I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you all to our new look website and give a huge thank you to all those who helped with the redesign of the site and in particular "Big Front Door" who were responsible for turning all the good ideas into reality.
For me this also represents a perfect opportunity to mark the beginning of a new era both on and off the park.
Our partnership with Smisa is in its earlier stages but I am very comfortable that we are heading in the right direction and that, together, we can create a successful fan ownership model over the next 10 years.
I am also very happy how quickly we have gelled as a board and while everybody is still finding their feet I know we will all have a very positive input in taking the club forward.
We have had the keys now for 2 months and feel that, although we are moving in the right direction behind the scenes, we were not progressing on the park or in terms of our communication with our support.
As a result of that and as part of our long term plan we decided to implement some major changes.
The decision to terminate the managers contract was not an easy one. Alex did a tremendous job last year but for some reason it was just not happening this year. People outwith the club and support will consider that we didn't give him enough time and I can understand that. Our job, however, is to do what's best for St Mirren Football Club.
However, at the risk of contradicting myself, I don't think it is any coincidence that the most successful managers are given time to get things right. That does not just require patience and support from the board but also from the stands. Our long term goal is to have a man at the helm who will have an input into all playing aspects of the club with the aim of producing a successful supply chain from the youth system to the first team. It is vital that our new manager buys into that philosophy as well as producing a product on the pitch that we can all enjoy watching.
We have also made the decision to employ a dedicated media manager. We feel that this is now a full time job and is a vital part of improving our communication levels and selling the services of the club going forward with the new website being key to achieving this.
I have stated from the beginning that we need to increase the turnover of the club so that we are competing with the top 6 clubs of the top flight and not flirting between the Premiership and the Championship.
This will not be easy by any manner of means and we are already £125k down on our income levels for next season due to the loss of the SPFL parachute payments. We also have a very financially beneficial agreement with JD sports that we need to make some tough decisions on.
In my previous role within the stadium construction project I promised that I would try and improve the disabled viewing facilities once we had the SPL compliant stadium that was our agreement with tesco. Unfortunately I left the club before I was able to make good on that promise so it has become a key part of my re-incarnation to fulfil that commitment with the new disabled platform in the main stand.
We are also investigating the viability of numerous projects that include the "Love Street Coffee Shop", an advertising board at the Paisley end corner that will be utilised to promote club services and home games as well as being a source of income, a memorial garden, office provision in one of the corners, and making the 1877 bar a standalone facility so it can be better utilised without the entire main stand being open. These things won't happen overnight and most need significant funding but rest assured we are working hard to take the club forward.
My aim is to provide regular updates for the supporters going forward. Please do also record any ideas or suggestions you have on our new "Suggestion Wall" here on the site. Your opinion really does matter.
Without the continued support of you, our loyal fans, and club sponsors none of this will be possible so we ask that you continue to support us in every way you can. We are in this together for the long haul!
