Latest news with #Buddies
Daily Record
a day ago
- Business
- Daily Record
Stephen Robinson on 'patience' needed as St Mirren secure long-term targets
The Buddies gaffer has reflected on the club's recent transfer business with the Premiership season kicking off this weekend. Stephen Robinson says persistence has been key in securing several long-term targets for St Mirren. The Buddies gaffer has rolled out the welcome mat nine times over the summer as new faces arrived at the SMiSA Stadium. Liam Donnelly, Richard King, Malik Dijksteel (pre-contract), Ryan Mullen, Jayden Richardson, Jalmaro Calvin, Tunmise Sobowale, Miguel Freckleton and Shamal George have all put pen to paper in Paisley. Both Roland Idowu and Killian Phillips turned their loan deals into permanent moves bringing the total number of signings to 11. After a hat-trick of top-six Premiership finishes, Robbo knows it is about going again. All the new recruits have been players the Northern Irishman has been keeping tabs on for months — with Sobowale and Dijksteel on the 50-year-old's radar since the start of last year. He says the art of the deal is about patience as he understands not everyone will want to sign for the club when they are first approached. 'It's a long process and sometimes you don't get them at the first try,' he said about how he handles his business. 'I've tried to sign Shamal twice before! 'Tunmise and Malik, who has joined on a pre-contract, are boys we've been looking at for the last 18 months. Miguel I've watched since he was on loan. You keep track of these boys and hope they'll come around again. 'The position the club's in, we can build. We're building for Christmas already in signing Malik. Everyone in the office deserves credit as well. We don't have a big staff and they're the unsung heroes of transfers and deserve a big mention.' With a huge number of players incoming, Robinson knows there will be some heading for the exit. Already, Owen Oseni and Greg Kiltie have left the club for permanent deals at Plymouth Argyle and Kilmarnock, respectively. Luke Kenny has joined Arbroath on a season-long loan with Callum Penman (Queen of the South) and Peter Urminsky (Glentoran) also going out on temporary transfers to get valuable game time. Robbo says the moves for both Penman and Urminsky were to ensure their growth isn't stunted. He said: 'We believe Queen of the South is going to be a really good place to go on loan for Callum. He had three months on loan at Arbroath last season and we believe Queens will give him a real opportunity to develop. 'These young boys have to play games. It's a bit harder for goalkeepers, but [Glentoran] will have a top keeper on their hands. Sitting in training isn't the way forward. They need to play games.'
BBC News
2 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
'Marginal gains' guru Robinson to deliver again? It's season predictions
Where will you finish in the league and why?The only guarantee in life is there will come a time when I can no longer casually assume the Buddies will finish in the top half, and so I'm going to continue riding that train until the lights come on at the end of the line. Sixth. We've lost some key starters, but Stephen Robinson has long since earned blind faith in his ability to freshen our is the best signing or has he not signed yet and who should it be?The unknown quantities of Richard King and Jalmaro Calvin, signed from Jamaican champions Cavalier, offer the most potentially exciting answers to this question. However, based on the evidence we have already, it will likely be one of our loanees-turned-permanent. Convincing Roland Idowu and last season's player of the year Killian Phillips to commit for the long term in Paisley represents excellent business. I'll opt for Idowu in order to be different and appear like I'm in the do you want from your manager this season?I want him to stay in Paisley, forever. I want him to continue telling the media that three players are injured, then starting them all on Saturday anyway. I want more of the same from our card-carrying marginal-gains will be the breakout star in your squad?Fraser Taylor. Local boy and Saints fan, late developer who starred on loan for Arbroath last season as they won League One. Nominally a 10, he has played throughout the League Cup group stage in a deep midfield role, replacing Caolan Boyd-Munce. Last year, in a brief cameo, he set up our famous equaliser against Brann in Norway with an inch-perfect cross. I'd argue he's a better and stronger player now, and he has more options to create is your one major concern?We've had (and are still having) a busy summer of squad turnover, losing several popular figures from the past three seasons of relative success. Therein lies a risk that new players won't settle, or the squad will lose something of its closeness. The league also feels stronger at the top end, so patience and understanding for a bottom-half finish might also be Jardine can be found at Misery Hunters, external
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Shamal George will make Scottish football return with St Mirren a family affair
The big keeper has joined the Buddies on a season-long loan from Wycombe Wanderers. Shamal George insists his move to St Mirren will be a family affair once his best Buddies join him north of the border. The 27-year-old keeper made his debut for Saints in Sunday's 2-1 win over Ayr United in the Premier Sports Cup after joining on a season-long loan from Sky Bet League One side Wycombe Wanderers. George is up here on his own just now with fiancee Anna and six-month-old twins Mateo and Alani-Rae still at their home in Oxford. However, that will all change in the coming weeks – and ex-Livingston custodian George admits he wants them by his side as he begins his Paisley adventure. 'They're not up here with me yet,' he said. 'The kids are sleeping well but it's a bit tough leaving them. But they are coming up in two or three weeks. We've got a boy and a girl – twins! They are Mateo and Alani-Rae. 'At first, they weren't sleeping well but now it's a bit better. The thought of leaving the kids made it a difficult decision to come up here. 'We were living in Oxford so that's a seven-hour drive. It was tough to leave them when I did but I've got to get game time for my career so this was one I couldn't sit on. 'They are coming up here to be with me for the 10 months I'm here; I couldn't do without them.' George explained the reasons for last summer's switch from the Lions to Buckinghamshire. He said: 'At Livingston, the first year was really good. I really enjoyed it, it's a good club and really good group of lads. The second year didn't go to plan when we got relegated. 'I wanted to get back to England because my fiancee Anna was pregnant so we needed more help down the road.' George's move to Wycombe turned into a nightmare when he suffered a horror injury during the 2-0 FA Cup win over Portsmouth in January. 'Last season was tough for me but I'm happy to be back playing football,' he said. 'My groin came off my bone and I had a hernia on the same side so, not ideal. I got injured in the first seven minutes. I kicked the ball and heard the pop. It was very painful. 'We had great physios at Wycombe, they made it fly by – and obviously having kids, they came around the time I got injured. I could spend a bit more time when them. It made my time out injured that bit easier.' George has enjoyed a full pre-season so is raring to go and looking forward to working with boss Stephen Robinson and goalkeeping coach Jamie Langfield. He added: 'I had to get game time this season. I believe St Mirren had been after me for a while so I spoke to the gaffer and Langers. 'They called me and what they had to say really interested me. I was happy to come back to the Scottish league and get valuable minutes.' Meanwhile, Saints' Slovak stopper Peter Urminsky has joined Northern Irish Premiership side Glentoran on a season-long loan meaning George and Ryan Mullen will be the first-team keepers at the SMiSA Stadium going forward.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Robinson hopes Buddies can emulate 2013 cup success
Stephen Robinson is looking forward to a tricky League Cup tie against Hearts after St Mirren topped Group D with a 2-1 win over Ayr United on Sunday. The Buddies will face Derek McInnes' Hearts in the last 16 of the competition when the tie is played on the weekend of 16th/17th August. After a 0-0 draw against Arbroath in their first game earlier this month, Robinson's men went on to defeat Forar Athletic, Annan Athletic and Ayr on their way to the round of 16. The Buddies last lifted the League Cup in 2013 in a run which saw them defeat Aberdeen and Celtic on their road to the final where they were 3-1 winners against Hearts, and Robinson is hopeful of achieving that feat again. "You start out the group stage to get to the next round and we've done that," Robinson told club media. "We now add Hearts to a very hard start of the season but if you want to progress in the cup you have to beat everybody and if you want to win the cup you have to do it the hard way. "We've done it before, we've beaten Hearts and Aberdeen on the way to a cup final. Looks like we'll have to do it again."
STV News
4 days ago
- Sport
- STV News
League One Alloa handed Premier Sports Cup second-round trip to Rangers
League One side Alloa have been handed a Premier Sports Cup second-round trip to Rangers following Sunday's draw. The Wasps – the lowest-ranked team remaining in the tournament – were surprise winners of their group and will face Russell Martin's Gers at Ibrox on the weekend of August 16/17. Holders Celtic will host newly-promoted Falkirk in one of four all-Premiership ties. The others see Kilmarnock host Dundee United, Livingston at home to Hibernian, and St Mirren play Hearts in Paisley. St Johnstone, relegated from the top flight last term, will host Motherwell while Aberdeen have been drawn away to Championship side Morton. There is guaranteed to be at least one second-tier side in the last eight after Championship pair Partick Thistle and Ayr United were pitted together. St Mirren and Ayr became the last two sides to secure their second-round places on Sunday when Killian Phillips' first-half double set the Paisley men on course for a 2-1 home victory over the Honest Men in Group D. While the Buddies topped the section, Scott Brown's side also progressed as one of the three best runners-up despite losing their perfect record in the competition against their William Hill Premiership hosts. Dunfermline had been waiting in the wings hoping to profit from any Saints slip-up or an unlikely nine-goal defeat for Ayr, but their hopes of progressing were dashed by events in Paisley. The Buddies went ahead after Phillips fired home Roland Idowu's cutback from 15 yards out in the 16th minute, and the recently-capped Republic of Ireland midfielder doubled his tally in the 38th minute when he turned home another Idowu delivery from just outside the six-yard box. Ayr pulled one back in the 64th minute when Kevin Holt headed home Dom Thomas' corner to ensure a nervy finale for the hosts. Dundee – eliminated after losing their opening two fixtures – were the only top-flight side to fail to make it through the group stage. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
