ex-coach so I did a lot of digging.
"I think the fans will enjoy watching him play and watching his energy and his passion that he plays. It's one I'm really excited about and hopefully he can be a big player for us."
Kenny Crawford
BBC Sport Scotland
Image source, SNSCraig McLeish has been speaking to the media after being officially unveiled as St Mirren manager.
Here are the main points from his press conference:
On receiving the phone call from chief operating officer Keith Lasley informing him he'd got the job, McLeish admits "I kind of knew he was going to give me that news and I was just delighted it turned out the way I wanted it to."
The new boss adds he's "really excited about the opportunity and to get the group back together, excited to put all our things in place and show it off to the fans."
The 36-year-old says Scottish football is "in a really good place" and is "delighted to be part of that" as he takes charge of St Mirren.
McLeish hopes to follow in the footsteps of fellow managers, adding "I have so much admiration for guys like Derek McInnes, Stephen Robinson, John McGlynn, Martin O'Neill, they've done it year in year out and that's ultimately what I want to achieve in the game."
But the manager "knows how this goes, I need to be successful in the short term to allow me to build that longevity" adding I've been involved in football long enough I know how it needs to go. We need to hit the ground running."
Looking at players like John McGinn and Kenny McLean at the World Cup, who both spent early parts of their careers in Paisley, McLeish insists "that's the bit the club has to celebrate - that we can provide that pathway for our players."
He adds "I'm so proud now to be the guy in charge of that who can bring through the next generation of players."
McLeish hasn't had a chance to catch up with his players yet but stresses "I owe them, even some of the boys that have now moved on, so much gratitude for how they bought into everything from day one, how much they fought for each other. I owe them so much for me sitting in this position."
On how his St Mirren team will set up, McLeish says "I've got an ideal way which I'd love to play but that's if you've got the absolute best players in the world."
And adds "we've got to work with what we've got and be pragmatic at times as well, I think I showed that during the interim period."
But McLeish stresses "I will do things the way I see best to win games. We'll try to do it with a positive style, on the front foot and be exciting to watch but ultimately I need to be pragmatic and win games."
Dundee United and St Mirren are interested in 25-year-old St Johnstone goalkeeper Ross Sinclair, who has been offered a new deal at at McDiarmid Park. (Daily Record - subscription required)
Read the rest of Thursday's gossip.
Image source, SNSSt Mirren will start their pre-season preparations under new manager Craig McLeish with a trip to face Arbroath.
The pre-season friendly on Saturday 27 June (14:00 BST) will be the 36-year-old's first game as the permanent manager.
McLeish won three of his nine league matches as interim boss but was unable to prevent the Buddies finishing second bottom as Kilmarnock hit form after the split.
In the Premiership play-off final, the Paisley side secured survival with a 2-1 win against Partick Thistle.
Image source, EPA/ShutterstockDuckens Nazon (centre) was a substitute in Haiti's 2-1 defeat by Peru on Saturday
Duckens Nazon will be a danger to Scotland in Saturday's World Cup Group C opener with his "shoot on sight" mentality, former St Mirren team-mate Ryan Flynn has warned.
Former Wolverhampton Wanderers, Coventry City and Oldham Athletic striker Nazon, now with Esteghlal in the Persian Gulf Pro League club, had a spell in the Scottish Premiership alongside Flynn on loan from Sint-Truiden.
"He's a real talisman to be fair for them watching from afar and just following his progress," the Arbroath midfielder told the BBC Scottish Football Podcast.
Nazon scored just twice in 12 appearances for St Mirren in 2019 and was sent off in extra time after coming on as a substitute in their penalty shoot-out relegation play-off victory over Dundee United.
However, the France-born 32-year-old has found the net an impressive 44 times in 82 appearances for Haiti.
"He's a player that shoots on sight, that's for sure," Flynn recalled. "Whether it's training games, if he sees the goal, he shoots on sight.
"It can be erratic at times, but on that, if you don't shoot, you don't score. I think he's got that mentality that, if he gets a quarter of a chance, he's letting one go and on the odd occasion it does go in.
"But, for Haiti, he's pulled off some real upsets and they've beat some top nations along the way.
"And [Bastia goalkeeper] Johny Placide, the captain, I played with him at Oldham actually, so it'll be interesting seeing those guys."
St Mirren and English clubs are interested in Kieran Ngwenya, the 23-year-old defender who is out of contract after a spell at Dunfermline Athletic. (Courier - subscription required), external
We asked for your views on Craig McLeish being named as the permanent manager at St Mirren.
Here are some of your comments:
Donald: The cheap choice! Underwhelming appointment, we barely escaped the play-off and he only won four of 12 games in charge. The football was poor. Relegation next season for sure!
Craig: Craig did a great job in keeping us up but I feel going on from what Stephen Robinson did we need to get back up there so we need someone with more experience.
Martin: Easy option appointment if not underwhelming, did we even have any other interest? Who knows, he might be the next Pep Guardiola! He'll need to make a very good start or I suspect the fans might lose faith quickly. Tough season ahead I fear.
JD: McLeish is definitely not the right choice. A far more experienced manager is required for the job. It was luck more than judgement that kept the Saints up. Can't see us being lucky twice under McLeish.
Paul: It's a sensible appointment. Continuity and stability over costly change. We could do a lot worse. The question of who the manager will be has been answered so time for every fan to get behind the team and give him a chance.
Alastair: I don't think he has shown enough in the games that I've seen to convince me he has the tactical nous required for the job on a permanent basis. He persists with the same tactics even when it's clear that they aren't working.
Kyle: Not the one I was hoping for. The club needed to turn to a manager who could bring high-quality players with him - a young manager with no reputation will do the opposite. Can't see many quality players having faith in the project.
Innis: Craig deserves a chance, as he kept us in the Premiership. He needs to sign his own players for his style of football. Hopefully some of our talented youngsters get a chance, since he was head of youth development. Hopefully the fans will get behind him.
Image source, SNSCraig McLeish emerged as the "outstanding candidate" for the manager's job after a "number of external candidates" were assessed, say St Mirren.
The Buddies have appointed McLeish - who secured top-flight survival in his interim tenure last season - on a three-year contract following a "thorough, data-driven recruitment process that aligned with the club's football strategy on and off the pitch".
Chief executive Keith Lasley said: "It was always the plan to get to the end of the season, have a short period of reflection on what had taken place in that period and also conclude the thorough process that was already running in the background. That's what we've taken the time to do.
"Ultimately, we feel as a football club, that Craig very much aligns with the club's real ambition and needs moving forward.
"I think this is a moment for the club that was always coming probably to the end of a cycle, a very successful one, but we feel as if there's a new exciting challenge ahead in the way we win as a football club.
"That is the development of young players, the development of a player trading model and the development of a style and an exciting football team for our fans to come here every weekend and watch.
"We wanted the data and the personal characteristics to reflect those key points for us moving forward and those things joined together was really part of the process for us finding the candidate that we felt was best in that role.
"We know where Craig is in his journey, he's still very early, but I think there's some really good examples, at the likes of Brentford and Brighton, that give people opportunity. We want to be that club and that's based on merit. Craig is a very driven, hungry individual."
Chairman John Needham says McLeish's appointment is "about building on the progress made during a challenging period".
He added: "Craig came into a difficult situation and results improved under his leadership. He has earned the trust of the players and leadership.
"He knows the club from the inside, having worked across the academy and first-team environment over a number of years, and understands the standards expected at St Mirren as well as the demands of the support.
"Craig's appointment fits with the club's wider football strategy of developing players, improving recruitment and building a sustainable first-team model."
Craig McLeish has pledged to give St Mirren's young players more first-team opportunities after being confirmed as the club's permanent manager.
The former academy head and player pathway manager has signed a three-year contract and is assisted by Stuart Taylor, while head of goalkeeping Jamie Langfield takes on the added responsibility of set-piece coach.
McLeish handed debuts to four academy players - Grant Tamosevicius, Caiden McMillan, Thomas Falconer and Luke Douglas - during his 12-game stint as interim boss last season in which he kept the club in the top flight via the play-offs.
"I want to thank Keith [Lasley] and the board for giving me this opportunity and I'm ready to grasp it," said McLeish.
"I'm delighted that my vision aligned with the club's, and they feel I'm the best person to take us forward.
"It feels like maybe the end of a cycle with where we were at. We've achieved a lot over this last period, and we have to now look at what we do and how we operate as a club.
"A lot of that will be about developing our own young players and giving them more opportunities. I think with my knowledge of the players coming through and how much I trust them, I don't think there would be a better person to go down that route as well.
"I've been at this club now for eight years and they're [the fans] such a massive part of what we do and we have to continue feeding off them.
"We have to put a product on the pitch that they can be proud of and that's a big part of me looking forward to this the support we get from them and developing good relationships with the fans."
Image source, SNSIs Craig McLeish's "adaptability" the key factor in his retention as St Mirren boss?
The Buddies have opted to stick with the 36-year-old after he guided the club to Premiership safety during his interim tenure in the final months of last season.
After initially implementing a more expansive style, McLeish showed "pragmatism" to alter his tactics, according to Scottish coach and analyst John Walker.
Speaking on the BBC's Scottish football podcast, Walker said: "I think it's very deserved. His average points tally was higher than Stephen Robinson's per game, considering he walked into a team that were very much sliding down the league.
"For him to come in in his first job, he showed a lot of pragmatism which is probably outwith his approach to the game.
"I think he tried to play football, had a couple of good performances then a few bad results and went back to Robinson's style.
"He went back to what suited the players, which is something that's always levied at philosophy coaches, young coaches, that they don't do. They don't look at the squad and go, right, I need to be more pragmatic, I need to be safer.
"He did that. He got the results. And I think that's probably what's earned him the job because anyone that has ever watched a St Mirren youth team since McLeish and Allan McManus have been in charge there, they are a very good footballing side throughout their age groups.
"They play a specific way, 4-3-3, very attacking, possession-based, press high, all really good young footballers.
"So I think his adaptability and handling that pressure is probably what's given Keith Lasley and the board the confidence to be like, why would we change it?"
Craig McLeish has been rewarded for steering St Mirren to Premiership survival by landing the manager's job on a three-year deal.
It completes a swift rise to prominence for the 36-year-old former academy coach and player pathway manager, who had 12 games in charge - winning four - last season.
Is McLeish the right choice? Or should Saints have sought a more experienced boss?
Image source, SNSJohn McGlynn says Falkirk have added a "wealth of experience" to their squad by signing Scott Tanser after the left-back's five-year spell at St Mirren came to an end.
The 31-year-old defender has penned a two-year deal with the Bairns, who marked their return to the top flight with a top-six finish last term.
Manager McGlynn says the former St Johnstone man's Scottish Premiership experience will be valuable to his side.
"He's an attacking left-back who loves to get forward," the Falkirk boss added.
"He has good quality in the final third to deliver good crosses for our attacking players in the box.
"He has a good delivery from set-pieces, as he displayed in our last game against St Mirren at the Falkirk Stadium, when the Saints scored from a corner.
"He is more than capable of moving into a left centre-back position if required, so he is a definite advantage to us."
Meanwhile, the departure of Calvin Miller is expected to follow the arrival of Tanser, with Hearts hopeful of concluding the signing of the winger in the next 48 hours.
Image source, SNSSt Mirren hope Mark O'Hara has not played his last game for the club
St Mirren remain in talks with captain Mark O'Hara, fellow midfielders Allan Campbell and Fraser Taylor, plus strikers Mikael Mandron and Jonah Ayunga, about retaining their services for next season.
But left-back Scott Tanser, striker Dan Nlundulu, centre-half Luke Kenny, midfielder Oisin Smyth and striker James Scott have all been released at the end of their current contracts as the Scottish Premiership club continue to deliberate over a new manager.
The 31-year-old Tanser has been with the Scottish Premiership club since 2021, but more than half of his 32 appearances this season have been from the bench.
Nlundulu, who arrived from Bolton Wanderers last summer, scored five goals in the 27-year-old's 32 appearances.
Smith, 26, played 29 times on loan to Partick Thistle as they finished runners-up in the Championship.
Scott, 25, failed to score in 25 outings, mainly as a substitute, on loan as Ross County were relegated to League 1.
The 22-year-old Kenny has not played since turning out four times on loan to Arbroath at the start of the season.
Wycombe Wanderers goalkeeper Shamal George, St Johnstone goalkeeper Ross Sinclair, Manchester United midfielder Jacob Devaney and Cardiff City forward Kion Etete have returned to their parent clubs at the end of their loans to St Mirren.
The Paisley ended the season with youth coach Craig McLeish in interim charge and say they are "progressing with our next manager appointment", stressing that it is "important to ensure we make the right decision".
Meanwhile, St Mirren have appointed Gavin Miller, who has spent the last five years with Motherwell, as their new head of recruitment.
It follows the departure of John Park and chief operating officer Keith Lasley told the club website: "Gavin joins the club with a proven track record of identifying high potential players that have generated significant revenue and has an extensive network across Europe and the UK."
Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest and several English Championship clubs have been closely monitoring Calum Adamson's progress as the 18-year-old midfielder moves into the final year of his Rangers contract, while St Mirren and Kilmarnock are keen to take him for next season's campaign. (TeamTalk), external
Read Monday's Scottish Gossip in full.
Image source, SNSSt Mirren will begin their defence of the Premier Sports Cup in a group section including Scottish Cup runners-up Dunfermline Athletic, Cove Rangers, League 2 champions East Kilbride and Dumbarton.
The Buddies, then managed by Stephen Robinson, beat Celtic 3-1 in December's final after topping their group ahead of Ayr United, Arbroath, Forfar Athletic and Annan Athletic.
It has yet to be announced whether interim manager Craig McLeish will still be in charge when they start next season's four-game section on 11/12 July, with the final game on 25/26 July, after having to beat Partick Thistle in the play-off final to remain in the Scottish Premiership.
Neil Lennon's Dunfermline were themselves beaten by Thistle in the play-off semi-final after finishing fourth in the Championship before losing 3-1 to Celtic in the Scottish Cup final.
Paul Hartley's Cove Rangers finished seventh in League 1, narrowly avoiding a relegation play-off, while Frank McKeown's Dumbarton were second bottom of League 2.
