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JIM SPENCE: Craig Levein is measured, thoughtful and occasionally volcanic – he’ll need all those traits at St Johnstone

The Perth side have swapped inexperience for experience in appointing their new manager.

St Johnstone unveil Craig Levein as their new manager.
Craig Levein is the man tasked with turning round St Johnstone's season. Image: SNS.

St Johnstone have turned the clock back in appointing Craig Levein.

In a 180 degree turn, it’s out with inexperience and in with a master craftsman.

Just as youth doesn’t guarantee energy and vitality, maturity offers no warranty of wisdom and gravitas.

But in hiring Levein, aged 59, Saints are as close to assuring those two characteristics as is possible within the constraints of available candidates.

I said recently managers need to learn their trade just as players do.

St Johnstone Manager Craig Levein.
St Johnstone Manager Craig Levein. Image: SNS.

There are always exceptions, but while the number of years under the belt doesn’t equate to a promise of progress, the odds, I think, are favourable in this case.

There’s no cast iron certainty in the appointment of any manager, but Levin reinvigorated a disorganised Dundee United set up in his three years there and will hope to do the same at Saints.

He is calm, measured and thoughtful, with the useful ability to occasionally be volcanic, and all of those characteristics will be needed in his two-fold mission of retaining Premiership status and revitalising the club structure.

Saints require a period of calm, and an unruffled manager, who can maintain his composure when all around might be losing theirs, will be invaluable.


Dundee’s Owen Beck and St Mirren’s Conor McMenamin battle for possession when the sides met in August. Image: SNS

Dundee face a team they might strive to emulate at Dens this weekend.

The last excellent St Mirren side I remember was the one that beat United in the 1987 Scottish Cup Final, featuring top players like Paul Lambert, Frank McGarvey and Ian Ferguson.

Stephen Robson is trying to bring those glory days back to Paisley and his side, in third place in the table, present both a challenge and a model for Dundee.

Tony Docherty’s side’s has made great progress with an almost completely rebuilt squad and, if they can beat the Buddies, their development in such a short space of time will be a big boost for the top six finish they should be setting their sights on


Dundee United took 27,000 fans to Hampden for the 2010 Scottish Cup Final. Image: SNS

Aberdeen fans are raging at the unequal split of tickets for their League Cup Final v Rangers and I have sympathy with them.

Yet I also have some for Gers fans.

The Dons are unhappy that there’s no 50/50 split, receiving 19,500 tickets to Rangers’ 25,000.

The average attendance at Pittodrie is over 15,000, less than a third of that at Ibrox, so, in theory, every regular Dons fan should see the match, while half of Rangers’ regulars will miss out.

Cup finals are natural magnets for those who seldom attend a match, or only go occasionally, but want to be there for the glory of the big day.

For games like this, Hampden isn’t nearly big enough for everyone who wants a ticket.

Dundee United took a huge 27,000 support to their Scottish Cup win in 2010 v Ross County, yet, when the next season started, they’d less than a third of that number as Tannadice regulars.

It can be fairly argued that Aberdeen should’ve got an even split and returned unsold briefs, but they’d have sold them all I’m sure, meaning lots of casual Dons supporters would see the game while many paying their way regularly at Rangers wouldn’t.

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