Crisis at McDiarmid Park as Winless Saints Axe Manager
St Johnstone Football Club has made the drastic decision to part ways with manager Steven MacLean following their catastrophic start to the 2023/24 Scottish Premiership season. The Perth-based club currently sits rock bottom of the table with a meager four points from nine matches, having failed to register a single league victory. This shocking development comes just hours after their humiliating 4-0 defeat to St Mirren on Saturday – a result that proved to be the final straw for the Saints hierarchy.
Analyzing MacLean’s Turbulent Tenure
MacLean’s appointment as permanent manager in May 2023 came after he served as caretaker following Callum Davidson’s departure. The former St Johnstone striker, who scored 47 goals in 161 appearances for the club as a player, initially brought optimism to McDiarmid Park. However, his transition from first-team coach to manager has been nothing short of disastrous.
Football analyst James Wilson of Baji live notes: “MacLean’s inexperience at this level has been brutally exposed. His post-match comments after the St Mirren defeat, where he publicly questioned his players’ commitment, suggested a manager who had lost control of the dressing room.”
Statistical Nightmare Behind the Sacking
The numbers make for grim reading:
- 9 league games: 0 wins, 4 draws, 5 losses
- Worst defensive record in the league (19 conceded)
- Second-lowest scorers (6 goals)
- Early exits from both domestic cups
Interim Arrangements and What’s Next
Club legend Alex Cleland, who previously served as assistant manager, will take temporary charge of first-team affairs. The 52-year-old former Rangers and Everton defender faces the daunting task of preparing the team for Wednesday’s crucial match against Kilmarnock at McDiarmid Park.
Baji live sources suggest the club is already drawing up a shortlist of potential replacements, with several experienced Scottish Premiership managers under consideration. The timing of this decision gives the new manager nearly two weeks to work with the squad before their next league fixture after the Kilmarnock match.
Player Exodus Looms After Scathing Criticism
MacLean’s explosive post-match comments after the St Mirren defeat hinted at deeper problems within the squad. His warning that “some of these players will be lucky if they play for me again” suggests significant fractures in player-manager relationships that may now need urgent repair by the interim management.
Former Scotland international Alan Hutton told Baji live: “When a manager starts questioning players’ basic commitment publicly, it’s usually the beginning of the end. The new manager will need to quickly assess who’s still mentally invested in the survival battle.”
Survival Battle Ahead
With St Johnstone five points adrift at the bottom and without a win since April, the new manager faces one of Scottish football’s toughest rescue missions. The club’s proud recent history – including two Scottish Cup wins in the past decade – makes their current predicament even more shocking to supporters.
As Baji live Scottish football correspondent notes: “This is a critical juncture for St Johnstone. They need to appoint someone who can quickly organize a leaky defense while restoring confidence to a squad that looks completely bereft of belief.”
The coming weeks will be crucial in determining whether Scotland’s most successful provincial club of the past decade can avoid a disastrous relegation that would represent their first drop to the second tier since 2009.
Stay tuned to Baji live for all the latest developments on St Johnstone’s managerial search and in-depth analysis of their survival battle.
